Blue plaque unveiling

Chris Forster, Michael Roseveare , Ian Handford and Bryan Pitman during the Blue Plaque ceremony

Brixham Rugby Club unveiled a Torbay Civic Society Blue Commemorative Plaque on their historic gates as part of their 150^th Anniversary celebrations at the weekend.

More than 75 people attended the ceremony at Astley Park, including The Mayor of Brixham Town Council Michael Roseveare, Civic Mayor Hannah Stevens, Keith Gardner Club President, and Past Presidents Ray Gardner and Robert Dart, plus members of BRFC committee and club members, Brixham and Torbay councillors plus members of the Torbay Civic Society.

Ian Handford, Chairman of the Civic Society, revealed the plaque was the first to celebrate the formation of a club and also to celebrate the club’s volunteers over the 150 years since the club was formed.

The club also rededicated the Smardon Gates, which has recently been refurbished thanks to Jason Stride, Julian Lane, Keith Gardner and other members of the club.

The gates are a memorial to Henry Maddick Smardon MBE, who served the club and Brixham Community for more than 60 years. He died in 1948 and in 1952 the memorial gates were erected funded by the people of Brixham.

Present for the rededication was Jon Barker, Smardon’s Great Grandson, whose mother Isobel Barker was at the original opening of the memorial gates. Also present at the ceremony was the club’s oldest past player Phil Davis, 97, who remembers Henry Smardon being such a big part of Brixham RFC back in the day.

Recently former Herald Express journalist Kevin Coughlan has written some features on various significant people of the club, which includes Henry Smardon. These features can be found on the Brixham RFC website https://brixhamrfc.co.uk/significant-people/