The daughter of Charles W.J. Scurr and Ann Graham, Phyllis was educated at the Fort Street Girls' High School in Sydney and graduated from Teachers' College. She taught at the Child Welfare Department Homes in Glebe, Sydney, before marrying Malcolm Gibb, a Presbyterian minister, in 1935. The Gibbs lived at Moree and Cessnock before moving to Broken Hill. After some time conducting a popular Radio Sunday School on 2BH, Phyllis was appointed first principal of the Broken Hill School of the Air when it opened on 23 February 1956. Using transceiver sets, over 80 students tuned in from remote areas covering 700 square miles. On-air classes took place twice a day, three days a week and lessons in music, drama and speech were offered in addition to the regular school subjects. Phyllis Gibb continued her work until 1964, when she retired to Melbourne after forty years of teaching.

Phyllis Gibb was awarded the MBE in 1963 for services to education. She was survived by her daughter Jeanie.

Sources used to compile this entry: Camilleri, Jenny, Some Outstanding Women of Broken Hill and District, Jenny Camilleri (Broken Hill Historical Society/Broken Hill Council), Broken Hill, NSW, 2002; Gibb, Phyllis, Filing system by name; Outback Archives, Broken Hill City Library.