The sport has taken the double Olympian around the world and every second year it brings him to Dunedin, suiting up for the New Zealand Masters Games.
Brill, who hails from Christchurch, started competing at the Whanganui edition of the games in 1993, and has been heading to Dunedin since 2010.
Competing in the men’s epee, Brill loved opportunities on offer at the Masters Games.
"It’s the vibe of the whole competition. I really enjoy, in particular, the Dunedin one," he said.
"It’s really well organised, venues are really good and also all the other disciplines as well.
"I had a go at twilight petanque and really enjoyed the competitive team wine tasting [one year]."
They got chatting and Brill quickly realised it was the first time the women had ever taken part in the sport, and were chuffed with their success.
"You can enter and do things that you’ve never done before and I think that’s really fantastic."
Brill started fencing as a teenager and has never looked back.
"One of the teachers did fencing and had a little fencing club going. I saw that and I’ve been hooked ever since."
Fencing has taken him all over the world and he was initially selected for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, before New Zealand withdrew most of its contingent.
"Basically I found out about that on the six o’clock news. I’d been away in Europe for about three weeks... training and I flew back and the day I arrived back was when I found out about it.
"That was a disappointment, but in reality it was probably a good thing for me."
He garnered another four years to work on his craft and finished 15th in 1984 Los Angeles and seventh in Seoul 1988.
Fencing remained a core part of his life, and he completed coaching courses in France and attended the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 as a coach.
He won the New Zealand open championship in epee six times and continues to train at the fencing institute in Canterbury.
"It’s everything about it.
"I think it’s a tactile sport, a bit like gymnastics, but it’s high speed. It’s fast, it’s athletic and it uses not just physical but also mental skills. Every aspect contributes to every hit you score and I found that it’s an interesting game to play."
