Doris Gwendoline Helliwell

Doris Gwendoline Helliwell (born 16 December 1895) was a renowned concert pianist in early Johannesburg, South Africa. She was awarded Honours in the Associate in Music examinations through Trinity College, London.

Doris Gwendoline Helliwell
Born(1895-12-16)16 December 1895
Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield, England
Died10 September 1952(1952-09-10) (aged 56)
Johannesburg, South Africa
EducationAssociate in Music (Honours), Trinity College London
OccupationConcert Pianist
Spouses
Francesco Ferramosca
​
​
(m. 1916; died 1932)​
    Michele Scuto (Scuto Mitchell)
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1932; died 1937)​
      John Francois Burger
      ​
      ​
      (m. 1942⁠–⁠1984)​
      Children2
      Beauty pageant titleholder
      Major
      competition(s)      		Our Beauty Competition 1923
      (Winner)

      In 1916, Doris married prominent violinist Francesco Ferramosca[1] (b. Francescantonio Ferramosca, 23 August 1893, Viggiano, Italy).

      After Ferramosca died in 1932, she married Michele Scuto (name changed to Scuto Mitchell). After Mitchell died a few years later, she married the big-game hunter John Francois Burger. With Burger, she traveled extensively throughout Southern Africa, big-game hunting and gold prospecting. Accompanying them on their journeys was Doris' pet leopard, Spots. These expeditions are documented in various books written by Burger.[2][3]

      As Mrs. Doris Ferramosca she won the inaugural Southern African beauty competition, held by South African Pictorial ("The Union's National Weekly") in 1923,[4] which was a precursor to the official Miss South Africa pageant.

      Early history

      Doris was born in 1895 in Sheffield, England to Frederick Helliwell (b. 1870), master butcher in Rotherham and Matilda Earnshaw (b. 18 January 1869), school teacher in Treeton. She had one sister, Phyllis Ida Helliwell (b. 22 November 1900, West Riding, Yorkshire). The family emigrated to Johannesburg, Transvaal Colony in the early 1900s. Doris started studying piano under Barclay Donn, a teacher who specialized in grooming promising pianists for public appearances. She later became a student of the acclaimed piano teacher Sr. Lorenzo Danza.

      Musical career

      Doris performed at a number of concert venues in Johannesburg from 1910 to 1915, and received considerable praise in the press for her interpretations of difficult and intricate piano pieces. She appeared in several printed programmes. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

      Family

      Doris married Francesco Ferramosca (m. 11 January 1916) and they had two boys, Joseph Frederick Lorenzo ("Genzie") Ferramosca (b. 17 May 1916; d. 3 January 2007) and Frank Eugene ("Chickles") Ferramosca (name changed to Mitchell) (b. 21 January 1921; d. 14 March 2003).

      After the birth of their children she was persuaded by the Cape Town photographer H. Goldstone to enter into the national weekly journal, South African Pictorial's Beauty Competition. The competition opened on 16 June 1923 and concluded on 24 November 1923. From a large number of entries, Doris won the £20 First Prize. This competition was a precursor of the official Miss South Africa pageant.

      Doris' third husband, John Francois Burger, was an avid big-game hunter. In the exploratory days of the early 1900s, despite modern controversy over the practice, game hunting was a substantial source of income for the family. John hunted and slaughtered over 1000 buffalo, by far the most prolific hunter of his time. [12][13][14][15][16][17]

      Doris and Phyllis Helliwell

      References
      1. https://i.ibb.co/HpQt24F/Francesco01.jpg
      2. "John F Burger Books". Shakari Connection. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
      3. "John F. Burger vorgestellt im Namibiana Buchdepot". www.namibiana.de. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
      4. South African Pictorial, “Our Beauty Competition”, Vol. XVII, No. 434, November 24, 1923.
      5. Johannesburg Ladies' Choir. Grand Concert, Wanderer's Hall, Wednesday 3 December 1913
      6. Rhapsody Hongroise (Liszt), Masonic Hall, Boksburg, 11 November 1912
      7. La Campanella (Paganini-Liszt), Wanderers' Hall, Johannesburg, Wednesday 5 March 1913
      8. Rhapsody No. 2 (Liszt), Wanderers' Hall, Johannesburg, Wednesday 5 March 1913
      9. Fantasie Impromptu (Chopin Op. 66), First Eisteddfod, East Rand, 1914 (won Senior Piano solo, and awarded the Eisteddfod gold medal)
      10. Grand Sacred Concert, Standard Theatre, Johannesburg, Sunday 17 May 1914
      11. Sacred Farewell Concert, Standard Theatre, Johannesburg, Sunday 12 July 1914, 8:45pm
      12. Burger, John F. (1947), Horned Death, Standard Publications, Huntington, West Virginia
      13. Burger, John F. (1957), African Adventures, Robert Hale Limited
      14. Burger, John F. (1957), African Buffalo Trails, Robert Hale Limited
      15. Burger, John F. (1958), African Jungle Memories, Robert Hale Limited
      16. Burger, John F. (1959), African Camp-fire Nights, Robert Hale Limited
      17. Burger, John F. (1960), My forty years in Africa, Robert Hale Limited
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