Chief Operating Officer of Eagle Consumables, NZ Olympic hockey representative (Athens 2004 & Beijing 2008), father of two and keen Willower.
Thank you for the evening with John Eales; it was a real highlight of my time at The Willows and one of those moments that made me very proud to be a Willower. I feel compelled to pen a summary of key points to ensure that I could coherently pass these onto young players that I mentor:
John Eales – Australian rugby legend and successful businessman. Nickname: Nobody – because Nobody’s perfect
Thank you John Eales. At a time when sportsmen are often making headlines for the wrong reasons, up stands a gentleman with four kids who talks about the importance of unconditional love, education, mate-ship, and trust.
Returning home I felt compelled to record the key themes and some anecdotes from his speech to share with staff and young sportspeople that I mentor. Below are some notes for those who were unable to attend.
John kindly agreed to address First XI cricketers and First XV rugby players from Christchurch schools over a dinner organised by Mike Dormer from The Willows Cricket Club. Included in the audience were several dignitaries, club members, and sponsors who helped to make the night possible.
John’s speech covered the key ingredients of success – starting from when a child is young. A child needs unconditional love. It is often taken for granted but there are so many examples where this is not the case. A village raises a child. The entire community in which a child is raised will impact on how they interact with people in the future and most likely determine their success in life.
The school environment will have a major influence on a child as will the positive involvement in a sports club. Sport teaches a child about competition, camaraderie, and what it takes to win.
Life is not about being content. In the wild, content animals get eaten. Find something that agitates you, something for you to strive towards.
John credited his father with much of his early development by encouraging him to fail small and fail often. My father would celebrate our failures as much as our success because when you fail, you are learning. He stressed the importance of enjoying yourself in sport with the ever present “remember it’s only a game now go out there and enjoy yourself”.
There were several great quotes through the evening. However, one stood out giving insight into his strength as a leader:
“Before the World Cup final in 1999 looking around the huddle we probably only had four guys who were considered the best in the world at their position but I would not have swapped one of our guys out for a better player. You get in that huddle and look around your team mates. You know them, their strengths and weaknesses. You want to promote their strengths and see them excel, then put an arm around them and support their weaknesses”.
John’s speech was followed by a closing address, effortlessly delivered by Sir John Hansen. Sir John spoke about celebrating those who gave their lives in battle but not to celebrate the war itself. Sir John then solemnly quoted Edward Thomas, a writer who did not hate Germans, did not believe in war, yet still enlisted. Thomas was killed in the battle of Arras on 9th April 1917. He wrote:
“and heavy is the tread of the living but the dead returning lightly dance”.