Hundreds of people arrived at Brecon Cathedral earlier this week to celebrate the life of a former pub landlady.
Described as one of the biggest characters in Brecon, the town said farewell to the landlady of The Gremlin, Elizabeth ‘Mary’ Phillips, who sadly died on February 15 at the age of 72.
Better known as Mary, between 500 and 600 people attended her funeral on Monday, March 7, after the procession made its way from her beloved pub.
Many people around the town have paid tribute to Mary who was known for her involvement with Theatr Brycheiniog, Hay and Brecon Farmers and the different local Young Farmers Clubs as well as the town council.
The Mayor of Brecon, Cllr John Powell, said he was touched by how many people attended the funeral.
Cllr Powell said: “It was very touching to see so many people from the Brecon area and beyond at the Cathedral to pay their last respects in tribute to Mary Phillips’ long legacy of hard work, service and commitment and dedication to the local community with several organisations including Brecon Town Council.
“My late father Doug Powell had fond memories from when he was a community councillor at the time Mary lived in the Upper Swansea Valley and they both were very active with the Pen-y-Cae Young Farmers, and just like her my early formative years also involved attending Glyntawe Primary School and Callwen Church. Mary will be much missed by all, her family, many friends, fellow town councillors, and people of Breconshire.”
Mary Phillips was brought up in the Swansea Valley near the Dan-yr-Ogof showcases before she moved to Liabnus with her former husband.
After staying in Libanus for 15 years, she moved to Llanfaes in Brecon in 1986 where she worked for Davies Farm Supplies before moving to Hay and Brecon Farmers as an animal health specialist in around 1989.
She retired from Hay and Brecon farmers as a retail and marketing specialist adviser before she eventually took on The Gremlin. Her involvement with the young farmers, theatre and various other groups meant she was a community figure for the town.
Ms Phillips had been part of the team at The Gremlin for almost 27 years - while she was no longer running the pub on The Watton in recent years, she was still heavily involved until she went to hospital around 12 months ago.
Former Libanus YFC Jayne Owen-Lowe paid tribute to Mary, calling her a “true talent” who was a “mentor and friend”.
Ms Owen-Lowe said: “Mary Phillips was a true Talent who wrote and produced multiple original productions for Libanus YFC and, in latter years, for the whole community.
“Testament to her talent, these productions were diverse in their scripts and settings – ranging from on board HMS Libanus to Gone Bananas in the jungle, the Ugly Bug Ball at the bottom of the garden, Go West in the Wild West, and culminating (for me) in the pantomime, Babes in the Hood.
“Thanks to Mary’s direction Libanus YFC enjoyed nearly two decades of success, winning county rounds on many occasions, and representing Brecknock YFC at Wales and National finals. Lots of these performances took place in the Guildhall, Brecon, but all were celebrated in style at the Mountains Hotel, Libanus and in the Markets Tavern in Brecon.
“Mary loved a laugh and her comedy sketches were golden. More than that, she was always able to include something that was current and topical, further increasing audience enjoyment. A fierce competitor herself, she was always a step ahead of the competition – Mary was first to introduce the use of ultraviolet paint and lighting on stage, the first to get a professional dance instructor on board to knock the dance routines into shape.
“Her drive and enthusiasm were second to none – when the pantomime won at Wales and was heading for the National finals in Blackpool, Mary spearheaded fundraising activities to cover costs of the cast staying overnight in Blackpool. Over the course of six weeks, several thousand pounds were raised – a significant part of this was collected during the bed-push from Nantddu Lodge back to the Markets Tavern – stopping the bed running away from Storey Arms to Libanus was harder than pushing it! Mary had been switched on enough to organise the bed-push for Easter bank holiday weekend – there were cars stretched for miles behind us and nearly all were happy to pay a few quid to get past!
“She gave me and so many others the benefit of her talent, providing many opportunities and building confidence not only in terms of on-stage performances, but also in public speaking, debating and after-dinner speaking. She could connect with anyone, irrespective of age and was a truly inspiring leader – even in the decades after she stood down as a YFC leader and many of us grew too old to compete, if Mary called with the idea of a community production, most of us were keen to be involved - we all knew how much fun we’d have!
“Mary was my mentor and my friend. I am proud to have known her and worked with her. The world, and Brecon in particular, are poorer for her loss.”
Ms Owen-Lowe was not the only former Libanus YFC member to pay tribute to the Brecon legend.
Colette Evans of Brecknock Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, who is also a past Libanus YFC member, said Mary will be “truly missed”.
Ms Evans said: “Mary Phillips was a former member of Penycae YFC, she then joined Libnaus YFC as a club leader and was an outstanding Director/ producer of countless Libanus YFC productions, with Libanus representing the County, Wales and appearing at National finals. Mary also produced productions for Brecon, Bwlch & Crickhowell YFC and for the whole community.
“Mary was also a skilled public speaker, going onto train a whole age of Young Farmers in junior and senior speaking competitions. It was because of Mary that many generations of Libnaus YFC members can stand up in public and deliver a speech or judge for other Yfc Federations.
“Mary was heavily involved with county events especially the annual Drama festival week, which back in 1980 Mary was on of the first members to sign up to the 200 club. Mary was Brecknock County Chairman in 1981 – 1982 and County President in 2001 – 2003. Mary was a strong, passionate and a loyal servant of Brecknock and the YFC movement.
“Mary will be truly missed by the YFC community.”
Last week, Mary’s son Gareth Phillips paid tribute to his mother who he described as a “force of nature” who “always put 100,000 per cent” into everything she did.
Following the Brecon stalwarts death following a respiratory illness last month, The Gremlin and her family have been inundated with hundreds of cards as well as flowers.
Mr Phillips said: “There are no words that can sum up what sort of lady she was really. She’s someone who, when people meet her, they never forget her and that just shows by all the responses I’ve been having from all over the world.
“There’s nothing to sum her up really, she was a huge force of nature and there’s a gap that nothing is ever going to replace her, certainly not in the pub, but I don’t think in the town or in the YFC or in the theatre.
“She was board member right from the day it was built until about six or eight months until she went into hospital. She was chairman for a long period while it was in financial difficulty and she helped pulled them out of that. All the Welsh theatre people have got so much respect and admiration for her. Everything she did, she did with 100,000 per cent, she gave it her all.”
Theatr Brycheiniog director David Wilson also attended the funeral - he said that Mary will be “very missed” by the theatre’s community.
Hay and Brecon Farmers paid a lengthy tribute to their former colleague online. They said: “In a winter steeped with so much sadness, we pause to pay tribute to our dear colleague Mary Phillips who has passed away. Mary made a lasting contribution to the work of the Society in her near twenty-four years of dedicated service. She joined in early 1989 from Davies Farm Supplies and worked assiduously to build up the animal health business and went on to become well known and respected throughout our industry.
“Back in 1989, a big obstacle was the protectionist nature of some animal health brands, who sought to prevent us buying their products at sensible prices; even trying to block us getting some drenches or vaccines. So, from necessity rather than choice, she worked with an extremely tight product range. Mary always ensured staff were fully trained and customers well informed about the products. After possibly forty evening meetings over three winters in nearly every pub and village hall from Craswall to Cwmbran with Andrew Evans of Janssen, I don’t think there was a customer who did not know Supaverm was the then better drench and that it covered nasal bot fly. Some things just get stuck in your head and you cannot forget them even if you want to. And we shall not forget all the work Mary did.
“This was coupled with an ‘ear to the ground’ approach; I think Mary can possibly claim ownership of the concept of a ‘pre-emptive selling campaign’ – certainly in the farm supplies industry – well, if she did not invent it she certainly made it an art form. She would source the product anyway and aggressively promote it in the cattle markets an hour ahead of the official campaign - that was then left floundering. And so, eventually, all the main accounts came round to supplying Hay & Brecon - something about we ‘were better off being in the tent looking out’ I think.
“This may seem micro stuff, but Mary’s experience working with the army on the camp had given her a great grasp of logistics. She always joked that organising the artics of compost or silage wrap was a piece of cake (although I don’t think she used that word), compared to getting a train load of munitions into the base.
“She went onto to look after buying and promoting retail products and a key theme was having logical product ranges and an almost Pavlovian dislike of special codes. Am not sure that is a battle she always won - and perhaps most memorable was dear Nigel Birch on one side and Mary and Suzanne on the other in what became known as the Battle of the Glovlies - these were yellow washing up gloves - but those here at the time will have not forgotten that.
“But, this concept of a tight product range that can be stocked and promoted right across the patch, and of products displayed on fittings facing the front, not strewn about the floor, were the retail standards Mary promoted day in and day out. These standards, part of our DNA, are now common across our industry, but in those days they were not. And I think it is fair to see Mary, and the work she did, as trailblazing.
“Outside Hay and Brecon, Mary sat on the AHDA Council and was known and respected throughout the industry and indeed she was years ahead of that industry in setting out programmes to address resistance from anthelmintic use. She had a rare knack which meant she could explain anything with precision, accuracy, and enthusiasm. Memorably, at a meeting in Penybont, where the main speaker (again probably best not to name names) had droned on about trace elements with a set of unreadable slides for a good fifty-five minutes and by then it was well past time to get to the bar; suddenly he and the audience were taken off guard when Mary grabbed the microphone, did two minutes on Sorgeine and then handed the microphone back and said “Right - carry on”, and he did - we sold a lot of Sorgeine that year.
“Mary retired in 2012 and carried on working with us, helping staff with training and at Sennybridge. Mary was far sighted, irrepressible, unique – but we are left with so many fond memories. Our thoughts at this time are very much with Gareth, Kevin, Michelle and Lowri and Ann and Janet and their families.
“It’s an overlooked phrase – but we will not see her like again – in this case it is so, so true . Well done Mary, thank-you, may God bless you and bring you peace.”
Since the news of Mary’s death was announced online along with Hay and Brecon Farmer’s tribute, there has been an outpouring of love and support for both Mary and her family on Facebook.
The Brecon stalwart was a treasured mother to her sons Kevin and Gareth as well a much loved grandmother to Lowri, and a great-grandmother to Lili-May and the late Ryan. She was also a cherished sister and auntie who will be “dearly missed by all her friends”.
The funeral, conducted by Matthew Williams of D M Prosser, was conducted by the former Archbishop of Wale - the Right Reverend John Davies with assistance from Reverend Canon Dr Mark Clavier.
The funeral procession started from The Gremlin before heading to the cathedral for 2pm - it was followed by private cremation at Llwydcoed Crematorium.
The service included ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ and ‘How Great Thou Art’, as well as a musical rendition of The Lord of the Dance as guests left the funeral which featured readings from Psalm 23 and Matthew’s gospel.