Welcome to 'The duPs' - The website of Paul and Margaret du Plessis - Margaret a former Medical Social Worker, Paul a physician.
They served with The Salvation Army in Zambia, the United Kingdom, India, and their homeland of South Africa. They retired to live in Bromley, in southeast London. Margaret passed away in 2019.
Their children, Catherine and Andre, and the wider family have always meant a lot to them. Placing Paul’s poems and other information on a website has been a family request for some years. Grandson, David, took on the project and became the website architect.
Please enjoy reading Paul's poems which reflect something of their life experiences.
Margaret has researched the life of Louisa Mary Tucker, the first wife of pioneer Indian missionary, Frederick Tucker.
Please use the menu on the left and the search function in the top right to navigate through the site.
Here is Paul's most recent poem:
Respair
- Details
- Written January 2026
Shrouding the future
With nothingness and despair
As one thing piles on top of another,
Compounding fears
While the world fades into disintegration
Walking into a future without hope.
Until the light of life breaks through
Into a new dawn
And we see the way ahead,
Following an unknown path
That no one's walked before
But sense a presence
That is ever with us.
January 2026
A walk into the redwoods, Sobrane Canyon, California
Matthew 28:20