Overcoming obstacles and negativity to make the most of life 

By Melanie Louden

Gary Endacott focuses on what he’s got, rather than feeling unlucky to have Cerebral Palsy.  

When Gary Endacott turned five and was ready to start school, his mother sat him down and gave him some advice.

Advice that put the youngster in good stead for his schooling years, but also his entire life.

“She said ‘this is what’s going to happen to you on your school journey – you’re going to be last picked for sports team, people are going to push you over, they’re going to call you names. Some people will even physically have a go at you.’ 

“And she said ‘just never give in and keep trying. It will get better’.”

Gary, who lives with Cerebral Palsy and learnt to walk when he was 4 years old, never gave in – far from it.

The 56-year-old has gone on to play Physical Disability Rugby League for New Zealand, won world titles in disabled tennis, completed four New York Marathons and was the first person with a significant disability to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.

He married Shelley, had two sons Jesse and Josh, is a public speaker, and for the past 21 years has held a job he loves with the Ministry of Education.

Gary, a member of the Cerebral Palsy Society, is also a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to people with disabilities.

Gary Endacott, pictured left with then Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae, was made a
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016. 

He has the Diplegia (both sides of the body) type of Cerebral Palsy, which affects his gait and his walking. His top half is also affected but not to the same extent.

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 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.

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”.

“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 with the Ministry as their 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.” 

* Gary is sharing his story to support the Cerebral Palsy Society’s annual fundraising and awareness campaign, Be Green & Be Seen.  

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the impact of living with Cerebral Palsy while also raising much-needed funds for the Society’s e-card funding pogramme.  

The getProgramme helps members access products and services that keep them included and participating in society, as well as improving their quality of life and wellbeing. 

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Be Green & Be Seen is the Cerebral Palsy Society of NZ’s annual awareness and fundraising campaign. You can find out all about the campaign here.  

 

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