Helderberg icon Doreen Wright Celebrates 94 Years

Whether she is remembered as “Teacher Doreen” or the formidable “Missus Wraaaaight”, there are few names in the Helderberg education landscape that command as much affection and respect as that of Doreen Wright.

This local legend celebrated her 94th birthday on Sunday (25 January), marking nearly a century of activism, education, and an unwavering commitment to the youth of the local community.

Wright’s career reads like a history of Helderberg’s finest institutions. While she is perhaps best known for her 21-year tenure as the principal of Happy Days Pre-Primary, her influence has spanned across Shalom Nursery (Jewish), Loretto Convent (Catholic) and Somerset House Preparatory School (private). She also served on the board of directors for Patch Helderberg, an organisation dedicated to supporting victims of child abuse.

Born in the 1930s, Doreen’s earliest memories are of splashing in the Swartkops River and playing “damsel in distress” along the Baakens River Valley. Her “band of brothers” – two siblings and nine friends – would battle over who played the lead role as Buck Rogers and other pre-war comic book heroes.

When World War II broke out, both of her parents were drafted, leaving Wright and her siblings in the care of great-aunt Potty at the family’s legendary home in Walmer, Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha). Their home in post-war years became a hub of generosity, a place of joy after the trauma of global conflict. Her teenage years followed in a whirl of black-and-white glamour – dressing up in puffy white dresses with pearls, dancing with young gentlemen in black tuxedos ,singing and crooning to the tunes of Billie Holiday and Fred Astaire

Wright was never one to follow the status quo. In the 1950s, while teaching at a Chinese school in both London and Port Elizabeth, her progressive views drew the unwanted attention of the apartheid government, which suspected her of being an undercover communist spy.

Her defiance of traditional roles continued into the 1980s. When the leader of the 2nd Somerset West Boy Scout troop, Peter Foster, moved to Johannesburg, Wright stepped in. Breaking gender norms of the time, she became the “responsible adult” the troop needed.

She empowered the boys to lead themselves, with scouts like Clinton de la Hunt and John Faure earned their prestigious Springbok Scout Awards.

Even retirement couldn’t slow Wright down. In the 2000s, she founded the Horizon Remedial School for children with disabilities. Her colleague, Janie Brink, recalls Wright’s stubborn insistence on “flying under the radar” of the post-apartheid Department of Education. She famously rejected “tick-box” bureaucracy, believing that time wasted on paperwork was time stolen from the teachers building personal relationships with learners.

For Wright, every child was a person, not a number. This philosophy was immortalised for her family during a dinner at the Waterstone Mall years ago. Her son, Geoffrey, recalls an woman approaching their table with tears of joy, exclaiming: “Teacher Doreen? I can’t believe I am meeting you again!” She was a past learner from Horizon, a testament to the lives Wright touched and changed simply by seeing the potential in every child.

From early childhood development and equipping students with a secure grounding to continue their education, to the integration of youth with disabilities into functional and valued members of society, Wright has dedicated her life to the community while sharing it with those who needed it most.

Her family and friends wished her a happy 94th birthday, with the rest of community joining in a resounding celebration of a life well-lived.

 Geoffrey calls on locals to share their own memorable moments, photos and comments to districtmailhelderberg@novusmedia.co.za.