Gavin Stephen is a man who loves sport and instilling that passion in others.
Gavin was born and raised in Ladysmith, doing his primary schooling at Aloe Park Primary and going to high school at Ladysmith Secondary (Lasec).
He currently coaches cricket and volleyball, having been a volleyball coach for two years and a cricket coach for seven years.
He achieved his Northern Natal colours for volleyball in 1999 and 2000, and currently plays for Avengerz Volleyball Club.
Gavin is also no pushover when he has a cricket bat and ball in his hands. He plays for K&L Cricket Club, where he is the wicketkeeper, a batsman and a part-time bowler. K&L have won the 50, 30 and 20-over competitions and the six-a-side tournament for the past two years.
“I love working with children and want to give every child hope that they can achieve anything they set their minds to,” says Gavin. For this reason, Gavin coaches at the Ladysmith Cricket Academy (LCA) every Saturday at Settlers Park.
He also recently attended a national cricket seminar which was held in Polokwane this year. For Gavin, this was an experience of a lifetime. “There were team-building exercises with other cricket ambassadors and I also had the opportunity to meet South African cricket player Farhaan Behardien.”
Gavin has a level 1 cricket coaching qualification to his name and says that his all-time favourite cricket player is Andrew Hudson.
His goal in life is to make himself a better person and also help others in the process. In his spare time, he gets involved in church ministries and loves to spend time with his family. Gavin would like to thank his friends and family for the support they continue to give him, and a very special thank you goes out to his wife Leeiona “who has always been the backbone in his life”.