A favourite ‘Son’s’ tale of triumph

The story of Andrew ‘Son’ White’s triumph over shellshock remains an inspiration, 100 years on, a leading performance coach says.

Owen Eastwood believes anyone who comes across the remarkable life story of Andrew ‘‘Son’’ White is the better for it.

It’s a 100-year-old tale that Eastwood – a world-renowned performance coach – says should never be forgotten. It provides hope for those struggling with mental illness.

White came home from World War I suffering from shellshock and could have been written off and sent to a mental institution following the slaughter he witnessed during war. Instead, he became an All Black captain and an inspiration for overcoming adversity.

Born in Invercargill in 1894 he went by the nickname ‘‘Son’’ from an early age. He was the sole boy amongst his siblings.

It was during his first term at Southland Boys’ High School in

1907 that his father died – the first of several emotional setbacks. In his first year of high school, a

13-year-old White had to leave to earn a living for his family.

He was a farmhand on the outskirts of Invercargill for seven years before Great Britain declared war on Germany in 1914. As a

20-year-old, he joined the Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment for military training, heading overseas to Egypt.

On May 20, 1915, White set off for the beaches of Gallipoli. He endured all the horror of war, the ugliest point coming on August 28 that year, when the regiment was ordered to attack Hill 60. Sixty-five of his friends were killed by Turkish machine-guns in 15 minutes.

The surviving men of White’s regiment were redeployed to other army units. Son would fight in the battles of the Somme, Passchendaele and Messines, before coming home in 1918.

Eastwood says that in itself ensures White’s story is littered with lessons. But it is what happened next which he says makes White’s story an ‘‘epic’’ one; providing a positive example for anyone struggling with their mental health.

White was diagnosed with shellshock, a post-traumatic stress disorder that can afflict soldiers, by French medics before being sent home. His symptoms included uncontrollable nervous shaking, shortness of breath, impaired hearing and a resting pulse rate of

92. He was put on a disability pension, but instead of being committed to a psychiatric hospital, it was decided he could live with his family in Invercargill.

Eastwood says in 1919 family friends of White’s, the Carswells, provided him with work. He swept the floors of a warehouse at the end of the day, increasing his selfesteem and helping ease him back into society. That year he was also invited to join in with training at the Waikiwi Rugby Club.

The then 25-year-old had never previously played rugby competitively. But at that point it was about camaraderie and getting better mentally.

‘‘We don’t know what they said around the table with a beer. They may have talked about their [war] experience which would have been very collegial. But even if they didn’t, just being around people who had also been through the slaughter and understood what he had been through, that in itself would have provided some healing for him,’’ Eastwood says.

While White was a late starter at rugby, it quickly became evident he was good. By the end of 1919, his first season, he was selected for

Southland.

In 1920 the wing forward – a flanker in modern terms – helped Southland become the first South Island province to lift the Ranfurly Shield when it beat Wellington. A year later he was an All Black; making his international debut as a 27-year-old in the All Blacks’ first test match against South Africa in Dunedin, on August 13, 1921.

A century on, the All Blacks and Springboks meet tonight in Townsville, Queensland, the 100th test between rugby’s greatest rivals.

In the space of a couple of years, White went from the disability pension to playing for the All Blacks in front of 25,000 people at Carisbrook.

He went on to play 38 matches for the team, the last a test match against France in Toulouse in 1925. He captained the All Blacks three times.

‘‘The Son White story is a great example that if you get the culture right and the environment right, you can really transform people’s

lives. It’s probably the most dramatic example of it,’’ Eastwood says.

‘‘I just think it’s amazing. To be written off – he could have easily been sent to a mental hospital and been labelled disabled and mentally ill – to become that person. It is beautiful, really.’’

Eastwood went to the same school, played for the same rugby club, and grew up in the same neighborhood in Invercargill, as

White. But he never got to meet him. White died in 1968, three weeks before Eastwood was born.

It was in 2014, the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, that Eastwood discovered White. Fascinated by history, he was keen to learn about the Southland Boys’ pupils who went to WWI.

The more he dug, the more he discovered how remarkable White’s story was.

He spent time with one of White’s nephews, Father Maurice White, and as he learnt more, White started to lift from the pages of history and become a person Eastwood felt that in some ways he knew.

‘‘Son was a brilliant Southland storyteller. People would have a beer with him, and he would just be able to tell a brilliant yarn and be able to absolutely captivate people,

and he had a great laugh and big smile. I just think that’s great from where he came from.’’

Eastwood’s own story is a captivating one. The UK-based former lawyer is now a performance coach who specialises in team culture. He has worked with a raft of high-profile organisations, including the English football team, the British Olympic team, the South African cricket team, the Royal Ballet

School, Manchester City Football Club, the Command Group of NATO, and Scotland Rugby.

In May, he released a book called Belonging: The Ancient Code to Togetherness.

He dedicated a chapter to White. ‘‘Even when you are struggling with your mental health, through belonging, through being around good people and having connections, it can actually transform you. Son is an example of that,’’ Eastwood says.

Eastwood often turns to White’s story when working with organisations on the topic of culture and environment.

He even got to recount the tale in a one-on-one chat with then All Blacks captain Richie McCaw on a UK tour.

‘‘I got to sit down with [McCaw] and tell him the story of Son White because they obviously wore the same playing shirt.

‘‘Richie was really, really interested. That was nice to be able to share the whakapapa story of an All Black captain [of the past] with the All Black captain.’’

Since the release of the book, Eastwood has had film production companies tell him they are interested in White’s story.

He feels one of the most poignant moments in White’s journey through life came when he toured England and France as part of the famous Invincibles team in

1924 and 1925.

By that stage, White had become a leader within the All Blacks. Remarkably his Waikiwi clubmate, Jock Richardson, also held vicecaptaincy duties within the team.

At a function in England during the tour, White came face to face with the British generals who had ordered the Otago Mounted Rifles to attack in Gallipoli on August 28,

1915.

It’s well documented that the surviving soldiers hated the British generals for sending them on what was described as a suicide mission.

‘‘[White] lost most of his mates in that one evening [in Gallipoli]. He then got to meet those British generals wearing his All Blacks blazer,’’ Eastwood says.

‘‘Not only that, when they went to France he was introduced to the complete architect of Gallipoli, Winston Churchill. It would be hard to come up with a [movie] idea more epic than that.’’

As the story goes, White simply shook those generals’ hands and moved on. ‘‘Despite all the violence he experienced in the First World War, I read a comment from one of the top sports journalists of the day from when [White] retired. He said Son was a very fair rugby player and never once recalled him getting violent on a rugby pitch. For someone of his background, I think it says a lot.’’

After the tour, White shifted to Christchurch, and squeezed in another handful of first-class games with Canterbury, including another Ranfurly Shield victory in

1927.

He died, aged 74, in 1968.

In the space of a couple of years, White went from the disability pension to playing for the All Blacks in front of 25,000 people at Carisbrook.