No - that’s not the first line of some rather convoluted joke, it is actually a basic synopsis of a fascinating book that I have just been reading.
The Rev Lyn Gibb de Swarte is a really interesting lady and has led a very interesting and eventful life.
Having had a turbulent childhood and difficult early adulthood, she has, at various times, been a gangster’s moll, traffic warden, gay rights activist, competitive speed skater and judge, international coach, women’s ice hockey pioneer, sports writer and publisher, spiritualist medium, spiritualist media editor and publisher and is now an ordained minister.
Although I have never been a gangster’s moll or a traffic warden myself – nor, indeed most of the other things that Lyn has done - I DID play ice hockey at a very amateurish level for a while and am now a sports writer and publisher, so we certainly share those interests. Also, my grandmother was quite high up in the Spiritualist church in the 1950s and a well-known medium in her day, so I can relate to some of Lyn’s experiences in that domain as well.
I have never met Lyn in person but got to know her via Facebook when she was pushing to re-establish the traditional fen sport of bandy in this country. She was arranging some introductory events and I helped promote them via my ice hockey news website.
She also has somewhat grandiose plans to construct the UK’s only purpose built bandy and long track speed skating stadium in the Fens near Littleport (that’s near Ely, by the way), so I look forward to attending the grand opening of that, should it ever come to fruition!
Anyway, should any of the above tickle your fancy, you might want to get hold of Lyn’s book “Looking Back” which goes into her life story in a lot more detail and is definitely worth a read.
For more information, just drop Lyn a line on Facebook HERE
Post Script:
This isn’t in the book but I just happen to know this and it will probably be of interest to music fans of a particular vintage.
Lyn’s son Leigh Guest was a member of the group Double Trouble who, in the summer of 1989 had a big hit along with the Rebel MC with the song “Street Tuff”.
I fondly remember dancing in the street to that song (the only time I have ever engaged in such outrageous behaviour in public…) on a day trip down to the Notting Hill Carnival that year - and I still play it from time to time at ice hockey matches during stoppages in play.
