THERE were 99 reasons to throw a fabulous party on Sunday, 29 July when the ever-youthful Pauline Goldberg celebrated her 99th birthday. Pauline’s four children, their partners, some of their children and other family members and friends from far and wide gathered to make it a day to remember.
Born in Durban, the middle daughter of Sam and Rachel Hackner, Pauline grew up in Claribel Road, a stone’s throw away from Gordon Road Girls’ School, the primary school Pauline attended and with which she still has close links – she counts former headmistress Yvonne Johnstone among her friends.
Her high school years were at Durban Girls’ College and after she matriculated, she left Durban to study speech and drama at the University of Cape Town. Pauline’s calling was teaching – both formally and informally – and even now, she cannot resist sharing or requesting ‘a grain of knowledge.’ While a student at UCT, she met her future husband, Allan Goldberg, who was studying medicine at the University of Witwatersrand. They became engaged and married in Durban after both had completed their studies.
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They lived their entire married life at 75 Deodar Avenue in Glenwood, in a warm family home that welcomed Melvin, Elaine, RoseLee and Suzanne. Despite being kept on her toes by her busy children, Pauline put her qualifications to good use. In 1944, a school friend who taught domestic science at Clairwood Coloured School suggested she volunteer as a teacher there. It was the beginning of a long association with the coloured community, which impacted on her compassion for people of colour living under apartheid.
Over the years, she also taught at a school for Cerebral Palsied children, read to children at the Musgrave Library and was among the ‘granny teachers’ who taught at Berea Road Primary School. Unsurprisingly, Pauline and Allan inspired their own children to pursue their dreams and they all excelled in their chosen career paths. Pauline, who wouldn’t hear of leaving Durban, is fortunate that her children who now live in Cape Town, London, New York and Johannesburg make regular visits to their mother.
Sometimes astounded by her own longevity, the youthful Pauline offers no explanation for what secret there could be for a long life. At her 99th birthday party, family and friends spontaneously made speeches in which they expressed their love and respect for a remarkable woman. A book club friend had the last word: “Pauline never has a bad word to say about anyone,” she said, as all-round applause echoed the sentiment.
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