Derna Beling - great sportswoman produced by HFC Bambalapitiya

By Rosanne Koelmeyer Anderson

SPORTSWOMAN: The name is sure to ring a bell to those of yesteryear. She would have been a sportswoman 'on fire' with such an array of feats to her credit; the first Netball Queen of Sri Lanka way back in 1962, an All Ceylon Basketball and Hockey player and record holder at the Ceylon Athletic Meets, excelling in long jump, high jump and discus.

Tall, slender and attractive Derna Beling was an allrounder of fame with an incredible number of sporting records!

Sport today is a different game. Every game is sponsored unlike in the old. We had to fend for ourselves. We didn't have hired coaches but dedicated people like the famous Trixie Jayasuriya, a name attached with sport who gave their valuable time to bring people with talent to the limelight like thunderbolts. With sporting blood in her Derna Beling de Silva says today she has got rejuvenated into another mode, playing golf after retirement.

A great woman of yesteryear, Derna Beling was very young when she was selected to play in the netball national team with renowned senior players like Indira Seenathirajah, Padma Gunawardena, Marleen de Silva and Kusuma George which gave her immense exposure to secure the Sports Queen of the Year title in 1959 and the Netball Queen of Sri Lanka in 1962 while in 1960 she represented the hockey national team at the age of sixteen on a three-week tour in India captained by Irene de Soysa.

She was also awarded the Quaker Vigour Trophy in netball and rated as the best goal attack for Ceylon too. Playing for British Ceylon Corporation (BCC) Sam Ramasamy gave her much support and encouragement. Winning the netball double, Derna played for Kandy Whites basketball team in 1968 and the national team where Nobel Kiel (who is her good friend to date) and Derna Beling were picked for the cager nationals. She also represented the Ace Athletic Club at the All-Ceylon Amateur Association meets Athletic honorarily assisted by Guy Thiedemon.

Her love for sport did not cease. Derna continued to play netball even while working at the UN for 28 years, but after marriage in 1963 to Upali de Silva whom she met at BCC, she decided to slowdown her pace and devote quality time with her family.

Derna is a proud mother of three children, Saliya and the famous twins at HFC Usha and Anusha who followed their mother's footsteps and six grandchildren, three in the USA and three in Sri Lanka.

Incidentally, Derna says granddaughter Dhanushi Senadeera who is one of Sri Lanka's youngest up-and-coming golfers and grandson Sachin are her best companions when it comes to golf. She plays a little squash too with her granddaughter Heshshiya. The twins were incidentally my classmates and aunty Derna, a very amiable and down to earth lady who was always so agile, was very dear to all of us at HFC.

An old girl of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, proud of her alma mater, she recalls the good old days and attributes all her success to none other than Trixie Jayasuriya her guide and memento who was responsible for taking her to greater heights in the field of sports.

While at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitya, Derna's name had gone down in the annals of sport. School Games captain in 1959, she created history when she set up a school high jump record in 1958 which was unbroken for 32 years. At school athletics, she secured the junior, intermediate and senior best performance award to bring glory to her alma mater. She was also awarded school colours for netball, athletics and badminton. During her netball captaincy at HFC, the school was the only team to beat the South Australian Crusaders Team 24-22.

Derna was very daring to the extent of almost getting suspended from school. While at HFC at the age of thirteen she participated in a cycling road race from Galle Face to Mount Lavinia and cycled with one brake. She was on the verge of getting disqualified when she persuaded Edward Mason who came forward to speak on her behalf and she secured third place in the race with Neila Schockman and Dagma Smith. This was the most interesting part of my life, Derna says. Thereafter, she also took to road racing and represented at the Ceylon Track Cycling Championships.

Today, Derna Beling de Silva is a contended woman who sits back and reminisces her days of glory, her achievements and her successful family life and says she has definitely lived life to the fullest.