Douglas Turner, former Benoni deputy mayor, dies
They would often donate football kits and soccer balls to smaller teams in Daveyton.
Former deputy mayor of Benoni Douglas Claud Turner died on August 30, age 87.
Born in Port Elizabeth in March 1931, he was still a young man of 24 when he met the love of his life, Dorothy Hornby, and they were married in August 1955 after only three months of dating.
He had been working for Cadbury’s at the time and was transferred to Benoni shortly after.
An avid sportsman, in the early 1970s, Duggie, as he was fondly known, started the Benoni Boxing Club and Benoni’s first professional soccer team, Benoni City Football Club.
Dorothy served as the secretary of both clubs and together they staged many matches over the years.
The pair were respected public figures on the East Rand and were known for their charitable efforts to raise the profile of football in the townships during apartheid.
What will forever stand out in the town’s history was their bold move to host the first interracial soccer match at Willowmoore Park in 1978.
They invited Benoni United (a top-ranked team from Daveyton) to play against their team, Benoni City Football Club.
They were met with great discord for this gallant move and honourable demonstration of humanity, stating in interviews with papers at the time that what was more important was to focus on sport and not on politics.
Determined and steadfast, Duggie found other avenues to promote the well-being of Benoni by serving his community as a public servant.
In 1992, he became a town councillor in his first election and was voted onto the management committee of the town council, before being elected deputy mayor the following year.
A great entrepreneur, he founded a brake and clutch business, known as City Disc Brake Pads, as well as a real estate agency, Turner’s Real Estate, both situated right in the heart of the city for decades.
Duggie died the day before what would have been their 63rd wedding anniversary.
Dorothy had died last year.
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“He had struggled to come to terms with losing his soulmate and, like her, his wishes were to not have a funeral and instead wanted people to celebrate his life,” said the couple’s granddaughter, Candice Turner.
She described her grandfather as a man for family and community.
“He lived a remarkable life. His adventurous outlook, broad range of interests, and his always comical demeanour made him a wonderful person to know. He pursued his many accomplishments diligently and always rose to meet a challenge.
“His immense generosity, work ethic and acute business acumen are all qualities his children and grandchildren admire him for, and ones they all have gone on to embody.
“His grandchildren and great-grandchildren were his greatest pride and he often would comment on how he felt he had done right by the world to leave a legacy of such incredible young people.
“Our grandfather will forever be remembered for the boundless love and generous amount of time he gave to his family, especially his grandchildren.
“Albert Einstein once said, ‘Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.’
“My grandfather would be proud to know his legacy will forever live on in his son, Gavin, daughter Denise, daughter-in-law Sandy, son-in-law Steven, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.”
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