Meet the mega
MATCHMAKER Move over, Cupid. Emma Winterschladen is a one-woman human Tinder, responsible for five love stories - and she’s not done yet
E
ver since I read Jane Austen’s Emma, at 17, I’ve felt an affinity with the heroine. Like her, I am a bit of a meddler. I’m nosy, bossy and insatiably interested in other people. I’m also a sucker for a good love story.
But my success rate has surpassed my literary inspiration: I’ve matched five couples, now all ‘long-termers’. Although I’m a fan of online dating – having met my own partner, Tom, through the app, happn – I think it’s a shame that the rate of couples ‘meeting through friends’ has dropped to 18 per cent.* Somewhere along the line, we’ve lost the community spirit of love. Seeking a romantic partner can be a lonely experience. When I was single, I wanted nothing more than to tap into my friends’ networks. I felt the world was brimming with people
I could fall in love with – but friends were reluctant to ‘get involved’. We all have the power to connect people – and if we’re lucky, facilitate a real-life love story. I’ve seen the rewards, and nowhere more so than in my own dad’s life. After my mum died aged 45, Dad was left floundering. They’d been together for 27 years and Mum was the feisty fire to his laid-back chill. Not only had Dad been ‘out of the game’ for 30 years, he had been actively (and stubbornly) pursued by Mum. I knew I’d have to bring that same headstrong energy to help Dad – when the time was right. And that’s the thing: matchmaking s be about manipulating or but simply about helping. Once you’ve made your m it’s time to step back and let their story unfold…
THE NUDGE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Robin, 61, and Helen, 58
Dad became a widower at 49. Even in the thick of my own grief, I deeply wanted him to find love again. Three years after Mum’s death, he felt ready to dip his toe back into the dating world but didn’t know how. So, over a pot of tea, I set up an online profile, cheekily naming it ‘DateMyDad’. The funny factor helped us navigate a painful transition. Just knowing that he had me and my brother behind him helped, he said, free him from the shame and guilt that can surround bereaved partners. It was a slow process, with months of 24
WOMAN
dead-end exchanges. Until he told me he’d been for a coffee with Robin and lady called Helen. W Helen found followed was a slow-b love after love love and relationship mutual respect and compassion. Almost a decade on, he and Helen are still a couple. Robin says: ‘I feel very lucky to have a daughter who was so willing to accept (not to mention help me find!) another partner. Ems knew before I did that there can be love after love – and both of them can matter.’
Iain and Sophie moved to Sydney
