MOSSEL BAY NEWS - At the age of 71, Madge du Preez from Mossel Bay is a life coach, owner of a charitable non-profit organisation and a prolific writer.
She is stylish, sparkly and full of energy. We spoke to her about her latest book and life.
Please tell us about your book.
The LIGHT in the Dark is reflective and autobiographical, and designed to bring those who feel hopeless into a place of hope and joy, as they learn to yield to Kingdom principles and wisdom, when they apply the Word of God in their own lives.
My heart's desire is that readers will learn to love themselves and that this inner change will allow them to pass on positivity to the world.
It's available from Kingdom Books: Singapore, Amazon.com (kindle format) and from me. I was blessed with African publishing rights.
You got divorced after 27 years.
Yes, I think it took me a long time to leave the relationship because of fear of the unknown, but I have overcome this "bully" called fear, by replacing it with faith.
You look great.
I believe in living life to the full and continuously try to work on my emotional, spiritual, mental and physical wellness - a work in progress. Dancing is one of my favourite activities. I love it to bits.
Have you always worked?
Most of my life. I was the first librarian of the municipal library in D'Almeida, Mossel Bay, in the early 70s. After I married, I was a librarian in Paarl. Then in the mid 80s I worked at the University of the Western Cape as a senior administrator, until early retirement in 2006.
What differentiates you from other coaches?
I believe that loving people for who they are, allows me to bring out the best in them. It is not a job or a career, but a heart and soul thing.
I call myself Coach Madge, the Sunflower, as this flower resonate with me. My focus is on empowering community members to step out of their comfort zones.
You wrote the script for a film on Mossel Bay?
Yes, it's challenging to write a script for a 60-minute documentary. I call it Grepe uit die mond van sy mense (1960+). It focuses on stories from the coloured community of Mossel Bay. A team under the leadership of Dexter Brinkhuis, director and project manager, is giving life to the script.
What else have you written?
Besides The LIGHT in the Dark, I have published an anthology of poems titled Gemeng; a motivational booklet, Power of God; devotionals with 30 other American authors; and a short story, Slaan vir my 'n masker Vader.
I also co-authored an academic book with Professor Venecia McGhie, Accessing Post-School Studies: A student's GPS for successful learning.
I write stage plays and I run life skills workshops for the community through The Sunflower Seeds Project, an NPO my daughter and I started last year without any funding. We hope to find funding to sustain our youth and women programmes.
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