100 and still going strong

GREAT-grandfather of four Sukhnandan Gangadin turned 100 on Thursday and attributed his long life to staying away from cigarettes and alcohol.

On Saturday, his three children hosted a party for him at the Taj Conference Centre in Clare Estate.

Gangadin, who enjoyed playing golf in his youth, said these days he watched the sport on television and could not do without catching the evening news.

He said his father was born in India and travelled to South Africa to work on a sugar cane estate on KZN’s North Coast.

Gangadin was born in 1919 near Sea Cow Lake and was one of nine siblings. He completed Standard 2 (Grade 4) and went on to work as a truck driver.

Gangadin, who married when he was 24, started a home-based panel beating business in Mayville before it relocated to Reservoir Hills and North Coast Road.

Today, Burlington Panel Beaters in Briardene is run by his sons, Rishi and Rubbie.

“My love for fixing cars started at a young age and I had always known I would open my own car shop,” Gangadin said, adding that he retired from the business about 30 years ago.

He said he enjoyed Saturday’s gettogether, spending the day with his family and friends.

Gangadin has travelled extensively over the years to countries including South Korea, Russia and parts of South America.