UBUNTU Community Chest is saddened by the loss of one of its long serving board members, Shelagh Hurford, who passed away after a long illness bravely fought.
Shelagh served two terms as a Community Chest board member from 2005 to 2009 and from 2012 to 2018. The previous director of Child Welfare Durban and District, Shelagh was a qualified social worker who worked in the non-profit sector for more than 40 years.
Gordon Mc Donald, executive director of the Ubuntu Community Chest, said: “Everyone who met Shelagh knew that she was passionate about what she did, stood firm in her beliefs and it truly mattered to her to give her very best.”
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He described her as knowledgeable, with an excellent understanding of what constituted good governance in an organisation.
“She always arrived well-prepared and religiously attended board meetings. Only serious illness or hospitalisation prevented her from taking her seat at the table. She was a dedicated, wise and capable person who despite her illness meticulously managed our 2018/19 grant management process, attending her last meeting with us on 27 February, this year,” he said.
During her career Shelagh worked for many non-profit organisations in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban, as well as in the UK. She served on many networks and welfare boards, more than 20 over time. She was instrumental in the establishment of the first non-racial social workers’ forum and actively fought for salary parity in terms of social workers salaries.
More recently, Shelagh was an active member of the Directors Network, which she chaired for many years, and served on the provincial board of Child Welfare South Africa in various capacities.
She was an avid sports fan who enjoyed remaining up to date on the political developments in South Africa.
“Shelagh was a good person with a good heart and while I am grateful that her suffering has ended, I feel sorry for what we have all lost in her passing,” he said.
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