In 1977 the "hondo" (war) or "Chimurenga" (liberation struggle) in Zimbabwe was increasing in intensity. The African guerrilla forces opposing the white regime led by the Rhodesian Front party of Ian Smith were known as "vakomana" (the boys) or "magandanga" (terrorists) depending on one's political views. From their bases in Zambia and Mozambique they infiltrated the countryside with the objective of disrupting government control of the rural areas and politicising the local populace. A nightly "pungwe" (meeting) was a common feature of village life – they were designed to explain what African self-rule would mean and so to mobilise the "povo" in favour of the struggle.

Meanwhile the presence of the guerrilla forces was a boon to those who harboured petty jealousies of their neighbours and was frequently used to settle old scores. Since the guerrilla groups were generally not native to a particular district in the country, and so had no detailed knowledge of local politics or enmities, an accusation that someone was a "mutengesi" (sell-out) was tantamount to a death sentence.

At some time in 1977 one such group of "vakomana", who were active in his district of Mahungwe (Rusape), sent Matthew Mukonomuwi to deliver a letter to another group based in Matsvai (Wedza). This was his wife's home area. For reasons which are not clear he was murdered there by this second group. It is said that he was made to dig his own grave and was buried alive. His body was never found to this day.

There was considerable resentment in Mukonomuwi that Matthew should be murdered while visiting his in-laws. In the circumstances Matthew's brothers were unwilling to help with the education of his four children. As a result Matthew's daughter, Scholastic, came to live with Dennis Matyatya, his wife, Pelagia, who was Matthew's sister, and their family in Chideu village.

There were six Matyatya brothers living together in Chideu at the time. They had grown up together in Mahungwe, next door, as it were, to the Mukonomuwi family. Ten years before in 1967, they had all moved to Chideu together with their mother, Agnes. Their hope was to build a better future for themselves and their families and soon they had carved new homes and fields out of the virgin forest. By 1977 three Matyatya brothers, Dennis, Christopher and Onismo, were married to three Mukonomuwi sisters, Pelagia, Anna and Sophia, from Mahungwe. It might have been the beginning of an idyllic life.

But Chideu itself soon became embroiled in the war. The guerrilla forces were frequent visitors to the area and Rhodesian Army Selous Scouts were thought to be camped in the nearby kopjes. The kopje, known as Nharire, has a particularly fine view of the comings and goings in the village. On 12th. August, 1978 the Rhodesian forces attacked. A Dakota aircraft and three helicopters emerged from behind Rowe Mountain and battle commenced. In the course of the day one Rhodesian helicopter was shot down and two local girls were killed including Dorothy, eldest daughter of Christopher Matyatya. The Matyatya family decided that Chideu was no longer a safe place to live and moved en bloc once more, but this time as refugees, to Chifamba village.

While in later years Dennis was to send his daughter, Norah, to attend St. Anne’s' Secondary School, Goto, as a boarder he could only afford to have Scholastic educated as a day scholar at Matsine. There she was taught by two young Irish women volunteers, Úna Breathnach and Margaret McSorley. Although they were teaching in Matsine, Úna and Margaret lived at Mount St. Mary's Mission some 20 km. away. I was a teacher in M.S.M. at the time. When Scholastic and Norah first came to visit Úna and Margaret in M.S.M. on 4th. August, 1984, I brought the four of them on a walk to see some bushmen(?) cave paintings in a nearby kopje.

Scholastic was amused by my droll sense of humour and some time later, I was invited "kumusha" (to visit the Matyatya homestead in Chifamba village) together with Úna and Margaret. In April the following year my parents visited Zimbabwe on holidays and I brought them back to the village to give them a flavour of the lifestyle of the common people of Zimbabwe. My mother was astonished to meet a cute little African girl named Norah - she considered it quite an Irish name! They became pen friends.

I came home to work in Ireland at the end of 1985. But my heart was still in Zimbabwe. In 1987 I was back there for a six week holiday. On my return home my mother asked after Norah and was disappointed to learn that I hadn't met her on my travels. The following year I had planned to spend my holidays on an exchange visit to a tennis club in Germany. However I twisted my ankle badly while playing tennis shortly before I was due to leave and decided to cancel the holiday. With no other obvious alternative I decided to visit Zimbabwe yet again. This time my mother was determined to get first hand news of Norah. She sent me with a present for Norah and we met. This was when our courtship began. The rest, as they say, is history!

An unremarkable chain of events, perhaps? But change a detail anywhere - the war, the murder of Matthew Mukonomuwi, his daughter Scholastic moving in with the Matyatya family, her meeting with my friends in Matsine, my parents' visit to the village... - and it is most unlikely that today Norah Matyatya would be my wife! There is an old Shona proverb which reads...

We first met this week 15 years ago!