Kiwi brothers divided by the Springbok tour
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What happened during the 1981 Springbok tour that made it so divisive in New Zealand?
Smoke bombs, flares, being an attempt to come onto the field. New Zealand players had to get out of the way of that missile falling on the... And as you can see, they've now stationed themselves on the pitch. We imagine there must be five or six hundred of them, and the police are now taking pretty firm measures to try and disperse them.
It's one of the most divisive events in New Zealand history, the Springbok Tour of 1981.
For two months, protesters opposed to sporting contact with apartheid South Africa clashed with police and rugby fans. It was incredibly intense and incredibly bitter and I think it was because we were challenging the central cultural icon of New Zealand which was the All Blacks. We were saying that human rights for black South Africans was more important than all black rugby games. This angry mob of demonstrators burst through the outer fencing I loved rugby more than I hated apartheid and that's why I was for the tour.
It sparked civil unrest and it divided our nation over apartheid and the role of politics in sport. Over 56 days, more than 150,000 people took a side in more than 200 demonstrations. It was loud, it was violent, it was unprecedented.
I went to hospital twice that night in Hamilton. Yeah, yeah, I got beaten up a few times. I was listening to a Radio New Zealand report and they described a wedding reception somewhere down in Timaru or Ashburton which broke up and uproared when the guests started fighting each other. That's how crazy it got.
Hi, I'm Amanda Gillies and today on The Detail, the infamous Springbok tour 45 years on. Today I talk to Bryce and Lindsay Amner, brothers not in arms, when the protest kicked off in their hometown Hamilton on July 25th, 1981. They were just teenagers at the time. Bryce joined the protesters while Lindsay was on the banks supporting the Waikato rugby boys. For an immediate insight into their very different styles, let's start with their introductions.
It's Bryce Amner. Just Bryce Amner is fine. My official title is the Reverend Bryce Amner, but that's only ever used in writing. And even then, not really.
Yeah, I'm Lindsay. And my official title is asshole. I don't use that in writing, but you could use major retired. But yeah, whatever.
I will give that serious consideration, Lindsay, on which one I decide to use. I want you guys to take us back to that day. 45 years ago, you're in Hamilton. Lindsay, I'll start with you.
How did the Hamilton match day unfold and why was the Waikato v Springboks game cancelled?
What do you remember? Talk us through it.
I was quite into rugby at the time and also a bit into history. So I really liked the idea of going and watching Waikato beat the Springboks, which was a 1956 repeat. I was looking for that because Waikato were the Ranfurly Shield holders and First game of the tour, history was repeating. So me and a mate decided to go. Now, we knew there was going to be a bit of upheaval, so my mate was 6'4", so that was great. And I took a large umbrella with a big knob on the end of it to beat anybody with and some big kick-ass boots and got ready to watch. It cost me $4, all of $4, which was a huge amount for a 16-year-old. I wasn't turned about the politics of it. Yeah, rugby to me was more important than that, although I was actually a little bit aware of South Africa because we'd studied the South African apartheid situation in school sea history the year before.
But when you're 16, yeah, other people's problems don't really affect you much.
Now, before we go any further, a quick history lesson. Apartheid was the system of segregation based on race in South Africa. The word actually means apartness or separation in Afrikaans, and the policy was formally introduced by the South African National Party after its victory in 1948, although racial segregation had existed in their country long before this.
Laws made white people officially superior and the large black majority faced discrimination in every aspect of their lives. Living, doing business or owning land in white areas was banned. There were separate public facilities, transport and schools.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What happened during the 1981 Springbok tour that made it so divisive in New Zealand?
0:04–3:03
2
How did the Hamilton match day unfold and why was the Waikato v Springboks game cancelled?
3:03–8:02
3
What did Lindsay remember about the crowd, police response and violence at the ground?
8:02–14:25
4
Why did Bryce join the protesters and what tactics did they use at the stadium?
14:25–20:35
5
How did the brothers discover they were on opposite sides and what was the immediate family reaction?
20:35–23:07