Gary Cowton

Who is Gary Cowton?

Gary Cowton is a former Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League as well as having stints with Footscray and South Melbourne.

Cowton, often known as "Crazy Horse", was a utility player and was a key member of the successful North Melbourne side of the 1970s. He played in five successive grand finals, winning two of them. The first, in 1975 was as a reserve, in 1977 he played on the half back flank in their drawn game and premiership win.

After his football career, Gary completed his Bachelor of Business Degree, majoring in Macro Economics at LaTrobe University Bendigo. His career in the Australian Public Service began in 1998 with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. He served in West Kimberley at Derby, WA and the East Kimberley at Kununurra, WA and then Cairns, QLD which included Cape York.

Whilst in Cairns, Gary was sponsored by AFL PNG and traveled to Papua New Guinea for some AFL clinics.