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Doting dad Eric Murray tells Simon Bridges’ new Stuff podcast how he revamped his home to help his son Zac, who has autism.
Two-time Olympic rowing champion Eric Murray will be back on the water this summer – he’s built a pool at his Cambridge home to help the therapy of his 11-year-old son Zac, who has autism.
Murray, 40, is a patron of Autism New Zealand – his stints on both Dancing with the Stars and Celebrity Treasure Island raised money for the organisation.
The sports star chatted candidly about raising a neuro-divergent son on the premiere episode of Simon Bridges’ new Stuff podcast, Generally Famous.
Jason Dorday/Stuff
Simon Bridges talks to Eric Murray about the Olympic great’s son and the big renovation that will make a summer to remember.
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Murray says that instead of flipping his house, he chose to borrow money and put in a pool to help with Zac’s therapy. Zac helped him with the reno – which also included a golf putting ramp. “This summer’s going to be amazing… he’ll be swimming and I’ll be in there with my putter.”
Jason Dorday/Stuff
Simon Bridges with Olympic hero Eric Murray who is building a pool which also includes a golf putting ramp.
Murray tells Bridges that a lot of mahi for those with special needs “falls back onto parents and individuals, because our health system is, well I can’t swear, but it starts with F.
“There are a lot of people in society that need help… you’ve got to have people advocating all the time, you know, the squeaky wheel gets the oil, and I’ll just keep being as squeaky as I need to be.”
Just like his dad, Zac adores being outside and enjoys golf: “You find his interests, you work with him and you get his routines and he’s great,” Murray says, “but then there are a lot of things that can trigger: you’re out and about and he’s not comfortable and you’re like, ‘we’ve got to leave’.”
LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff
Former National Party leader, Simon Bridges, on his new Stuff podcast series.
Murray’s comments are part of a wide-ranging conversation with Bridges, who’s hosting the podcast as he embraces life post-politics.
The sportsman offers new insights into his record-breaking career and shares plans for the future. There are plenty of laughs, but time for reflection, too, as Murray discusses the toll pressure takes on elite athletes, as well as life with Zac.
His son was diagnosed with autism when he was nearly three after his parents noticed he communicated differently to other children his age.
When Murray returned from the 2016 Rio Olympics – where he and Hamish Bond won gold in the coxless pairs – they enrolled him in a special education school in Hamilton.
Murray has an impressive 3 handicap in golf. He tells Bridges he loves the game and thinks “golf’s so much harder than rowing. It’s got so many variables. No one’s ever perfected golf. No one’s ever cracked the code.”
To listen to the full interview, go to stuff.co.nz/generallyfamous.
There are new episodes of the podcast at 5am each Wednesday.
You can follow the show on Apple, Spotify and all the other podcast apps.
