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:
Up and Down the Tree
- Details
- Written November 2024
And he'd have slipped down the blue gums
But the steps of the sycamore seemed made
Just for him - an insignificant dwarf
Carrying the burden of the years
That robbed him and others of a true humanity,
Forcing isolation and brooding
Back in his tree and out of the way,
Abstracted, removed from reality,
Daydreaming of a better way to live.
Until someone stops to talk to him
And he hears what is said
So down he comes to make amends
With a word of apology and breakfast together.
November 2024
The monthly men’s breakfast ended with discussion about a favourite holiday. Californian redwoods and Australian blue gums were mentioned, and that some prefer crowds, others being alone. It concluded with a devotional on Luke 19.
The bark of the sycamore tree tends to have ridges, making it easier to climb.