Former rugby player Peter De Montbrun passed away on Saturday at a Senior Citizens Home after a protracted illness. He was 75 years old on Carnival Tuesday (February 28).
Apart from being an excellent rugby player in his youth, Montbrun was responsible along with Leslie Joseph, for introducing Model Car Racing otherwise known as “Scalextric” to the children and young adults in T&T and the Caribbean.
In 1971 Scalextric was introduced to T&T by Rovex-Triang the UK Manufacturers, Ernest Vieira and Compamy Limited their local representatives where Montbrun was sales manager and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), the major sponsor, through Joseph who was District sales manager with responsibility to oversee the promotion which took the form of a national competition to select a representative to compete at the World Scalextric championship in London with a free trip on BOAC.
It attracted some 4,000 participants and was won by 13 year old Jeffrey Sanguinette, who acquitted himself nobly in London. He is now the owner and Managing Director of his own car rental operation Auto Center Rentals located on Ariapita Ave.
Scalextric is still active with kids at Christmas despite Peter having to give it up last year. BOAC, who eventually became British Airways continued sponsorship for 17 years until Joseph’s retirement in 1987. Montbrun also promoted Lego and Monopoly for years and has left an indelible impression of many families and individuals. He was also the founder of the Model Car Association whose president is now Neverson Davis.