Dorian Heatlie – a non-linear editing, film and digital arts trainer at Wits School of the Arts, Univeristy of the Witwatersrand – was hit and run on his Vespa about 3 weeks ago, and died in the Millpark Clinic 10 days later. It was violent and unfair to him, his (very closely knit) family, his students and friends.
I didn’t know Dorian very well, but I knew him as a supportive colleague, an interested artist, a generous teacher, a witty provocateur. In his five years at Wits, he touched and inspired so many students; many of them spoke today, at his memorial, about living by his principled example.
Yet again, it’s a sad day for Johannesburg.
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Hi Nathaniel
I don’t know you – which I guess is pretty creepy :) But I did know Dorian very well. I’m a film student at NYU and went to Wits as part of a study abroad program where I stayed there five months (Feb ’05-June ’05) so that I could make a documentary. Dorian and I worked very closely together – my documentary wouldn’t have been what it was without him.
I googled his name for some reason. We always joked about how if you googled his name, all that would show up is “Wits School of Arts,” which served as a good laugh on many occasion.
It’s been tough being away from Johannesburg when all of this was happening. But I’m glad that he touched your life in some way…he was an amazing friend and colleague.
Thank you for dedicating a post to Dorian…I know he would have loved it.
All the best,
Jess Brillhart
Yes, a great loss, and I’m sure he’d appreciate having a bit more google presence… I’m actually an NYU alum (ITP Masters, class of 01), but had been teaching at Wits for the last three years (my wife – who I met at NYU – is South African). We all appreciated your letter at Dorian’s memorial.
I found out today about Dorian. and so my day has been filled with him – the first time i saw him in my politics class at Wits, … dorian was so special he couldnt help standing out – wearing school shoes, an old buttoned up top – and he was full of paint because him and his brother had been painting houses to make extra money. i think i fell in-love with Dorian that first time – and every other time i met him it just reinforced how unique he was. I will miss him forever and wish now that i had got to know him better. I hope his family, his brothers and his mother find peace.
I was thinking about Dorian these last few weeks. Then I realized that four years have passed since his death. Googling his name, I came across your site, Nathaniel. Thank you for remembering him. I’m organizing a braai tomorrow in his memory. Have a drink for his spirit. I would have invited you all, but I presume there is an ocean dividing us.
Oh, by the way. I love your site.
Dorian and I were at Woodmead School together for 6 years.
I live away from South Africa, and found out about his death some time after it had happened. I was, and still am, shocked and deeply saddened by our loss of him.
He filled a large place in the landscape of my high school years. I was both afraid of him and in love with him the entire time I knew him.
He was uncompromising in his way of being and his creative intelligence very deep for someone so young.
Now and then he is very strongly in my dreams and I wake full of grief for the loss of such a young/old soul. I miss him still and have many things unsaid to say to him. I resent that he is gone. I feel sad that I never contacted his family to let them know that their grief was spread so wide amongst all those who knew Dorian.
Now years past… I find this conversation of remembrance and I am grateful for it. Thank you to those who remember DAH, he was unique and is missed and remembered xox
I too was @ school with Dorain and worked closely with him on our drama projects, I have only just heard of his tradgic passing and am deeply saddened and shocked. I echo Emily Morris’ comments entirely. The world is certainly a duller place without his creative genius. I love you Dorian and my heart goes to your wonderful family who showed me so much love and support during my awkward adolelence years.
Like Emily and Lydene, I was at school with Dorian. Living abroad, I only found out about his death a couple of months ago. It took my breath away. I too was in half in awe of and half in love with him. He was a fabulously creative person, but more importantly, he was unfailingly kind and unbendingly gentle, such a rarity in school. I met him once after our school years were done and took home with me the satisfaction that the wonderful and funny boy I had known at school was a wonderful and funny man.
It is a terrible pain in me that when I think of him now it cannot be with the prospect of perhaps meeting again one day. I am so glad he has touched so many lives in such a memorable way. It is a small comfort in the loss of him that so much of who he was remains with us.
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