‘Very hot goods’: The Gregory brothers from Fairy Meadow
As cricket season begins, take a trip back in time to discover the remarkable history of the Gregory brothers from Fairy Meadow
In 1871, New South Wales defeated Victoria in a celebrated three- a-side cricket match their attack was led by the Gregory brothers: Dave, Ned and Charles. The Victorian captain, gracious in defeat, described the trio as “very hot goods”.
The brothers came from a proud cricketing family, born to bootmaker Edward Gregory and his wife, Mary Anne, a Wollongong school teacher.
Edward was a capable cricketer. Between 1861 and 1884, five of his eight sons played cricket for New South Wales or at international level.
Left: David Gregory captained Australia in the first Test match against England
The most famous was David Gregory, born in Fairy Meadow in 1845. A skilled batsman, bowler and tactician David captained Australia in the first Test match against England in 1877. He was also captain during Australia’s first tour of England.
His brother Ned was an aggressive batsman known as “lion-hearted Ned”. He retired from the game in 1878 and became curator of the Sydney Cricket Ground, which was laid out under his supervision. Ned also designed a new scoreboard to replace the old English design. It was praised as a wonder of the cricket world.
Many families of note have roots in the Illawarra. If you would like to find out more about your families, email us at localhistory@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
Volunteers from the Illawarra Family History Group are available to assist customers with family history research at Wollongong on Wednesday and Friday and 3rd Saturday of the month between 9.30am and 12 noon.
