Patti Matthews' unique physical therapy: walking up Balmattum Hill

ON a cold and blustery late March morning, I climbed the steep and rocky path to the top of Balmattum Hill, where a lady named Patti Matthews was waiting. Late to our appointment, I arrived hot and out-of-breath, but Ms Matthews, a retired Anglican priest, stood calm and poised as the chilly wind raged. We were here because since April 2022, the 70-year-old has published at least 100 Facebook posts documenting her early morning walks up Balmattum Hill. Her posts to the Euroa Community Noticeboard – featuring photos and videos of Euroa from above and wonders along the walking track – have become famous among Euroa’s online crowd, often picking up over 100 “likes” and attracting comments such as “Good morning, Patti”. But not everyone knows the story behind Ms Matthews' walks. “I've always done [the walks] for my fitness, but I do it in particular because I was diagnosed with Parkinson's nine years ago,” she said. “And so, I've tried to keep active. “A lot of people who suffer from Parkinson's have a tremor... and some of us have balance issues. “That's why I like the hill, because it challenges my balance.” She said in addition to exercise, her symptoms are managed with medication. The American-accented walker, originally from North Carolina, said she walks the track once or twice per week, normally with her friend Lyn Ingoldsby. In November 2023, she challenged herself to walk up the hill every day. She managed an impressive 21 of 30 days. “I like seeing the kangaroos and the wallabies,” she said. “There's quite a number of beautiful birds. “I particularly like seeing the wedge-tailed eagles when I've seen them. “It's also nice to get up above the freeway and not hear the noise of the freeway, and see the landscape as it changes from day to day and season to season. “And I like the companionship of people who walk with me.” Save for those hard-to-photograph birds and her photo-shy companion, these sights are recorded in her Facebook posts. Her photos and videos have shown the hill’s colours change with the seasons; clear skies, sunrises or rainbows on some mornings; heavy winds or skies obscured by fog on others. She has photographed wallabies and kangaroos, and items of interest more easily overlooked, like weeds, flowers, grasses, snails and on one occasion, a golf ball. Asked why she started the Facebook posts, she said: “I'm not even sure.” “It interests some people and they seem to like the view and they seem to be encouraged by my going up it,” she said. “Some people say they've never been up it and they've lived here all their lives, and other people say they'd like to go up it but can't manage it themselves now. “So, I sort of do it to encourage people, as well as to keep myself as fit as possible.” Ms Matthews moved to Australia in 1987 after marrying her Australian pen pal, Norm Hart, who is also an Anglican priest. She and Mr Hart moved to Euroa in 2009. Walking down the hill after our chat, her poise never faltered. Practised with the steep terrain, she nimbly dodged a never-ending stream of rocks and kangaroo poo. She was careful, but confident. Many on Facebook have called Ms Matthews an inspiration. One commenter, Marion McMartin, may have put it best. “Patti, you have a strength and determination unknown to many,” she wrote. “Well done.”

Patti Matthews' unique physical therapy: walking up Balmattum Hill

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