Our History

Our Story

The story of EH Brett begins in 1870, when Edwin Henry Brett, aged just 10, began his apprenticeship as a sailmaker under William Grace in his birthplace of St Peter Port, Guernsey, in the Channel Islands.

After several years working aboard sailing ships, Edwin emigrated to Australia and in 1880 established his own sail loft on Newcastle Harbour, NSW. Within a few years, his brother Walter Brett joined him from Guernsey, strengthening the growing family enterprise.

By 1900, the expanding port of Sydney attracted the brothers’ attention. Following a coin toss, Edwin moved south to establish a new loft on the Balmain Peninsula. His daughter Beatrice Alice, the company’s first employee, would mend sails while Edwin ferried them to and from the loft by boat.

Balmain remained the home of EH Brett & Sons for the next 98 years, during which the business steadily expanded to occupy more than 6,000 square metres. Over nearly a century, four generations of the family guided the company’s growth, employing more than 70 staff at its peak.

In the 1990s, economic changes reshaped the business. The Penman family, descendants of Edwin’s only daughter, purchased the remaining family shareholdings. This transition saw the company relocate first to Silverwater, and later to Moorebank in Sydney’s southwest. 

Ross and Greg Penman continued as shareholders and directors.

With origins rooted in the age of sailing ships, EH Brett’s journey spans more than a century of craftsmanship, innovation, and Australian manufacturing excellence—and the story continues.