The founder of the Bermuda Boys’ Brigade has been remembered as a man who epitomised the group’s motto “sure and steadfast”.

Captain Cecil Downs passed away this month in Bermuda at the age of 99.

Capt Downs first joined the Boys’ Brigade in Dublin when he was just eight.

He moved to Bermuda in 1958 and set up the Bermuda Boys’ Brigade two years later.

His daughter, Diana Downs, led the tributes for her father, who was honoured in the 1986 Queen’s Birthday Honours List with a Queen’s Certificate for his lifetime work with the Boys’ Brigade.

“Dad was a very gentle man, but he had very strong principles,” she said.

“He came to Bermuda to work as the manager in the sports department of Masters and stayed there for ten years. He then went on to work for Gibbons Company until he retired.

“He spent 40 years of his life in Dublin and 60 in Bermuda.

“He had a soft spot for Bermuda, but there was always a part of his heart in Dublin.

“The Boys’ Brigade in Dublin provided him with support and a nurturing presence in his life, and that is what he hoped to provide by founding the brigade here.”

Ms Downs added: “He was devoted to children and realised from his own experience how important it was for an adult to take an interest in children who might be struggling at school.”

Family friend, Malcolm Butterfield, said: “Generally, the term “statesman” refers to a politician, a diplomat or a public figure whose life and career is spent at national and international levels.

“However, when I think of Cecil Downs and our friend “Cecil,” he can certainly be described as a statesman in his own right.

“His character, integrity, respect and passion for everyone he met symbolises the attributes of a true statesman.

“He may have been quiet and unassuming in many ways, but he was a statesman with a big heart and strong will to do good for everyone that he came into contact with in his rich and rewarding life.”

Capt Downs was the captain of the Boys’ Brigade until 1986 when there were six companies in Bermuda.

But, he remained an ever-present feature of the group’s work, attending ceremonies and get-togethers, right up until his death.

The group’s present captain, David Semos, who joined the Boys’ Brigade at the age of 11, paid tribute to his predecessor.

“Mr Downs was a quiet, unassuming man, but he believed very strongly in the work of the Boys’ Brigade,” he said. “He was always there for the boys and the brigade was a big part in his life.

“I had known him since I was a young boy; he was a stern leader who believed in proper discipline.

“He is very much a part of the group’s history and devoted himself to its work.

“He was always there for other people and lived his life by the Boys’ Brigade motto: sure and steadfast.

“Capt Downs will be greatly missed by all of us.”

Today there is only one company, with more than 40 members, led by Mr Semos at St Paul’s Church under the priest-in-charge, the Rev Anthony D Pettit.

The Boys’ Brigade meets on Fridays at the Christian Education Centre in Paget.