Greg Brough was taught to swim by his father in the pool of the Mermaid Beach motel that he operated. Greg started to swim while recovering from a severe case of pneumonia contracted at age seven, but moved to Sydney in 1966 when his talent required higher level coaching. He would eventually win 19 Queensland Championships and five national titles, setting one Australian and 30 state records. Brough also competed in lifesaving competitions, winning several Queensland and Australian surf lifesaving titles, while representing the Surfers Paradise Surf Lifesaving Club. After the 1968 Olympics, in which he won bronze in the 1,500 freestyle, and placed fourth in the 400 free, Brough competed at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, reversing his results, with third in the 400 free and fourth in the 1,500. He was the first Olympic medalist from Australia’s Gold Coast, and was inducted into the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame in 1999.