Teetotal Sylvans stalwart has club’s bar named after him

Bas Brehaut, 83, has been involved with Sylvans Sports Club since the 1950s.

Between 1989 and 2015 he was steward of the club’s bar and licensee from 2003 up to quite recently.

Club president Adrian Brown told the club’s recent centenary celebration and presentation evening that Mr Brehaut had done so much for the club over the years that the bar would be named in his honour.

Mr Brehaut said of Bas' Bar: ‘I didn’t expect it but I’m very proud.’

He was steward at the West Legion from 1982 before moving to Sylvans. Pubs then were still closed on Sundays and it was the club bar’s busiest day of the week.

‘We’d be packed from 4pm when we opened until closing time at 9pm,’ he said. ‘Then we were allowed to stay open until 10.45pm and people still didn’t want to leave.’

The Longfrie would close at 11pm on Fridays after which drinkers would head for Sylvans to take advantage of the 11.45pm last orders.

They were good days, according to Mr Brehaut, who said business was never the same after the Sunday drinking laws were changed.

Mr Brehaut has not drunk alcohol for 40 years as he said he had seen too many people ‘out of it’.

‘I used to like a drink, but when I started at the Legion I came home one day and said to my wife [June] that’s it, no more, I’ve

had enough.’

His first involvement with the club was as a junior footballer in 1953 and he was in the Jackson side when an ankle injury forced him to quit not long after.

Remarkably, he has been a member of the club’s committee for almost 60 years.

‘Before the clubhouse opened in 1982 we held meetings all over the place,’ he said. Venues included the St Peter’s douzaine room, Vazon Bay Hotel and a vinery at Gele Road, Castel.

For 11 years from 1971 he pulled in Sylvans’ tug-of-war team and in 1977 they competed in the World Championships in Jersey.

In 1989, he was a founding member of the Pressies 8 euchre team which has always been based at Sylvans and is still playing in the leagues today.

‘I didn’t play myself at first because I was doing the bar and Sue Ferbrache was captain,’ he said.

For several years Mr Brehaut has organised monthly euchre drives at the club.

He is recovering from a double heart by-pass operation and said they would resume as soon as he was fit enough to do it.