After finishing school I did a year in the Airforce - learned a lot about life in this year.

University was next doing a 4-year Civil Engineering Degree at Wits which unfortunately took 6 years - too many distractions!

Sometime in this period I saw a Movie Tone Documentary on the Cape to Rio yacht race, and this set in train my love of sailing which I have been involved in for about 45 years.

After University a mate and I decided to buy a yacht and sail around the world. Earning enough money to do this as a new graduate was not going to work, and we discovered that you could earn huge money working in the UK as a contracts engineer during summer on freeway construction. So off to the UK for 6 months and we had enough cash to buy a 39ft ferro cement yacht in Durban which we ended up sailing halfway around the world to the Mediterranean and Caribbean eventually selling it in Florida.

 I had never been happy about the political situation in SA and can remember sitting on the KB bus saying I am going to get educated and get out! Australia always bugged me and I headed to OZ in 1980 with a rucksack on my back and a $3000 debt. OZ was amazing. I expected to find a backward place with Kangaroos hopping down the street, but instead found this amazingly place, pretty sophisticated with casual and friendly Aussies. OZ has a huge immigrant population from just about anywhere in the world, so is super-multi-cultural with more restaurant diversity than London. I got a job in 6 days and after 6 months had my own small construction company employing people. A land of opportunity!

 A good mate of mine had immigrated to Sydney from SA and was in the electrical components business, and we decided to form a company and have a crack. This business grew to a substantial business in the Australasian region over 24 years. In 2006 I sold it and basically retired. I have done few real estate plays since then and got involved in a few other ventures mainly as an investor.

 I married an Aussie lady Kim and have 2 children who live in Sydney. Unfortunately, Kim and I split up a few years back. I am about to become a grandfather - time to admit I am old!

 My entire immediate family 2 sisters, brother and parents followed me to OZ and all live close by in Sydney.

 Australia is a wonderful country to live in. Its huge so if you want temperate weather head to Hobart and if you like the tropics head to Darwin or Cairns. Sydney is great city particularly if you like sailing. We have a huge, picturesque harbour and many huge inlets up and down the coast. I currently have two yachts which I race - a Farr 40 which is a super competitive one design yacht, with an international fleet, so we sail regattas in places such as Chicago, and Porto Cervo (Sardinia), Long Beach etc. The other is a TP 52 which is a wild stripped shell of a boat, very light, very high tech and very fast which we race mainly offshore, in races like the Sydney-Hobart.

 Other sports I enjoy are Skiing, Diving and historic car rallying doing events such as the Peking-Paris Rally and the London-Sydney Rally. I travel a huge amount just about anywhere, mainly chasing sailing, skiing and the other mad things I like doing.

 These days with Covid, things have slowed down a lot. Basically, we are locked into Australia, and can't travel freely within OZ and when we will be able to travel again is a big question. I am assisting my son with his internet wine business as his accountant and my lady friend with her Aged Care and Disability business and dreaming up things I can do in OZ when and if I can travel!

Last Friday night, Gordon Ketelbey was the popular winner of the CYCA's Ocean Racing Veteran of the Year award. For those who could not be at the presentation, he was introduced as:

"Ketelbey returned to offshore sailing in 2018 after a life-changing accident and competed in the Bird Island Race with broken ribs.

The owner of Zen was then diagnosed with cancer in December 2020, but showed incredible determination to race in the Cabbage Tree Island Race whilst undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Our winner is a well-known face in the Australian offshore racing community. He returned to offshore sailing in 2018 after a life-changing accident and has been a consistent competitor since.

 This season, he raced the tough Bird Island Race with broken ribs, competing without hesitation. He then faced an incredibly tough December in 2020, after being diagnosed with throat cancer. Nevertheless, he showed incredible determination and commitment to his team, racing in the Cabbage Tree Island Race whilst undergoing chemo and radiotherapy, with every intention of participating in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and insisting the crew competed with or without him.

 Our winner continues to show his strong loyalty and dedication to all crew on board, ensuring his boat is out racing regularly both with him on board and without him if necessary.

 He continues to bring youth into the sport of ocean racing, supporting their advancement in the sport and providing a highly competitive team for them to learn from and with. His team is continually thankful to have such an inspiring person surrounding them."