Dave Fear - A Tribute

Dave Fear – A Tribute

As you may know by now, club member Dave Fear passed away on Sunday, 17th May.

Dave was a St Mary’s man through and through and a personal friend, so I would like to recall some events while he was with us at St Mary’s in tribute to the fond memories he leaves.

Dave joined the club in 1981 at the ripe old age of 33, when most players are thinking how much longer before they retire. He was introduced to the club by two of his drinking friends, and St Mary’s stalwarts, at the Brunswick Club. It did not take him long to reach the first XV, despite not having touched a rugby ball before he joined. His first team debut was at full back versus Gordano when they played at Portishead’s school. His reason for joining was not the most altruistic – he had been banned from playing soccer and was still keen to play a sport. Nevertheless, the club made him feel welcome and this was more than paid back over the following years.

What most people remember about Dave was his humour, helpfulness and generosity. For instance, he was one of the few who helped mark the pitches before the games. Another memory comes from a Club tour to Barcelona, which has evoked many memories as our WhatsApp chat room shows. In a bar at Las Ramblas he slipped his Gold Amex card over the bar to pay for the drinks of over 30 of us to save the tour kitty. All done without fuss or pretence – a true gentleman.
Dave was also active in raising money for charities, mainly through his golfing activities, where he did help raise large amounts of money for various causes. He helped to raise funds for Liam O’keeffe after Liam had been seriously injured.

Tributes to him have been made from his football contacts and they all echo the sentiments we feel:
https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/a-kind-soul-and-genuinely-nice-man-dave-fear/

The feeling between the club and Dave was mutual (see press clip below -apologies for the quality). Thanks to all club members who have helped me write this by adding their memories to the story.

Dave was a fine club member and will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts and feelings go out to his family.