DOCUMENT

SEPT 2024 THE REVIEW | 19 FEATURE Gary says while some “people turn their disability into a licence to underachieve” he prefers to use negative people and comments as motivation to keep going and to push himself. Gary’s mum taught him to walk by getting him to step over pegs she placed on the kitchen floor. “And you know, when I fell over, unless I was in the middle of the road or something like that, she just waited for me to get up and we’d carry on.” Since turning 50, Gary has noticed life with Cerebral Palsy getting harder – especially when it comes to the amount of concentration and effort required to keep his balance. “Doing everything is getting harder – getting up off the He is the son of rugby league legend Frank Endacott, a former Warriors and New Zealand coach, and brother to Shane, a former Warriors player. “I’ve been very lucky with the gene pool, but I made the most of it. And I’ve been extremely lucky with some of the opportunities I’ve had. I’ve taken them with both hands.” Gary says getting into the workforce was “the biggest obstacle I ever had to get over in my life - by a country mile”. couch, moving around, climbing in and out of cars.” Life has thrown plenty of challenges his way, but Gary is well known for his positive attitude and ability to make things happen. “Some people look for reasons to justify where they’re at, and some people look for solutions. “I know that there are certain parts of my life that I’ll never change. But I don’t spend too much time on that. I’m a great one for worrying about what I can control, not what I can’t. Gary says while some “people turn their disability into a licence to underachieve” he prefers to use negative people and comments as motivation to keep going and to push himself. Sport is well and truly in Gary’s blood, so it’s no surprise that he found success in sport – but he had to work hard to achieve it. “When I was trying to get into a decent job, my father was at the peak of his career with rugby league coaching. He had all the contacts in the world, and I really felt that a lot of people liked me. But when you put money into the equation, no one wanted me. “I’ve done a lot of factory work. I used to clean the roughest pub in Christchurch during the night, but now I’m at the Ministry of Education – it’s the best job I’ve ever had.” For the past 21 years, Gary has worked at the Ministry as its Disability Facilitator – an advisor around disability. Gary says his sons faced plenty of challenges while they were growing up because of his disability. “Some of the kids at school would see my walk and say, ‘ohh, your father can’t even walk properly, he’s useless’. “My kids could turn around and say, ‘well hang on a minute, your dad couldn’t climb Kilimanjaro’, or ‘grab a tennis racket and my dad will blow your dad right off the court’.” Gary admits he did go through a stage where he wondered if he even wanted to have children, if he should have children, simply because “I knew they’d get a hard time”. “But I tell you what – I’m so pleased that I did.” Opposite page: Gary Endacott believes his personality has opened a lot of doors for him. Above, top to bottom: Gary, pictured front right, has represented New Zealand on the Physical Disability Rugby League team. Gary, pictured left with then Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae, was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016.