EL mourns champion of the needy, activist for the deaf

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Daily Dispatch Online

TRIBUTES have poured in for East London’s people’s champion “Theo” Blumberg, who died last week at the age of 91.



Blumberg died from colon cancer at the Lily Kirchmann home in Berea on Thursday.

His daughter, Tessa , who was born deaf and was the main inspiration for Blumberg’s love and passion for deaf people, said her father was “very unique with special qualities”.

“I’ll always be grateful for what he did for me. He helped me and other disadvantaged people. He was full of life. I’ll miss and think about him for the rest of my life with gratitude for his help.”

Blumberg had sent Tessa to the Gallaudet University for deaf and hard of hearing students in the United States, and was inspired to set up clinics for the deaf in East London.

Tessa also said her father had left a “great legacy for the deaf and Jewish communities in Eastern Cape and in the city”.

Blumberg founded the Theo Blumberg Clinic in East London in 1960, which was the first centre to teach sign language in South Africa.

In 1998, the clinic was renamed the Carel Du Toit, incorporating the Theo Blumberg Clinic.

He was also a member of the East London Rotary Club and East London Jewish Society for many years.

The centre’s principal, Michele Nel , said she had known Blumberg since the 1980s.

“He was really passionate about the deaf and worked for the interests of the deaf until his months of illness.

“Hundreds of deaf children have also passed through the Mdantsane (satellite) Theo Blumberg.”

Nel said Blumberg was passionate about teaching the deaf.

Carel Brink , who worked closely with Blumberg for years and was a speech therapist at the Theo Blumberg Clinic, said his death was a big loss.

“We’ve lost a special person. He had a passion for helping people throughout his life by (also) raising funds.”


East London Rotary Club member David Vides , who was also Blumberg’s friend, said Blumberg had dedicated his life to helping the community.

“He was the inspiration to many. He… devoted himself (to helping the deaf). He made things happen for the Rotary, we… are going to miss him.”

East London Jewish Society chairperson Sidney Weintrub said Blumberg was a dedicated person, always ready to help the needy.

“He was an absolute inspiration to all, devoted to the society of the deaf, and in these difficult times (during recession) and even in heavy political times he knew no barriers from helping needy people.”

Blumberg wrote a book, The Challenge, for families with deaf children. He also co-authored a book, Challenges and Choice, with René Hugoan, as an aid for parents with hearing loss.

He is survived by his children Tessa, Martin and Neil. He will be buried at 12pm today at the Cambridge Jewish Cemetery

 

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Deaf community mourns ‘father figure’ at funeral

Daily Dispatch Online

EMOTIONAL mourners yesterday painted the life of Theo Blumberg as “exceptional” at his funeral at the Cambridge Jewish Cemetery , hailing him as a parent to the deaf community.



Former pupils at Theo Blumberg Pre-school for the Deaf also thanked “the great man” for making it possible for them to communicate with society.

Now adults, pupils who had learned sign language at the school in Mdantsane – since closed due to financial reasons – paid their respects to Blumberg and shared fond memories.

They were also joined by Blumberg’s colleagues in honouring his “exceptional” life.

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch, former pupils Nomfundo Sikhondo , Nomakwezi Mavela and Sabelo Vuso , who also represented the Deaf Federation of SA (Deafsa), said Blumberg was like a father to them.

Sikhondo said she had attended the school from the age of six.

“He was a great man and he did a good job of helping us to communicate with the world,” she said.

“On behalf of Deafsa, we say he must rest in peace. We thank him for his wonderful work, he will always be missed,” Sikhondo said.

Vuso said he was introduced to sign language when he was four years old.


“I thank him for what he did for me. It could have been a different world for me if it was not for him,” he said.

Mavela, who at the age of five had her first lesson in sign language, said: “Today I’m able to express myself with the help of a translator.”

Many of Blumberg’s former pupils now work at the Deafsa office, assisting the deaf with social grants.

Ntombizodwa Mdingi , who started teaching sign language at the pre-school, and who now teaches at the St Thomas School for the Deaf near King William’s Town, said Blumberg had cared deeply for deaf children.

“All his life he spent helping the deaf. Even after the pre- school was closed down, he was involved in issues relating to the deaf,” she said.

“He was prepared to go the extra mile and was really active on deaf people issues raised by Deafsa ....”

An official from the provincial Education Department’s support programme for children with hearing barriers, Phumla Jola , said parents in Mdantsane who had sent their children to the pre- school “still cry over Blumberg’s death”.

She added the deaf community appreciated what Blumberg achieved.