Vale Chido Zimunhu (1981-2025)

Chido was born in Harare, Zimbabwe on January 14, 1981, a member of the country’s largest ethnic group the Shona and in the Mhofu. Born the year following the Zimbabwean independence in 1980, Chido grew up with high hopes held for Zimbabwe’s future.

Chido was educated from Prep to Upper 6th form (Grade 12) at St George’s College, a long established, boys only, Jesuit School in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe before he enrolled for tertiary education in 2000 to study a Diploma of Business, Marketing and Administrative Management at the University of Southern Queensland and met the love of his life and future wife, Lisa. For Zimbabweans, as for many young Australians, travel and work experience overseas are seen as a useful means of gaining knowledge and experience for personal and future community benefit. Such was the case with Chido who came to Queensland.

Chido and Lisa married, not once – but twice, in 2005 and 2006, celebrating their wedding in both Australia and Zimbabwe. The couple’s daughters Victoria 2005 , Ruvaredu 2008 and Laura 2010 would become Chido’s pride and joy. All were born in Zimbabwe at the Family’s Maternity Hospital. Chido returned to Zimbabwe August 2003 after studies completed. Lisa moved to Zimbabwe Boxing Day 2004, after getting engaged in September 2004.

From 2003, Chido was the Managing Director of the Zimunhu family’s private Maternity Clinic, the Queen of Peace, in Harare. In his role as managing director of the clinic, Chido was recognised with several awards for his work with the clinic. In 2006, he received the Zimbabwe Institute of Management’s Young Manager of the year award, the youngest person to receive this award, later to be followed by recognition by the Zimbabwe National Health & Medical Services Excellence Awards Hospital of the Year Award 2018 and MegaFest Leadership Award for Team Leader of the Year in 2018. Chido was later also involved in tourist venture as chair of the City of Harare Clinics Board. He was an active member of the business community: as a Fellow of the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe, and Chair of their Corporate Governance and Risk Committee; a Fellow of the Zimbabwe Institute of Management, serving as Senior Vice-President; and Board Member of the Health Advisory Board of the Catholic Archdiocese of Harare. Chido was the respected manager of the maternity clinic through the Covid-19 pandemic, after which he moved with his wife Lisa and their three children to Australia in 2020.

Arriving back in Queensland in November 2020, Chido passed through the strict quarantine that followed the Covid pandemic, quarantining in a hotel on the Gold Coast for two weeks after nine months of separation from his family due to the pandemic. He soon found work as a wholesale employee for the Active Apparel Group, before taking up a position with the Queensland Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects. At the Institute he became a treasured colleague with responsibility for the Architecture Awards, Prizes and Scholarships program. His cheerful demeanor and physical bearing belied the serious health problem which led to his premature death. He is survived by his wife Lisa and three daughters, mother, father, brothers and sister, and his many Queensland family and friends. 

Obituary by Don Watson, with contributions from Lisa Zimunhu and Anna Svensdotter