In 1971 he moved to Australia, and he represented that country at the 1979 World Challenge Cup, which was his last appearance as a professional player in the UK.

He died in Brisbane, Australia in July 1995, aged 65, after experiencing long-term emphysema Gary Owen was born in Tumble, Carmarthenshire on 5 March 1929.

[4] Three days after his 14th birthday, he won the inaugural British Under-16 snooker championship,[5] defeating Percy Hinton 4–3 in front of an audience of over 1,000.

[4] He served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, including 16 months stationed in Singapore, and played only rarely.

[3] Owen became a firefighter,[10] and gave up competitive play for a number of years, returning to the game only in the early 1960s.

[12] Still working as a firefighter, in 1963 he matched the achievement of his younger brother Marcus in winning the English Amateur Championship.

[14][15] Richard Holt of Billiards and Snooker magazine felt that both players were impressive in the televised match, and commented that "Owen was always a joy to watch, with a command of advanced technique and masterful confidence.

[16] His attempt to defend his English Amateur Championship title ended in the Southern region quarter-finals, when he lost 0–4 to Jonathan Barron.

[26] In 1968–69 the World Snooker Championship was held as a knock-out format tournament after being contested on a challenge basis since 1964.

The Birmingham Daily Post correspondent praised the players for bringing a "refreshing new look to the game, with bold attacking play, wonderful potting, and a sprinkling of good-sized breaks".

[34] He was one of the eight competitors in the first series of Pot Black on BBC Television in 1969 and lost to John Pulman in the first round.

[41] Owen emigrated to Australia in April 1971,[40] taking a job as the resident professional at the Western Suburbs Leagues Club, a snooker hall in Sydney.

[2] Snooker historian Clive Everton later wrote that Owen "seemed to have lost all heart for the game" and was a lesser player than in the days when he had been world amateur champion.

[2] Having gained Australian citizenship, he represented his new country at the World Challenge Cup in 1979, which was his last appearance as a professional player in the UK.