A life well lived

AT 91 one years of age, Sybil Buck is still a glamorous, vivacious woman. Speaking from her Caister Lodge apartment, which was brimming with blooming plants and vases of flowers she received for her recent birthday,Sybil shared her fondest memories and reminisced about her early life in Durban.

She spent a great part of a her life in the Morningside area. She moved out of her family home on Speedweel Road to Windermere Road after she got married. One of the most apparent changes for her is the demise of the public transport system. “We used to be able to go everywhere, all around Durban using public transport. First we had trams, then trolley buses and then buses. You knew exactly when they were coming, they stuck to a rigid timetable,” she said.

She got into modelling quite by chance. Her sister in law convinced her to accompany her to an audition. “After I made arrangements for my children to be looked after, my sister in law cancelled at the last minute. I was so annoyed that she changed her mind and that I had gone to all the trouble of making arrangements so that I could go, that I decided to go by myself. I had never done anything by myself before,” recalled Sybil. The audition took place in the Orchid Room at the Butterworth Hotel and out of all the hopeful girls, Sybil was one of the selected few. She was in her thirties. “I needed to do something to get away from babies and nappies,” she said, adding, “my mother in law would come over and look after the kids while I did shows.”

Her modelling career took off and she did ramp work all over Durban. The highlight of her modelling career was walking down a ramp at the City Hall wearing one of Norman Hartnell’s creations. “I can still remember Hartnell taking my hand, walking me down the ramp and announcing to the crowd that I was the only Natal girl in his show,” she said, smiling.

However, with two children to care for, she was unable to take her modelling career any further. When she was offered the opportunity to be the house model at John Orrs, Sybil jumped at the chance. “I enjoyed walking around, changing into new outfits every so often and talking to people in the cafe,” she said.

Although Sybil was not overly passionate about fashion, she did always try to look her best. “I’d seldom go out without a hat,” she said. She even attended a hat making course at the technikon with her sister and the pair would make their own fabulous creations.

Her beauty secret has stood the test of time. “It’s what I tell my two grand daughters; put sunscreen on your face every day. I’ve been applying sunscreen on my face every morning for the past 40 years,” she said.

Prior to her glamorous career in fashion, she worked in a land surveying office. “When I started this job I realised why I had to learn triganometry in school!” She laughs as she recounts plotting plans while in labour. Knowing that once the baby was delivered she would not be able to finish the work, Buck did not want to disappoint the client. “I loved drawing plans,” she said. Another of her passions was softball. She was selected to play for the South African All Stars Softball team twice and played for the provincial side for many years.

Sybil moved into Caister Lodge seven years ago. “I have loved every minute of it. It is a gorgeous place to live in. I have made so many friends and am very happy here,” she said. She is responsible for the glorious flower arrangement that is displayed in the reception area of Caister Lodge. Every week she creates a beautiful new arrangement using seasonal flowers.

“I must say life has been interesting. It has not been a boring life by any means. Life is about what you make of it. You cannot go through life moaning about everything. It is so important to be able to laugh. I have so much to be thankful for. I have lots of aches and pains and I take lots of tablets, I’ve got over life threatening illnesses but I am thankful that I can see, I can hear, I can talk and I can walk.”

Sybil’s greatest pride and joy is her family. “My children are my life. I don’t know what I’d do without them. Sybil celebrated her 91st birthday with her daughter, two sons, gran children and great grand children at a special lunch.