Golfer and flower lover, Cecilia Gleeson is loving life at 83.
Fighting fit and ready for any challenge, Gleeson took up the hobby of golf 43 years ago. “My husband always played golf even before we got married and I never thought of playing golf. I was a hockey player and a tennis player and golf was never on my mind.
“I was always active. When we moved to Natal because my husband changed jobs I met two girls in a lift club who invited me to play golf with them.”
Without golf shoes or golf clubs, she took a chance and started. “I went to play with them and after the first ball I hit, I was an addict. Nobody could keep me off the golf course, I had a natural talent and right from the beginning it was amazing.”
She mentioned that some people are born with a natural swing and she was one of them. She has also made some great friends through the game. “I’m often amazed at some of the things I can still do. I count myself lucky and I still love competing.”
And it seems that golf runs in the family, as one of her sons, Greg, also plays the game.
When not playing golf, she is busy with another hobby – flower arranging. “I joined a western flower club about 15 years ago. After speaking to one of the top flower arrangers at the time – Yvonne Panton-Jones, she mentioned Ikebana… Once you start Ikebana it’s forever. I have been teaching classes for about 10 years now.”
This Japanese art of flower arrangement has brought out her creative side on a large scale. “Ikebana is totally creative. It’s amazing, I sometimes can’t believe the things you can do with it. The people I teach come to me and know nothing about flowers and I teach them. What I always try and tell them is ‘use your imagination’. It’s amazing what you can do with flowers.”
Still extremely competitive, you can catch her in action on the greens at the Bryanston Country Club. “I still compete and I still want to win, it’s a big thing – you must want to win.”
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