If sportspeople from the 1970s and 1980s are a little schizophrenic, forgive us.
We lived in a good time.
We lived in a bad time.
From a sporting perspective, it gave rise to some of the best talents around. Many could have been world class, but for the politics of segregation under which we lived and suffered.
There was joy, excitement, energy and achievement on the sporting fields – despite the difficult circumstances and oppressive zeitgeist of the time. And there was struggle, fight and sacrifice to ensure a better life for the next generation.
One such insane talent was goalkeeper Brian Hendrikse.
Today, the next generation, his sons – Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse – are top rugby players… Very few know that their dad, Brian, was himself a sporting icon.
Very few will know, because Brian played during a time when sport was played in different silos, depending on the colour of your skin – and, if you were the wrong colour, then your achievements didn’t mean all that much and certainly weren’t trumpeted in such a way that many would remember it today.
This blog post is to honour the achievement and sacrifice of my former Western Province teammate, Brian Hendrikse, and acts as a reminder of the on-field excellence and superb talent on display at time when we were constantly told that we were “inferior”.
We were not. We are not.
Brian, certainly, was not.
Jaden, scrumhalf for the Sharks, has brought a breath of fresh air to the Springboks. Jordan is a flyhalf at the Lions.
“When I tell my boys I was a goalkeeper, they don’t believe me. When I show them pictures of the teams I played in, they still don’t believe me,” said Brian.
Well, Jaden and Jordan, let me tell you, your dad was different class. He was a magnificent goalkeeper. One of the best of his generation. And if this was a different country back then, his name would have been much more famous.
To put it simply, the fact that the whole country doesn’t know how good your dad was speaks volumes for the madness and sheer incomprehensible political climate of the period during which he played his football.
Yet, your dad excelled despite all of this – and, as proud as he is of you, you should be just as proud of his brilliance and the scope of his achievements.
Brian was born in Stellenbosch and started his football career at the age of 10 at local club, Newtons.
Newtons, as he tells me, “was the Hendrikse route in football”… everyone connected to the family had to play at that club, or there would be hell to pay.
He started as a striker, as a 10-year-old, in the Under-14C team. In a match against Idas Valley, they were down 14-0 and he told the coach he was tired, and he would rather be the goalkeeper. That, as they say, was it… it was to be the position he would go on to make a name for himself.
In 1974, the Hendrikse family moved to Kuils River – and he joined the local football club. With Brian in goal, Kuils River FC quickly became a team to be reckoned with.
His individual performances, however, were catching the eye. And, in 1983, he signed on as a professional with Glendene in the Federation Professional League (FPL). His excellence between the sticks, acrobatic heroics, and big-match temperament had been recognised at a higher level.
At Glendene, he would be among stellar football company, including Duncan Crowie, Boebie Solomons, Michael Smith, Edwin Sauls, Ralph Onkruid and Georgie van Niekerk, to mention just a few. These were some of the best emerging footballers of a golden generation for Cape football – and Brian was one of them.
At Glendene, he would continue to impress, wowing local Cape audiences with his cat-like agility and charismatic, commanding presence on the goal-line.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Glendene,” said Brian. “Just to be part of that squad, with so many wonderful players, was an honour.”
In 1986, he returned to Kuils River, and was subsequently named in the Western Province Football Board squad that year. I had the privilege of being in that same team. And another name in that team was Sean Lakay, the father of Lyle Lakay (Bafana Bafana, Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City).
But, as with all of us at the time, because football was not fully professional, we had to constantly be thinking about what was to come once our playing days were over. Sport could not sustain us financially.
Brian left Cape Town to take up a physical education lecturer’s post at the Griffiths Mxenge College in the Eastern Cape. He continued playing in the area for Diamonds FC and even managed to win his Border colours in 1992.
After that, it was on to coaching, which included stints at Breidbach and King Spurs in King Williams Town. He was also active administratively as a Border regional executive member and a stint as chairperson of the King Williams Town LFA.
“I am very proud of what my boys have done,” said Brian. “My wife and I had a tough time with the boys, especially financially. But we stuck through it… We supported them all the way, and we fought for them against teachers, coaches and selectors…
“And, in the end, I am happy for the individuals they have become. They conduct themselves with humility and it’s a testament to the schools they were at.”
Brian related a story about Jaden to illustrate the point.
“After Jaden made his Springbok debut, against Argentina in Port Elizabeth, he came home and immediately went to visit his school coach, Mr Meyer, at Shaunville Primary in King Williams Town. He gave Mr Meyer his Springbok jersey and blazer… It’s a sign of the respect he has, that he remembers where he came from, and who contributed to his success.”
As a physical education teacher, Brian knew exactly what he wanted to inculcate in his boys.
“If you want to play sport, you have to have the fundamentals. It doesn’t matter if you just want to play for fun or whether you want to aim higher, the foundations have to be in place. You have to have balance, you have to be able to catch, and so on… when this is in place you can play anything, and you can enjoy any sport at school.
That was my aim with Jaden and Jordan….it wasn’t about my boys playing nationally or internationally, it wasn’t about that. It was just about them enjoying themselves.
“In Breidbach, the community does only three things: football, rugby and cricket… and they do it well. It’s the culture of the area. Both my boys started in football… Jordan is actually a good goalkeeper, and Jaden was a top defensive midfielder. But then rugby took over…
“And my wife and I have been there for every step of the journey, supporting them and driving all over the country to watch them. I am super, super proud of what they have achieved.”
As Brian now basks in the glow of his sons’ achievements, he is able to look back and realise that all the hardship and sacrifice were worth it.
“I often tell my boys about the conditions and the facilities that we had to contend with during my playing days. And they just can’t believe it… they can’t picture the situation…
“But that is what we had to deal with… and we made the best of what we had. I can still remember, while I was playing at Glendene, it was raining so hard in Cape Town, and we could not use the field to practise because it was waterlogged, so Boebie (Solomons) took us a to practise under a covered parking lot of a mall in the area.
“Yes, it was the isolation era, yes, it was tough, yes, we didn’t have much… But I still loved my sport. I made the best of it. The competition was good – and, best of all, I made friends for life.”
So, Jaden and Jordan, the next time your dad speaks about his football days, believe him.
BUT, if he tells you he was just an average, ordinary goalkeeper, don’t believe him. He was far, far better than that…
Rodney Reiners 