Lindsay Varty

Former professional rugby player Author of Sunset Survivors

Inspired by her older brother, Lindsay Varty found her passion for rugby at the age of 12. Five years later, she was asked to join the Hong Kong Women’s Sevens team, a role she took up for the next 13 years.

“In 2013, our team went professional and I got to play rugby for a living,” says Varty. “It was the most amazing time and we got to travel the world, representing our little city at tournaments in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and Uzbekistan.”

Her journey has not always been smooth sailing, though. Varty has dislocated her shoulder about eight times and has had two surgeries to fix it, “but as my mum always told me, ‘no scars, no stories.” Varty laughs.

Alongside her professional rugby career, Varty wanted to showcase her appreciation for the city. “I have lived here since I was 20 days old, so for me, Hong Kong has always been home,” she says. Varty spent three years interviewing people from Hong Kong’s disappearing traditional industries, including shoe shiners, face threaders and knife sharpeners for her book Sunset Survivors, which was published in 2018.

“Hong Kong is a fantastic place to succeed, there are so many passionate and intelligent people crammed into one tiny place, all looking for things to do and learn.”