David Shepherd (rugby union)
Encyclopedia
David John Shepherd was an advertising executive and one of the few Englishmen to play for the Australia national rugby union team
.
David Shepherd was one of the rare men who graduated from club rugby in Melbourne
through the Victorian state team to the ranks of the Wallabies
. He played his first Test
against New Zealand
in 1964 and was capped four times more before a crippling injury forced his early retirement from the game.
and boarded at Blundell's School
in Devon
. He was 17 when his father was sent to Australia
in 1953 to become chairman of Unilever
.
Shepherd joined the advertising industry, which suited his intellect and his insightful knowledge of others, especially regarding how they were motivated. He quickly moved up the ladder and became a manager at an early age. In January 1959, he married Louise Palmer, with whom he had four children: Tim, James, Annabelle (deceased) and Georgina.
from 1955 to 1965 and during this time played rugby - and, less seriously, cricket
- with the Harlequin Club, where he stood out as a natural and inspirational leader both on and off the field of play. He was club captain and captain of Victoria
for a number of years until his talents were eventually recognised by the national selectors. He was considered a "find" at the 1963 Wallaby trials in Sydney
and was picked for the tour South Africa
that year.
His performance against the Northern Transvaal provincial side made him a serious Test candidate, but Australia already had a powerful and cohesive back row and Shepherd had no alternative but to wait out one more season.
His chance eventually came in the third Test against the All Blacks
. Australia won the match handsomely and Shepherd cemented his place in the Wallabies. In a written tribute, his former Australian teammate, Mike Jenkinson, has described the way he played "with a sort of breathless aggression, giving ground to nobody and showing utter disinterest in reputations. There seemed to be no problem for him in stepping up from Melbourne club rugby to this new level. "He tackled hard, corner-flagged in the required manner, and was prominent in the forward charges", Jenkinson wrote. "He rucked as if he had learnt the game in King Country (a rugged part of NZ's North Island, from where the hard men reputedly came), not south-west England
."
It was a huge loss for Victoria and the Harlequin Club when Shepherd moved to Sydney and the Gordon RFC
in 1966 to continue his international career. It was only natural, somehow, that he would then captain Gordon until his retirement from rugby.
coming up with the goods on the cricket pitch. His Englishness was apparent in his continued good manners, irrespective of the situation, although he could be somewhat irascible when annoyed by waiters or tradesmen. The term "my good man" was the signal that danger was imminent.
Shepherd left Australia to work in South-East Asia, where he became regional CEO
of the multinational advertising firm USP Benson Needham, operating first of all from Singapore
- where he coached the Singapore national rugby union team
- then from Bangkok
.
He retired to Sunshine Beach
, Noosa, in 1995. In 2003 he was badly injured in a car accident near his home and died shortly afterwards from a heart attack.
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
.
David Shepherd was one of the rare men who graduated from club rugby in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
through the Victorian state team to the ranks of the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. He played his first Test
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
against New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1964 and was capped four times more before a crippling injury forced his early retirement from the game.
Early life
Shepherd was born in CheshireCheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and boarded at Blundell's School
Blundell's School
Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school located in the town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, England. The school was founded in 1604 by the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the time, and relocated to its present location on the...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. He was 17 when his father was sent to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1953 to become chairman of Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
.
Shepherd joined the advertising industry, which suited his intellect and his insightful knowledge of others, especially regarding how they were motivated. He quickly moved up the ladder and became a manager at an early age. In January 1959, he married Louise Palmer, with whom he had four children: Tim, James, Annabelle (deceased) and Georgina.
Rugby career
Shepherd lived and worked in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
from 1955 to 1965 and during this time played rugby - and, less seriously, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
- with the Harlequin Club, where he stood out as a natural and inspirational leader both on and off the field of play. He was club captain and captain of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
for a number of years until his talents were eventually recognised by the national selectors. He was considered a "find" at the 1963 Wallaby trials in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and was picked for the tour South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
that year.
His performance against the Northern Transvaal provincial side made him a serious Test candidate, but Australia already had a powerful and cohesive back row and Shepherd had no alternative but to wait out one more season.
His chance eventually came in the third Test against the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
. Australia won the match handsomely and Shepherd cemented his place in the Wallabies. In a written tribute, his former Australian teammate, Mike Jenkinson, has described the way he played "with a sort of breathless aggression, giving ground to nobody and showing utter disinterest in reputations. There seemed to be no problem for him in stepping up from Melbourne club rugby to this new level. "He tackled hard, corner-flagged in the required manner, and was prominent in the forward charges", Jenkinson wrote. "He rucked as if he had learnt the game in King Country (a rugged part of NZ's North Island, from where the hard men reputedly came), not south-west England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
."
It was a huge loss for Victoria and the Harlequin Club when Shepherd moved to Sydney and the Gordon RFC
Gordon RFC
Gordon Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based on the North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales. The club, known as the Highlanders, play out of Chatswood Oval and compete in the New South Wales Rugby Union grade competition.-Club information:...
in 1966 to continue his international career. It was only natural, somehow, that he would then captain Gordon until his retirement from rugby.
Later life
Despite his Wallaby status he still had a soft spot for "The Old Country"; not in rugby, of course, but his support for its cricket team continued, although in latter years he silently despaired of the MCCMarylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
coming up with the goods on the cricket pitch. His Englishness was apparent in his continued good manners, irrespective of the situation, although he could be somewhat irascible when annoyed by waiters or tradesmen. The term "my good man" was the signal that danger was imminent.
Shepherd left Australia to work in South-East Asia, where he became regional CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the multinational advertising firm USP Benson Needham, operating first of all from Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
- where he coached the Singapore national rugby union team
Singapore national rugby union team
The Singapore national rugby union team represents Singapore in international rugby union. They have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup, though since the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Singapore have been participating in qualification competitions....
- then from Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
.
He retired to Sunshine Beach
Sunshine Beach, Queensland
Sunshine Beach is a suburb in Noosa, Queensland, Australia. The area south of Noosa Headlands was formerly known as Golden Beach but was rarely visited before the 1920s. In 1928, Thomas Marcus Burke gained land there in exchange for building roads and bridges from Tewantin...
, Noosa, in 1995. In 2003 he was badly injured in a car accident near his home and died shortly afterwards from a heart attack.
Sources
- Extracted from "Young Harlequin who joined the Wallaby pack", The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, 25 October 2003