WHERE IS TOMMY
Introduction
I first had the idea of writing 'Where is Tommy?' thirty years ago. I was young and though I wrote the sketch of the story, it was merely two pages long and I abandoned it, simply because life got in the way. When I did pick it up again it seemed a huge task but the seed of a story was there and I wanted to develop it. The main difficulty was always; where on earth would I find a location, perfect for a nurse to work and for an anthropologist to dig; and yet I found that place in Arusha, Tanzania. My journey through that region has been a revelation.
I discovered that organisations place electives in locations throughout the world, including Arusha at one time, and I hope that my descriptions do justice to the obvious hard work being done by those young people. I didn't realise that Louis and Mary Leakey excavated and found significant bones in the *Olduvai Gorge and today this is well documented. Their work is still ongoing by teams throughout that whole region. The fact that the area around *Olduvai seemed commonly called 'The Cradle of Mankind' was perfect. The Momella events that took place in the nineteenth century were a surprise and fitted beautifully into the time frame.
The Arusha Hotel does exist but I cannot confirm that there was indeed a bar there called the Hatari though of course the film was indeed set in Arusha.
Coincidentally other occurrences took place during the time period too, including the Arusha Accords and the Germans' colonisation of the area and ultimately it was easy to expand my story to include so many other interesting affairs.
If I'd been producing a play, all the props that would be needed, were readily waiting to be part of a back drop in the story of Marie and Robert.
What I hadn't anticipated was the part Mount Meru would play, nor the lives of the tribes and the ancient people who once lived in the area. Some readers may think that the coincidences regarding these people are just too many. It is true that I have used poetic licence to bring some historical coincidences together but it is not inconceivable, especially because some of the events happened so very long ago, that these occurrences did take place in this region and I hope you understand me wanting to include them in this story.
I am a fan of the TV programme about Midwives in the 1960s and would like to acknowledge that the compassion, kindness and professionalism that have always had me in laughter and tears, have I think influenced the character of Marie. She is all of these things, as well as strong, but like many, perhaps when tragedy strikes and darkness engulfs the soul, it is love and friendship that ultimately saves us all from the despair that life can sometimes bring. I hope you read and enjoy the story.
