Fred Brown wore many hats in his life – football star, police officer, political stalwart and, of course, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
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Brown, who was well known in the Maitland and Cessnock communities, died on Sunday evening aged 90.
He was captain-coach of the Maitland Pumpkin Pickers team that won a hat-trick of titles from 1956 to 1958.
The team came close to winning an unprecedented fourth straight grand final but lost on the bell to Northern Suburbs in the 1959 decider.
Brown was named co-coach of the Pickers’ top 20 players of all time, announced in August 2015.
Maitland Old Boys president Patrick Warby said Brown was well respected in the local rugby league community for his sporting achievements and his work with the Police Boys Club.
“He was a very important man in the history of the Pumpkin Pickers,” he said.
Brown joined the Pickers in 1954 after six seasons and 116 games with Manly in the Sydney competition, which included losing the 1951 grand final 42-14 against Souths.
He also represented Country, City and NSW.
The Sea Eagles held a minute’s silence and wore black armbands in Brown’s memory before Monday night’s game against the Dragons.
Brown served for many years with NSW Police and worked with youth for more than a decade as the officer of Maitland PCYC.
He later left the force and moved back to his home town of Bellbird, where he had a coaching role with the Cessnock Goannas, returned to his trade as a boilermaker and served his work mates as a union representative.
In Cessnock, he was widely credited as the man who led the campaign to bring the Hunter Expressway to town.
He chaired the Support the Link or Sink Group, which lobbied for the extension of the F3 Freeway from Seahampton to Branxton.
Brown’s reason for wanting the freeway extended was simple – to get the trucks out of Vincent Street – and he was pleased to see it open in March 2014.
He was a passionate and proud member of the Australian Labor Party for more than 40 years and held significant leadership roles. He received a distinguished honour from the ALP, the McKell Award, in August 2009.
Despite all of his achievements, Brown’s family said he was a humble man who sought no recognition.
“He just liked to be involved but didn’t need to be applauded,” daughter Judith Edwards said.
“He was always thinking of others.”
A funeral service will be held at Cessnock Uniting Church on Friday at 2pm.
