Gloria Ballantyne - Outstanding Netball Administrator

Say St. Vincent Netball and the name Ballantyne comes to mind immediately. Involved with St. Vincent's netball for decades now, I was to first meet this fine lady at my first netball tournament representing Barbados back in 1986 in St. Lucia.

Of this meeting, I remember being new to the team and sitting on the bench for a number of games. I represented the team in the netball pageant which I won and I remember Ballantyne teasing me that I was brought along not to play but for the queen show (she has a wonderful sense of humour). Thankfully I got on court the next day and went on to represent Barbados until 1993.

Gloria Ballantyne has held a number of positions on the Caribbean Netball Association's Board. She is the Vice President of the National Olympic Committee. She is the current Treasurer of the Americas Federation of Netball Associations and Convenor of the Regional Umpires Committee. She is also serving as Deputy Chairperson of the National Sports Council. Gloria Ballantyne, the longest serving president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association, has been dubbed by the National Olympic Academy, "The Nation's First Lady of Sport". She has been the recipient of an OBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

I caught up with Mrs. Ballantyne recently at the U16 tournament in Antigua. She had just celebrated her 70th birthday, was in fine condition and still showing off her shapely netball legs. Great going Ms B!