George Gregan AM (b. 1973), businessman and retired rugby union halfback, is the world's third- most-capped rugby player, with an Australian record 139 Tests to his credit, a record 59 of them as captain. Born in Zambia, he began playing rugby at St Edmund's College, Canberra, and made his test debut against Italy at Ballymore in 1994. The same year he won the Bledisloe Cup for Australia with a try-saving tackle in the last minutes of the game. A key and dedicated player for the ACT Brumbies throughout the 1997 International Super 12 Series, he was named player of the tournament. In September 2001, after leading the Brumbies to a magnificent victory in the Super 12 competition, he succeeded John Eales as captain of the Australian Rugby Union team, the Wallabies. In March 2004 he became the first Super 12 player to play 100 matches; the ACT Brumbies were the Super 12 winners again in 2004. The Gregan Larkham Stand at Canberra Stadium is named for him and his teammate Stephen Larkham. Between 2007 and 2011 Gregan played for the RC Toulonnaise side in France and Suntory Sungoliath in Japan. In 1999 he and his wife Erica established their first GG Espresso outlet in Sydney; there are now some two dozen outlets in the Gregan Group. The George Gregan Foundation has raised more than three million dollars for outdoor playgrounds at hospitals in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra and funds an ongoing paediatric neurology fellowship.
Purchased 2001
© Peter Brew-Bevan