‘Being active is key’
AT 71 years old, Veronica Sebastian is not one to sit idle, but when she does take a well-deserved rest, it’s in front of the TV watching sport. “My favourite English team is Arsenal. I also support Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana,” she said. Asked about cricket, she said she supported what many considered the underdogs, Bangladesh, during its clash with South Africa. Sebastian also visits the library in Isipingo Beach, south of Durban, where she reads about – well, books on sport and its legends. “While growing up and, even now, sport and keeping active was a priority. It helped me keep fit and I learned about sportsmanship and that winning is not everything. I am an extrovert because of it.” Sebastian, who taught at Isipingo Secondary School for 41 years until she retired in 2012 at the age of 65, excelled in table tennis and badminton in her youth. “I don’t play them socially today. I’m more into walking and hiking.” Also referred to as “Vonnie”, she was a Natal High School table tennis champion in 1965, while at ML Sultan Technikon, and with double’s partner Gigi Govindsamy reached the final of an inter-provincial tournament in badminton. “But we lost.” Sebastian, who was raised in Warwick Avenue in the Durban CBD, said: “I completed standards 6 and 7 at St Anthony’s Catholic School where sport was not a priority, but I did dabble in both. I then moved to ML Sultan Technikon, which is across the road, to complete standards 8 to matric. I excelled here because of the different sporting facilities it offered.” She won numerous in-house competitions and competed in high jump, shot put, discus, javelin and relay events at the school’s athletics days. Sebastian pursued her three-year teaching qualification at the institute and it ended up being no surprise that among the subjects she taught at Isipingo Secondary was physical education. She also taught home economics, life orientation and tourism. Asked what she enjoyed doing in her spare time, she said: “I like to tell people how sport can change lives; how it brought the nation together. I also like sharing my experiences with them. “I would tell them how I travelled the country playing badminton and what a great experience that was, as well as how winning is not everything and knowing the value of team spirit.” She was the treasurer of the Oceans Cricket Club and Oceans City Football Club in Isipingo and managed the cricket team for a few years.