Pride of Ceylon Ronnie Steinwall, turns seventy-five

Annesley STEINWALL

Ronnie Steinwall, a Burgher of mixed European descent, was born on August 18th, 1933, in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. An indefatigable body builder, he was a legend and a household name in the 1950's through the 1960's. An old Josephian, he started his sporting career in the shot-put but his true love was for the sport of body-building.

Ronnie knew what it took to compete at the highest levels: to construct an athletic body, to improve muscular performance. He trained for symmetry and definition, but his ultimate goal was producing bulk.

Ronnie launched his career by winning the Mr. Kandy competition. He won his first major contest, Junior Mr. Ceylon in 1950. Around this time, he opened his own gym, 'Farnese Hercules,' where he trained hard and religiously.

In 1956 his training resulted in his winning the title of Mr. Ceylon. In 1957, he won the "Most Muscular Man" competition, and then repeated the achievement in 1961. That same year, he also re-claimed his "Mr. Ceylon" title.

In 1962, in astonishing fashion, he duplicated this performance, claiming both titles again. Winning the coveted trophy three times is a record still as yet unbroken. At the age of 25, he also held the then British bench press record of 280.5 lbs. for his weight class.

In 1956, an unusual event occurred when the Ceylon Body Building Association decided to stage the Mr. Ceylon, Mr. Junior Ceylon, and the Mr. Junior Ceylon (under 18) competitions simultaneously. Ronnie captured the Mr. Ceylon title, while his brother, Marcian, took the Mr. Junior Ceylon title. This writer, Ronnie's younger brother, placed 2nd in the under 18 class.

I vividly recall my father yelling to the crowd "those three horses are from the same stable!" This was an unforgettable moment for our parents and has left an indelible mark on our family.

Captured second place

In 1959, Sri Lanka sent a team of its best competitors to the Mr. Asia contest, a contingent of previous Mr. Ceylon winners. This group included, Malcolm Sucroft, Ronnie Steinwall, Sackman DeSilva, Marcian Steinwall, W.S.K. Perera, P. Somapalan, and Suahib Dean. Even amongst this elite group, Ronnie emerged to capture second place, finishing only behind Kurshid Ahamed, of Pakistan.

After conquering all these challenges, a feat which prompted the Body Building Association to declare that no one contestant could win a Mr. Ceylon title more than three times, Ronnie decided to undertake the final task of his career, entering the 1962 Mr. Universe contest, held in London, England - the only Sri Lankan to enter to this date.

Quiet sincerity

With strong competition from around the world, and under the scrutiny of the most qualified judges, Ronnie was placed third to Clancy Ang (Malaysia), and Ron Serling (USA). Colin Sheard, of 'Health and Strength' magazine wrote at the time "he (Steinwall) shyly informed me that he hoped to do well in the contest, not for his own sake, but for that of his country. I was impressed by his quiet sincerity and impeccable manner".

Best described as demure, Ronnie was instinctively shy and composed.

He was always dapper, never wore a short-sleeved shirt, and his shoes were always highly polished. He used to brush his teeth three times daily, using different toothpaste for each brushing. When asked why he did so, he replied "so the bacteria won't get used to any one brand".

He did not walk, so much as glided majestically - slow, dignified and serene. Whatever he did, it seemed to be an endless endeavour.

Ronnie is thankful to his parents, who worked hard to bring up their children to lead an exemplary life at all levels. They instilled in him discipline, dedication, devotion, and required that dignity of the family and its character were always maintained.

Beautiful wife Maureen

In 1969, along with his beautiful wife, Maureen (nee Vanderwert), still the love of his life, he migrated to Australia. When asked for the secret of his longevity in marriage, Ronnie humbly replied, "I hate confrontations, so I usually acquiesce to her. She's a good wife to me and mother to my children, and part of my success in life."

Presently, Ronnie offers his services as a part-time physical training instructor at an American health-spa, in Sydney. He also holds an NSW (New South Wales) cricket umpire's certificate, and was recently honoured by being asked to judge the Mr. Australia competition.

Ronnie and his wife, while ex-patriots of Sri Lanka, still have a strong love for their motherland and continue to return for visits whenever circumstances allow them.