Reflecting on her 35 year career in health, Martine Mathison is ready for the "next phase of life".
For almost four decades Martine Mathieson has worked at the heart of community health in the Bega Valley, using creativity, humour and strong local relationships to help people make healthier choices.
“When you can have a bit of fun, you start to break down barriers” – Martine Mathieson
Reflecting on her 35-year career in health, Martine is ready for the “next phase of life” – with her last day at work on 22 January.
Martine is well known across Southern NSW Local Health District, but her easy, warm ways, and passion for helping people be healthy are best known in the Bega Valley and around her beloved home in Pambula.
After starting with the aged care team at Pambula Hospital in March 1990, most of Martine’s career has been as a Health Promotion Officer.
“For much of my career I have dressed up in suits. I’ve been Seymour Snowman and Sid Seagull from the Cancer Council, I’ve been a condom, I’ve been a clown – I’ve been everything!” Martine says.
“When we’d go to community events as a family, my daughter used to say - you are such an embarrassment – I am leaving!
“But when you can have a bit of fun; you start to break down barriers, and that’s when you can share your healthy message more easily.”
A lot has happened over those 35 years. Martine’s life work has carried messages around healthy eating, safe sex, sun safety, quit smoking, alcohol consumption, and more.
“I’ve seen a lot of change, but a lot stays the same,” she says.
“One of my first programs involved healthy sandwiches for school children, and then late last year I was back with a community doing healthy sandwiches all over again.”
Reflecting on the change she has seen and helped influence, one message sticks out.
“I was around for the really early days of sun protection – now every kid and teacher in the playground has a hat on.”
Local relationships and partnerships have been key to driving change and sustaining a such a long a career.
“You have to get in the dirt with people and understand their challenges to work out what the solution might be,” Martine says.
“One size doesn’t fit all; what works in Double Bay probably doesn’t work in Delegate.
“And sometimes we need to take a step back and just be there ready to help when people are ready.”
Martine’s work and that of the Health Promotion team continues.
“We are not on top of heart disease, we are not on top of obesity, we are not on top of smoking – oral health, or closing the gap,” she says.
“The influences globally from marketing and big corporations, and pressures on families now, make it so much harder for healthy choices to be the easy choices.
“It’s no accident that the poorer you are the worst your health outcomes – how are we addressing poverty in our community?
“Address poverty and we start to address people’s health and wellbeing issues – its enormous.”
A healthy(ish) morning tea will give Martine and her team an opportunity to reflect further on their work together and share their gratitude for each other.
Jennifer Mozina, Health Promotion Coordinator says, “Martine has been instrumental in embedding the profile of the of Health Promotion team in the Bega Valley.”
“She has been a constant for the health service and many community events over the past three decades and will be missed, but we look forward to hearing of her adventures.
“Thank you, Martine, for all you have done for the health of your community.”
Martine is thankful too, for the team she has been a part of and the community she has served.
“This is such a beautiful community. You can be feeling pretty crappy and then you just come over the hill – and wow what a revelation,” she says.
“It has been such a privilege to meet and work with such a broad range of people from so many locations and share information and health skills but also learn from them as well.
“In particular, some of the programs in small rural schools and early learning education centres, working across many Aboriginal communities and with our Aboriginal Health teams.
“Population Health is rich, diverse and fascinating. It is dynamic and ever changing, I guess that’s why I hung in for so long.”
More time with family, her community, and in the local environment is the rough plan Martine has for her “next phase of life”.
“I am allowing myself some extra space in my life,” she says.
After 35 years in health, you have earned it Martine!