Strong family bonds unite Kaplans
Durban North resident finds long-lost sister after 30 years.
THERE is an old saying that goes, ‘You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family’.
While this cliché rings true for most families, it is only slightly true for the Kaplans.
Durban North resident, Laurie Kaplan (72), and his two siblings had searched for their half sister, Juliette Kaplan (75), for more than 30 years. Julie’s parents had divorced when she was three years old. The mum and daughter returned to the UK shortly after the divorce.
Her father later remarried and had three children in his second marriage. While he told Juliette’s siblings about her, and asked them to track her down, Juliette was never aware of her siblings’ existence.
All the trio knew of Juliette was that she lived in England and was a famous British actress, best known for her role as Pearl on the BBC comedy, ‘Last of the Summer Wine’.
Then, in 1995, the siblings got a breakthrough. Laurie’s daughter, Lisa, travelled to England, where she enquired about Juliette at Equity, the union for the performing arts, in an attempt to locate her.
It was a success. While the union would not give Lisa Juliette’s contact details, they were able to send her a letter on behalf of the Kaplan family.
“I suddenly received a letter out of the blue informing me that I had three siblings, urging me to make contact. I was completely flabbergasted. At first I did not want to respond to the letter, as I am a strong believer that the past is gone and that you should only look to the future. But then, after speaking to my daughters, they convinced me to contact my estranged family,” said Juliette.
Since then Juliette and the other Kaplans have not regretted their decision to find each other. “When I finally met my siblings I immediately identified with all of them, and could recognise parts of myself in them. I was no longer alone,” she said.
Laurie added that he and Juliette especially have developed a strong bond, “I can’t imagine my life without her now. Sometimes she drives me mad, but I still love her and would do anything for her,” said the proud sibling. Juliette is currently waiting to hear if she can reprise her role as Agnes Tinker in ‘Coronation Street’.
