A man who escaped Hungary to Aberystwyth at the time of the Hungarian Revolution more than 60 years ago has been reunited with a woman he befriended at the time.

Emil Emecz met Nia Higginbotham (nee Griffith) in 1956 after he fled from the Hungarian Revolution, making his way via Yugoslavia to Aberystwyth.

Nia, who was then a nine-year-old child living in Beth-Seilun - the Presbyterian manse - began a search for her Hungarian refugee friend in 2016 on the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution.

This summer they were finally reunited.

Emil, who now lives with his wife Sophie in Keszthely, Hungary, learnt English “extraordinarily well” during his time in Aberystwyth, Nia said, and he quickly succeeded in getting a place at Aberystwyth University.

He qualified as a sports teacher, and even ended up playing table tennis for his adopted country of Wales before moving back to Hungary.

He later became a respected table tennis referee.

Emil met his wife during an event organised for Hungarian refugees throughout the UJ at the Urdd Centre in Borth.

They have three boys.

Emil said he has “great fondness and gratitude” for the welcome he received in Aberystwyth.

“Particularly from Gwennant Davies of the Urdd, Mary Vaughan Jones, a teacher at Ysgol Gymraeg, and the Rev and Mrs Huw Wynne Griffith,” he said.

Despite his close friendship with the Griffith family, Nia and her sister Gwawr lost touch with Emil.

Having decided to attempt to trace Emil, Nia remembered that he was keen on table tennis, and contacts through the English and Hungarian table tennis associations uncovered that he was back in Hungary.

See this week’s Aberystwyth paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now