Gertie Awerbuch: lovable & larger than life

SUZANNE BELLING

She had come into her age (87), as with Avraham and Sarah, and would never be forgotten for her outstanding contribution, her sense of humour (“Vot vos, vos,” – the tile of one of her productions, What Was, Was, she used to say), her charity work and her culinary skills; she was cookery editor of The Citizen for 17 years.

“She did everything with a passion,” said her daughter, Suzanne Weil. “She was an actress and appeared opposite the famed David Kossoff, who died in 2005. Her anecdotes and stories she relayed after some encounters, made us laugh for years.”

A playwright and songstress, she put the Mock Wedding on the map, with several versions of the original following suit. They featured top personalities such as Solly and the late Abe Krok and Eric Ellerine. All the male and female parts were played by men. This was done through the late Joan Brickhill and ran on and off for eight years.

Another success was Take My Word, a musical which opened the Brian Brooke Theatre in 1965.

She was famed for her bulkes and cheesecakes – “her secret ingredient was love”, says Suzanne. “Her greatest love was poetry; she loved playing bridge, music and entertaining friends.

“The matriarch of the family, she remained relevant from bridge on-line, Facebooking and WhatsApping.”

Gertie grew up in Doornfontein in Johannesburg and lived in her mother’s boarding house, depicted in What Was, Was through the Eastern European characters who had settled in the Goldene Medina

Gertie had seven distinctions in matric, with her first job at a shipping company. She later became a top class estate agent.

She married Morris Awerbach in 1951 and they divorced 13 years later. Morris died in 2001 at the age of 78.

They wrote shows together for charity. Gertie was also committed as a charity worker and devoted her time to WIZO. Her tzedakah was through the sales of her cookery book.

“She was charismatic, energetic, loving, warm and honest and her mind retained everything. She even took her grandchildren to hotels to recite poetry to them and anyone else who would listen! Although she was a most non-judgemental person, she did not suffer fools gladly.”

She leaves her three children, Barbara Hind, Michael Awerbuch and Suzanne Weil. She was close to her brothers Henry and Max Ulfane. She is also survived by four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“She was their guide and sounding board. She could squeeze a lemon and out would come nectar,” said Suzanne.