Local football identity Bill Brebner has died after a short illness.
The long-serving chair of Breakwater-based entertainment venue Buckleys – where all 34 local football clubs are entities – passed away this (Wednesday) morning at the Epworth Hospital.
Brebner served on the Buckleys board from 1997 until 2005 and again from 2006.
He was chairman for the past eight years.
A life member of South Barwon, which announced his death via social media, Brebner served three years as president from 1997-99, taking over a club that was in financial trouble.
He and a loyal band of volunteers steadied the ship, with the Swans making their maiden GFNL grand final appearance in 1998, eight years after the merger of Barwon – where Brebner was a player – and Belmont.
It laid the foundation for one of the most dominant periods in GFNL history, with South Barwon winning eight senior football and A-grade netball premierships between 2001 and 2013.
“Bill was a big presence at our club, and we will always be thankful for the work he did, particularly as president, to lay the foundations and set us up for many years to come,” current president Tim Sherman wrote.
Brebner served as the VCFL’s West Coast regional manager during the early 2000s and had a stint on the GDFNL board in 2005.
A celebration of his life will be held at Buckleys on Friday, July 12, at 1pm.
Bill Brebner was 72.
X: @krockfootball
