Tara Murray
Braybrook Sporting Club legend Peter Joyce will be remembered for his love of his family and his beloved local football club.
Joyce, who was involved at the Brookers for more than 40 years, died last Monday having been unwell.
He was farewelled on Thursday, with many people from the Braybrook sporting community and wider football community joining his family at a service at Skinner Reserve.
The club also honoured him on Saturday before their match against Albanvale.
Former Braybrook president Tom Danskin said that Joyce was the heart and the soul of the football club and that the club was unlikely to ever have someone like him again.
Joyce joined the club in 1966 and held a number of roles over the years including president, vice president and head trainer.
“He was a very big family man and I support the footy club as a continuation of that,” he said.
“We have legends in sport and he is in the club as a legend. He is bigger than that, he is a legend of the league and Braybrook itself.”
Danskin was among those who voted Joyce as one of the club’s five legends, alongside the likes of Doug Hawkins.
He said in his time as trainer, Joyce didn’t want to be paid, he would only want a cup of tea each day.
Western Region Football League legend Barry Priest was one of the people to speak about Joyce at the service.
“I’ve known him a long time, since the early 1970s,” he said.
“He was pretty quickly earmarked by the people in charge and was president a few years later.
“He was the president in the third of our three premierships in a row in the 70s.
“After he was off the committee, he stayed involved for the next 40 years. When the club was short of trainers, he did a trainers’ course and held the head trainer role for many years.”
Mr Priest said Joyce’s compassion for everyone, whether it be his own team, the opposition or the umpires, was something that stood out about him.
He said his wife Pat, who died recently, was always alongside him.
“He was very loyal, honourable and humble,” he said.
“You couldn’t have met a nicer person.
“If you get through your life making few enemies and many, many friends, you have lived a good life, and Peter did that.”
Wayne Marmo said that Joyce was a real family man.
He saw Joyce the week before he died, when he complaining about not being able to attend Braybrook’s annual Anzac Day game.
“He was a great guy,” he said.
“When I came back to coach, Joycewas still there. I’d been away all those years and as soon as I was there, he was the first person to greet me.
“He would always be there talking to someone and prepping them up.“
