John Wren

John Wren was born in Collingwood, Melbourne, on 3 April 1871. He was the third son of Irish immigrants John Wren Snr., a labourer, and Margaret, née Nester. He left school at the age of 12 and worked in a woodyard and as a boot clicker, while supplementing his wage through various gambling activities. Losing his job in the 1890s depression, he commenced a successful horse-racing gambling venture at his Johnston Street totalizator, which eventually earned him £20,000 per year (A$2,646,000 in 2021 terms).

In 1916, he took over J. L. Garvan's Stadia Ltd, of which Snowy Baker was general manager, and parlayed it into a major business – Stadiums Pty Ltd.

Wren's granddaughter Gabrielle Pizzi also achieved renown as an art dealer credited with raising the profile of Aboriginal art. Others of his children had troubled lives. His son Anthony committed suicide after being disinherited following an argument with Wren, while his daughter-in-law Nora and grandchildren only received a meagre allowance. When another of Wren's grandchildren, Susan Wardlaw, died, her two brothers had her buried without notifying her husband Greg, who was then given 24 hours to leave the family home, while another of Wren's daughters, Angela, purportedly died of malnutrition when she was 39, leaving an estate worth £97,000.