Brigitte
This is a West Wimmera Health Service podcast.
Presented by Brigitte Muir.
She lives alone but is never lonely. She is totally down to earth, but also very spiritual. Yarriambiack councillor Corinne Heintze, is one hell of a woman on the land. I visit Corinne’s family farm near Minyip to quiz her about her background, and her believes on health.
Corinne
Okay, well there were five of us. My mother was a concert pianist all things, she studied music at Melbourne University, and then was teaching, and then she met my father who was a farmer, up here. So she came up here and married, and she had to learn how to milk cows and she said “that’s great for her hands, as a pianist”. Just doing a tick pulling, for a tick. And it is, it's really good exercise for your hands,
Brigitte
For sure
Corinne
And feed pigs and do all the things, and then she got involved in a lot of stuff around in the community. I left school at 16 I had, I had a very, very privileged upbringing, just was not academically minded at all. The interesting thing is I'm so grateful that my parents… never said “well you should go to university, or oh, well, you're only a girl, you should just wait and hang around until you meet Mr. Right, and marry him”. They just said “you do what you want to do and you do it to the best of your ability”.
Brigitte
That's fantastic. The best advice parents could give their kids.
Corinne
I went to work in the family piggery …and then I graduated to working in shearing sheds. I went and did my wool class at night school, got my truck license, and then I was off, when I was about 20 years old. And I wandered around the country and did all sorts of interesting things. I travelled overseas a fair bit, Ag exchange in America. Just… general traveling…working New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, driving trucks working wool sheds, picking fruit, you name it, I did it. And eventually when I was… 35… in 1995, my father was diagnosed with a brain tumour, lasted three months and then died. So, I had to make up my mind, what did I want to do? Being 35, I thought ‘look it's time to settle down’. So I came back to Minyip, and I’ve been.. I've been here ever since
Brigitte
So you took over the farm?
Corinne
I took over the farm… and all the boys were watching over that fence to see what Corinne was gonna do next.
Brigitte
And then what did Corinne do next?
Corinne
Well got myself outta debt, and then got going.
*Laughter*
and I did things a little bit differently to everybody else.
Brigitte
Tell me more about that.
Corinne
You have to think smartly sometimes, like having a smaller farm, you're not going to be able to afford to …have all great big equipment. You know, there's economies of scale. If you've got a big family farm, or you're working in with someone else, you can probably get bigger gear. But if you run your business, right, you can also get contractors that will be good and they will be reliable. You pay them on time, and you look… look after them and they'll look after you. And I've found that's a pretty good way to go, particularly in recent years. Earlier on, yes I had my own little header, and I had my own combon(?), and my own tractor and my own little sprayer, and you did everything yourself. But eventually… as times got a bit harder, and particularly during the Millennium drought, that type of farming…it just wasn't economical to do anymore.
I'm a person who enjoys my own company. And sometimes people say… Oh, lonely, and I do wonder, is it actually just a perspective? Or do some people get lonely …cause I don't
*Laughter*
Brigitte
But you do enjoy interaction as well?
Corinne
I do enjoy interaction and particularly one on one. Yeah, I’m one of these people that…someone says “come to where there's a whole heap of people”, and I just go “What am I doing here?” I'd prefer to have a bit of… intellectual conversation, or learn something different from someone.
Brigitte
Now, Mr. Right…
Corinne
Yeah, I sort of had three proposals, but I didn't… no… just wasn't really for me. I had a very close friend who died five years ago. He was 10 years older than me, and we had a very special relationship, and I missed him dearly, because we had …wonderful, wonderful conversation and we worked together on many projects around the town. He was just my really bestest mate, I'd call him. But unfortunately, he first of all, he got lung cancer and then he had chemo… for about six weeks and about three months later, it came back… it got him in the brain…and he said “that's it”. And he died what I call a good death. There was no “oh, why is this happening to me” and “why can’t I go on”, just said “that's the way it is”. And he…he went out very gracefully.
Brigitte
You telling me things about difficult times really… friend, close friend, very close friend dying, drought, having to rethink how you work on the farm because things were not working anymore. How do you deal with those emotionally hard times?
Corinne
Well, actually, I'm a Christian. That helps me a lot. I believe that God's there, I can ask God… and sometimes you get this peace, I’m a spiritual person, and this peace comes… and… sort its sort of like, well go and sleep on it girl. Sooo….
*Laughter*
Brigitte
You get good advice from God.
Corinne
You do get, yes, yes, it's not it's not directly, like the voice of God, you know, the cloud in Monty Python. God is in everything, God is in nature, God's in creation, and God can be inside you if you let ‘em and this is one piece of advice I would say to people. If you have any kind of spiritual inclination whatsoever, don't ever turn your back on it. Don't ever ignore it. It's a very important part of you. Yeah, I've got friends who are Buddhists, I've got a friend who's a Hindu, and then I've got friends who don't believe anything at all. And that part is up to each individual. Gods there if you… if you want God
Brigitte
Okay, so that's how you manage emotionally in hard times
Corinne
Yeah, I mean I talk to people.
Brigitte
Communication is important
Corinne
It is very, very important and sometimes… because I'm a single and a fairly solitary person, sometimes it takes… takes a little bit, for my brain to get around to it, say, go and talk to that person, that person and that person. And when I do, give ‘em a call, I'm just amazed how receptive and helpful they are. And this is something when you have a problem, you need to talk about it. You don't go keeping things inside. And if … if your family won't talk to you about it, sometimes there are problems or kids in particular, there were things you couldn't tell your parents. But as an adult, there will always be someone there that you… you can tell
Brigitte
It's only that first step which is hard, isn't it?
Corinne
That's right. And then, you know, this is what I hear about with people, I've got… one of my fellow councillors she's involved with the Rural Counselling Service. This is what the people in, in that service say. Once the farmer realises the bank's banging at the door, life getting really tough financially and… things are starting to crumble, and they go and see the Rural Financial counsellor, most of them will say “Oh, why didn’t I do this ages ago”. And that's exactly right. You go and talk with people go and get some help.
Brigitte
Yes. And talk with Mal Coutts from the Rural Outreach Program. Their motto is ‘it cost nothing to talk’.
Corinne
That's right.
Brigitte
And it's very true and it's so very helpful, isn't it? At times when you really need it?
Corinne
Yes.
Brigitte
In your experience, what makes a healthy person?
Corinne
Well, you got to be healthy. body and in soul.
Brigitte
And how do you achieve that personally?
Corinne
I'm just fortunate that I have fairly good physical health. I've got quite a bit of arthritis and… some old injuries that play up but as I said… yeah, the spiritual side of your body is, is very important. If you've got some inner peace that'll help you to just reflect with other people. And it'll help your emotional intelligence with other people as to why some people are how they are. And I think some people have a terrific amount of turmoil inside, cause it doesn't matter how healthy or fit you are. There are certain problems in life that you, yourself, you cannot solve. And often those problems are what's inside your head.
Brigitte
Yes, it starts and finishes from the self, doesn't it? Personal responsibility.
Corinne
Ah… yeah, yes…that's that’s another subject that could go on for hours and hours *chuckling* about
Brigitte
It's very easy to take things personally as well, isn't it?
Corinne
Oh, yeah. So, I found that, particularly when I got on council six years ago,
Brigitte
Okay, tell me more about that.
Corinne
Oh, well, someone come down the street, and bail yeh up and sometimes you *chuckling* didn’t even know what they were on about. But then I turned it around. I used to…ah… shoot a little bit from confrontation. I still don't particularly enjoy it. But then I had to turn it around, right now you have to talk with this person, calm them down and placate them, and then try and …be a friend to them…. and find a solution. Yeah, a couple of times. I've had phone calls, you know, any old time and you know, I’m holding the phone out here about three foot from ya head, and their “argh, argh, argh” on the other end. Wait till they calm down a bit. And then you say, “Well, I'm not real sure about that. I'll find some more about it”. So you give ‘em a call back a couple of days later and they go, “what you even bothered to call me back” and I said, “Well, I've said I was going to”. I believe in being honest with people. There are some things, no, you can't fix. That's just the way it is. And we all need to accept that.
Brigitte
I was going to ask you if you have any me time, but it seems to me that your life is me time, even when you are helping other people because you take a lot of pleasure in it
Corinne
I do. Yes, I think one of the most rewarding things you can do is volunteer. I do quite a bit of work down at a local caravan park, I do spraying and mowing, and things like that. And then…I’m either secretary or chair of civil organisations around the town. I looked at when I joined Council, it was just an extension of what I was already doing as a volunteer… and being a volunteer, it really keeps you in touch with your community and what people's needs are.
Brigitte
You are a very intense person. Do you think that some people find you scary?
Corinne
Possibly. *Laughter* Oh, I know I can get a bit intense at times. *Chuckling*
Brigitte
But it seems to me that… even in your intensity, you are listening?
Corinne
Yes ‘cause I like to listen to …what makes other people tick. I mean, I have certain views on things and I'll just happily express them because I'm a very honest person. But if someone chooses that they don't want to listen, that…that's fine. And I'm not going to try and convince … convince them otherwise. We're allowed to make up my mind about all things.
Brigitte
Now this is a podcast about …helping farmers… have a healthier life. What would you advise be to people, on the farm …who are busy of course, and perhaps not active enough?
Corinne
Well you need to have your life organised so that you do have time for exercise. Whether that just be taking your dog out for a walk for an hour a day, or whether it be you go and play some sort of sport. Unfortunately, a lot of people when they're younger, they play a lot of sport and then, they get what's known as a middle age spread, and then they can often have, you know, heart problems and diabetes and all sorts of things as a result of that, and they eat the wrong foods. And that's not helpful because if you've …got bad bacteria in your gut, it's not going to do very much for your mental health either.
Brigitte
That's true, very true
VH
Yeah
Brigitte
Silent probiotics.
Corinne
So myself, I try to grow as much as my own food… as I can. I'm really enjoying gardening. Nowadays, you've got the wicking beds. We've also got… got GWM pipeline water. And of course we've got plastic rainwater tanks so we can catch a lot of water and make a good garden.
Brigitte
You also grow your food on the hoof.
Corinne
I do. I do. Yes. When I…I was a kid, I used to kill the sheep for ration, rations every couple of weeks. That was just standard. And when… I… was 16, as I said, I left school. Well Dad didn't really like killing sheep much, so I decided, well, I'm going to learn how to do this. Apart from the killing bit well, you just sort of have to shut your mind to that bit cause that bits not particularly pleasant, but you do it very, very quickly and quietly so the animal doesn't suffer. Sometimes I even say… I apologise to the animals. *Chuckling* Sometimes I’ve been known to do that. But yeah, to provide your own meat… and your own fruit… and your own vegetables, yeah, it's a very fulfilling thing to do in your life.
Brigitte
And very healthy to know where the food comes from.
Corinne
Exactly. Yeah.
Brigitte
Do you ever get sick?
Corinne
Not, really?
Brigitte
You're one of those people who's gonna die healthy.
Corinne
Oh, I don’t know I hope orI die with my workboots on, I do not want to end up in a nursing home and I do not want to go through what my mother went through. So…
Brigitte
I gather from what you wrote to me. That's you …not someone …who… goes to the doctor.
Corinne
Not regularly. No.
Brigitte
Yeah, but you do go when you do go, when you need….
Corinne
I do go if there's really something wrong. Yeah. Yes.
Brigitte
Which is what's important, really
Corinne
That's That's right. I do believe… you should just keep an eye on some basic things, like your weight, your blood pressure, other things… unless you've got a family history of it, in which case you probably should go and get checked for something but I'm not… not a person that fusses so much about doctors, probably would be a terrible patient too.
Brigitte
If you had advice to give farmers out there who want to improve on their health and wellbeing, what would it be?
Corinne
For a start, when you are young, and your fit and you're healthy and that's all good. Don't eat junk food. Just stay away from it because apparently it is very addictive. Try and eat as much good and healthy food as you can, and then when you get older, if you feel yourself start to feel yourself put a little bit of weight, and have to let the belt buckle out a couple of notches do something about it before it becomes a problem.
My philosophy in life is…. even though I’m getting up now, just after six o'clock I will still go and take the dogs for a walk for three quarters an hour, before I go and do the bus run. Just because that quiet time in the morning is very important to me. And hopefully at some other time in the day I'll be able to do the same thing. Even if I've got to sit at online conferences, or go and drive to some function or where your sitting around most of the day. It's up to you to develop your own routine… to keep yourself very fit. When I was 30… I was having a lot of back trouble, and the doctor said to me well get into doing some yoga stretches. So I do have a five minute workout that I do most days. That's mainly core strength. And that really helps me with my lower back troubles because I’ve.. smashed a few vertebrae and just done silly things over the years. How anyone with a sense of adventure does. Sometimes life can get a bit hard and a bit serious and that is when you need to go and talk with other people, go and have a couple of beers, go and have a couple of laughs. But even… even myself just on the farm here when I’m by myself …I, I like watching what I like calling the bird wars. And you go “Well no wonder the human race can't get on”. Just the stuff that birds do to each other, is excellently hilarious, a times *laughter*
Brigitte
It has been an absolute pleasure having you on this podcast, and I thank you very much for offering all of us a different perspective on what it's like to live on the land in the Wimmera Mallee
Corinne
No problem. Thank you Bridget. I…I quite enjoy it, and I hope what I've said it's been a bit a…a little bit helpful to people.
Brigitte
Absolutely, yep.
That was Corinne Heintze in Minyip.
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai edited by WWHS Health Promotion
