“When the English season ended I didn’t get an upgraded contract back in South Africa, which was frustrating.
“I needed something fresh and had always wanted to play cricket in New Zealand.
“Through a mutual friend, I was offered a position as junior coach with Grafton Cricket Club in Auckland in 2015.
“It’s one of the biggest cricket clubs in New Zealand — 500 senior members and 650 juniors — and in 2016 I became junior head coach and assistant manager of the whole junior set-up.”
So, why leave to come to Poverty Bay?
“This season I got a call-up for Auckland A, did well and ended up playing for the Aces in a warm-up game against Hurricane Hobarts in November and got 60-odd.
“Then things fell to pieces when my application to renew my visa was declined, which meant I couldn’t play as a professional with Auckland.
“The job that I had with Grafton (assistant manager) was not sufficient to meet visa requirements.
“I wrote to the Minister of Immigration asking him to review my case, which he did. He gave me a letter of recommendation to the effect that if I got a fulltime job that met New Zealand requirements, they would grant me a one-year working visa.
“Around that time I got a phone call from the Poverty Bay Cricket Association asking me if I would be interested in a job as operations manager in Gisborne with the cricket association.
“I came down for a weekend and loved the place. I thought it would be a nice change to get out of the big smoke.
“This year I’ll reapply and if my application is granted, I’ll then go for residency.
“I love my golf and have signed up for Poverty Bay.
“I don’t have a handicap at the moment — I’m just trying to get one — but I would say it would be in the mid-to-high 20s . . . not too great, but I’m hoping to get it better.
“I wouldn’t say I surf but I’m optimistic about trying.”
Hendrie said he had come to Gisborne “at a good time but also a bad time for certain things”.
“It’s a good time for seeing the process and seeing things that have happened.
“Unfortunately, I’ve come at the end of the season, which means I haven’t had the chance to see much cricket.”
Hendrie said he was looking for feedback and was keen to see how people perceived local cricket.
He wanted to get an idea of what people wanted and in which direction they thought Gisborne cricket should go.
“I’ve been to Wairoa and seen some cricket there, and that’s interesting.
“I’m keen to get down to Wairoa and maybe set up school teams to come up and play Gisborne schools.
“No matter where you are, if you want to improve the standard you need more cricket being played, and not just cricket but competitive cricket.
“My job will be to create more cricket, more games and competitions, and get the standard up so that kids coming through can play as much as possible.”
Hendrie will be playing for a senior men’s team. It has not been decided who he will play for, although Campion College and Gisborne Boys’ High School have been mentioned.
With Hendrie having been with the Aces, his name has been mentioned in connection with Northern Districts. For the moment he is happy where he is.
Hendrie’s partner, Sarah Stoute, also from Durban, is a qualified dress designer with a dressmaking/alterations shop in Devonport.
“Sarah has been here twice and didn’t want to leave; she loved Gisborne.
“She’s trying to sell the shop and as soon as she does she’ll move down here.”
