NSW Waratahs and Wallabies legend Tim Gavin was lauded as a champion “on the field and off it” following his induction into the NSW Hall of Champions on Monday night.
Gavin was inducted at the NSW Champions of Sport Awards dinner held at The Star in Sydney. Fellow inductees alongside Gavin were Suzy Batkovic (Basketball), Alex Blackwell (Cricket), Murray Braund (Surf Lifesaving) and Pattie Dench (Sport Pistol).
It capped off a brilliant night for NSW rugby. The NSW Waratahs Women were Finalists for NSW Team of the Year, which was won by the Central Coast Mariners (Football); and referee Angus Gardner was a Finalist for NSW Official of the Year, which went to Petr Lubo (Judo).
Gavin played eighty-three games for NSW, thirty as Captain (including 1995 as the inaugural Super Rugby captain), and seventy-six for the Wallabies from 1988 to 1996. He also played over one hundred First grade matches for Eastern Suburbs Rugby Club.
Gavin also played for the undefeated 1991 NSW Waratahs whose success included wins against England and Wales, two against Queensland twice and a tour of Argentina and New Zealand. It was regarded as the greatest NSW Waratahs team of all times.
On Tuesday, NSW Rugby Union chief executive Peter Murphy credited Gavin for his commitment to rugby; as a player, and as a supporter, volunteer, and advocate.
“Tim is a champion on the field, and off it,” Murphy said. “His devotion to rugby was evident as a player; but his imprint on rugby continued at so many levels since his playing days.
“Tim is a veritable rock for what NSW rugby stands for, from the challenges and fun of the game to the values and principals it espouses throughout the rugby community.”
Gavin’s stature has never waned since his playing days. In June, he was inducted into the inaugural NSW Waratahs Hall of Fame as part of the NSWRU 150 Year celebrations.
In 2011, he was named as a Classic Wallabies Statesman by Australian Rugby (now Rugby Australia). In 2011, he served as NSWRU Vice President; then NSWRU President (2012 to 2014,) and RA Vice President (2015 to 2018) and RA President (2019 to 2021.)
Gavin, a NSWRU and Eastern Suburbs Rugby Club Honorary Life Member and since 2018 a Wallabies Hall of Fame inductee, has also extended his love of the game to coach his son’s rugby team, and always be available to promote the game publicly.
