Like nearly all the old settlers of Blanshard, he was a member of the Orange Order, having joined this institution in 1852. His first duty after reaching the township was, of course, to construct a shanty for himself and make a small clearing on which to plant or grow food for the family. This he had no sooner accomplished than he undertook to build an Orange hall on the corner of his piece of clearing, early in 1854. From that time forward he has taken a most prominent part in all the affairs of the Order, but of this we will have occasion to speak later on. After the township was organized under the existing Municipal Act, the council of Blanshard appointed him as the first License Inspector in the municipality. The hotels in the township were quite numerous at this period of its history. A constant supply of liquor, however, was easily obtained from a distillery that was operated by Mr. Shoebottom, at Silver Creek, on the Mitchell Road, in the old log building which still stands near a spring that flows from the bank adjoining. The whiskey made in this, the great central emporium, we have heard spoken of in most eulogistic terms. Considering the quality, it was exceedingly cheap, being easily obtainable at thirty-five cents per gallon. There was no doubt as to the purity of lts constituents, or as to its potency. It had this wonderful peculiarity, however, which placed it far in advance of all modern distillations, and which was told us the other day by a gentleman who has had an intimate acquaintance with the products of both periods, "that it had not the harsh, burning taste of the decoctions of the present time, but was nice and sweet, and 'sorter' soothing to the taste, and a whole barrel of it did not contain a single headache.''

During these years, from 1853 till 1859, Mr. Brethour had become quite popular in the division of the township in which he resided. At the election of 1859 he was brought forward by a section of the people in Polling Division No. 2, to oppose Mr. David Cathcart, who had been sitting at the board almost continuously since 1852. The contest arose chiefly out of the policy pursued by Mr. Cathcart in the building of the base-line gravel road. The contest was a keen one and the vote polled at an early hour, when he was defeated by Mr. Cathcart by one vote. This vote was cast by Mr. William Fotheringham, of the 8th concession, now of the township of Tuckersmith, Huron County.

Mr. Brethour took an active part in promoting the base-line gravel road scheme, and on the formation of the company was elected one of the directors, and sat on the Board for four years. This road was used for a number of years throughout the municipality as an election cry against candidates residing on it, and cost more than one aspiring young politician a seat at the council. It remained, however, for Mr. Brethour to remove all difficulty in connection with it a few years later. In 1872 he contested the municipality for the reeveship, his opponent being the present chairman of the Road and Bridge Committee of St. Marys, Mr. Lawrie, whom he succeeded in defeating. In 1873 he was again elected reeve. In the meantime the gravel road company had gotten into difficulties, when the sheriff seized and sold the road, Mr. Little, of Prospect Hill, being the purchaser. Under the proprietorship of Mr. Little the road was allowed to get sadly out of repair, and complaints were loud and numerous regarding its condition. The action of Mr. Cathcart, a few years previous, in taking over the London and Proof Line gravel road, had given the best satisfaction to the ratepayers generally. When it became known, in 1873, that the reeve and the then clerk of the township had opened negotiations with Mr. Little for the purchase of the road, the people were anxious that an amicable arrangement should be reached, and the road assumed by the township. A settlement was soon effected. The road was bought for the sum of $1,100, the tollgate removed at once, which, with the exception of the little episode between the town and the township, was the last tollgate ever seen in the township of Blanshard. Mr. Brethour retired from the reeveship and has not since been a candidate for municipal honors. Prior to his acting as reeve he was appointed, in 1867, as collector of taxes, which office he held for four years.

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