Regan’s ancestors migrated to Australia in 1830, settling in Binalong in the Riverina, with his father and forefathers successful sheep rearers. After The War, his family moved to Sydney and became die-hard supporters of the Western Suburbs Rugby League team.
Born in 1943, Regan attended De La Salle Brothers College in Ashfield, before taking up an apprenticeship with printing company Winn and Co. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, Regan began what would be a long association with Superfine Printing Company by serving as a printer under the watchful eye of the then owner, Jack McGarry.
He spent 12 months at Superfine before making the decision to pursue his talent for rugby league. He had been playing for Western Suburbs with such league legends as Arthur Summons, Jack Gibson, Harry Wells, Noel Kelly, Kel O’Shea, Peter Diamond and Don Parish, but then decided to make the move to England, where he played for English Rugby League side Leeds for three years.
Upon his return to Australia, he undertook a career in management, managing Label House (now Assta Agencies) at Matraville in Sydney for 10 years. He then bought Mitchell Printing, which he owned for 20 years, before being approached by the new owners of Superfine Printing with an offer to merge the two companies, which has been in place now for a year and a half.
Despite his return to printing, Regan still makes plenty of time for his sporting exploits. Known also as a dab hand at table tennis and swimming, Regan has also turned his attention to rugby union, playing in the Golden Oldies Rugby Union competition. This resulted in Regan playing in the World Golden Oldies Tournament in Tolouse in France last year. A memorable moment for him and his team was when the hooker complained to the female referee, claiming that she should be playing hooker and that he would do a better job refereeing: to which she agreed, handing the player the whistle and playing hooker herself for the last five minutes
With already seven children, and seven grandchildren, from a previous marriage, Regan will be walking down the aisle for a second time in the near future, marrying his Egyptian partner in a ceremony in Jamaica.
With a glint in his eye, Regan told i-grafix that he’ll be having afternoon tea with Cuban leader Fidel Castro the day before the wedding.
What else would you you do if you happened to be in the Caribbean?
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