Rugby player Jarrod Cunningham played for Hawke’s Bay, Wellington Hurricanes, Auckland Blues and was an All Black trialist.
He was Hawke’s Bay Rugby’s highest point scorer before his career was cut short when he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease while playing professionally in England.
After a five-year fight against the disease, during which time he was an inspiration and mentor to many upcoming sports people, Jarrod died in 2007 leaving a lasting legacy.
This included $750,000 to a Trust set up in his name to help out youth throughout Hawke’s Bay who are as passionate about sport as he was.
The Trust’s focus is to promote sport participation, and retain and motivate the region’s talented young sports stars.
Jarrod was especially keen to see young rugby stars further their careers, and the Trust hopes that his generous contribution will be financially boosted by others in the community.
Jarrod Cunningham – 1968-2007
By Damon Harvey
It’s important to remember a friend at their best – when they’re fit and healthy and flying like a bird.
For Jarrod Cunningham ‘flying like a bird’ was running freely down the sideline at McLean Park, Nelson Park or Havelock North’s Anderson Park.
Since 2001 I have seen the deterioration of a body slowly succumbing to the effects of motor neuron disease but the mind becoming more and more determined and focused.
In his last years and more so in the last few months he became a hard task master with the care and ‘rehabilitation’ demands he controlled. But this was Jarrod playing in the battle of his life. He tested the patience of many but he steadfastly kept to his strict regime.
Many knew Jarrod as a prolific pointscorer, a player of immense talent and courage. He held many records at club level with Havelock North, for his beloved Hawke’s Bay Magpies and more recently in London with London Irish.
He enjoyed the big stage and he had honed his preparation by spending many hours down at Anderson Park perfecting his kicking.
Perfection is an understated word when it comes to Jarrod – he was absolutely fastidious and as his illness took hold so did his level of perfection.
My first memory of Jarrod was of someone who ironed underwear and had more personal hygiene products than a chemist shop!
Lately his feeding and toiletroutine included making sure his shorts were one inch below his underwear!
Jarrod was generous with his time – fortunately as a professional player he had time but he loved nothing better than being down at a rugby ground kicking a rugby ball with the stars of tomorrow. He still had a child like spirit and his face would shine bright as he saw others soar.
Like all human being’s Jarrod had faults – his major one was stubbornness and an expectation that everyone should lead their lives as he did. He wasn’t too accepting of others’ faults but I would say that this is an attribute of many high achievers.
Although Jarrod had retired from professional rugby and was battling with ALS, he was very keen to become a motivational speaker.
In late 2005 I took him to a Hawke’s Bay preseason training session at Nelson Park and he spoke with such passion about the black and white hooped jersey and what it meant to him.
There was hardly a dry eye in the room as they saw him struggle to get every word out clearly – something that was hard to do as ASL severely affected speaking.
He then went to Havelock and Hawke’s Bay training sessions rain or shine throughout last winter and mentored the teams’ kickers.
I recall sitting in the car with him on a wet Hawke’s Bay training night where the kickers practiced and practiced their special ‘Jarrod routine’ and saying to him – “it’s too wet they should head in” and he replying “no, they need to face adversity and these conditions will make them much stronger”.
He spent many hours with some of these players and I am sure they will be much better players – not only for his expertise in kicking but also for his words of wisdom.
His motivation was not just for the elite but for all of us. Every day for the last few years many of us had logged on to our computers and read Jarrod’s selection of motivational quotes and words of inspiration from some of the world’s greatest motivators.
The effort in sending these on a daily basis is inspirational itself as by the end he could hardly touch a key board.
Since he died on Monday July 23 – many of us have lost that energy kick he gave to positively get us through the day.
One of his most popular sayings and one that we can hold on to is;
“Adversity introduces a man to himself”
