Snap (literally) 
Here is a pic of a broken push rod that has a very similar look to yours. These look like machined ends but are not, it is just a rotational wear pattern.
Yes, just like mine.
It was the way the two parts, that were joined together that I removed from the left hand side, rotated against each other that I was questioning. I get it now that I’ve removed the other, longer section, from the right hand side.
The attached pick should help describe what I’m trying to say. The two pieces with red arrows, are joined and freely rotate at the yellow arrow joint.