The son of William James Garvin, and Maud Elizabeth Garvin (-1949), Reginald William Garvin was born in Surry Hills, New South Wales,[2] on 19 September 1912.
Originally from the Newtown Football Club in the New South Wales Australian Football League (NSWAFL), Garvin had already represented his state at interstate football nine times (including three games at the 1933 Sydney ANFC Carnival) by the time he arrived at St Kilda.[3]
He won the Provan Medal, as the League's best and fairest player, in 1936.[3][4]
St Kilda (VFL
A follower, he finished equal 4th in the 1941 Brownlow Medal and won the first of his two St Kilda best and fairest awards, the other coming in 1944.
He represented the VFL against South Australia on 12 July 1941.[3]
For the 1942 and 1943 seasons Garvin was St Kilda's captain-coach.
1937 Best First-Year Players
In September 1937, The Argus selected Garvin in its team of 1937's first-year players.[5]