Under Fire: How a NSW North Coast girl became a war hero
FORMER PEACEKEEPER MAJOR MATINA JEWELL (RETIRED) TELLS OF HER LOVE OF HORSES, SPORT AND GROWING UP IN NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES.
MATINA JEWELL HAD an idyllic rural childhood at Red Haven, a four-hectare farm near Alstonville in northern New South Wales, where she grew up surrounded by horses, cattle and an orchard, only 10 minutes from the ocean. “My brother and I would come home from school, dump our bags and get straight on a horse. It was exciting and liberating to be able to explore and the only rules were to look after each other and be home before dark. We had that opportunity to get out in nature and work things out ourselves,” 43-year-old Matina recalls. Ever goal-oriented, Matina excelled at sport, following in the footsteps of her brother Mark, 45. Weekends were spent at competitions or horse events with their father Roger, a school teacher, and mother Helen Stanfield, a shop assistant. Although a sports career beckoned, a trip to China when she was 16 years old representing Australia in volleyball set her on a new course. After seeing some of China’s impoverished areas she returned home determined to help others. “I listed all the things I wanted in a career: humanitarian aid, overseas travel, being a leader of a team, being mentally and physically challenged and a scholarship for university study so that I would be financially independent. I stumbled across the Australian Defence Force Academy and became an officer in the Army,” she recalls. By age 23, Matina was appointed Officer in Command of the Army Department and Diving Officer for the HMAS Kanimbla. Throughout her extraordinary 15-year military career, she served on five missions and earned six Australian Defence Force service medals, as well as two Republic of Lebanon war medals for bravery on the battlefield and being wounded in combat. While serving as a United Nations (UN) peacekeeper in the 2006 Lebanon war, Matina tragically lost four teammates when the patrol base at Khiam was bombed, and she sustained injuries while in transit that ended her military career. Medically retired from the military, her experience of war was documented in a two-part instalment on ABC television’s Australian Story. Matina has also written a bestselling book, Caught in the Crossfire, which was recently optioned for a feature film. She now shares her experience to inspire others as a leadership strategist and keynote speaker on leading in crisis, building resilience in teams and dealing with change. Matina also runs leadership retreats and online programs and is an ambassador for Project Thankful (partnered with the UN to empower women and children). Along with her husband Clent, 43, and their daughters Sierra, seven, and four-year-old Kyah, she now lives in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. “To be able to return home and live in this beautiful part of the world really is a blessing. I lived in Sydney for a large part of my career while serving in the military, but there’s a different connection in a rural community,” she says. “Clent grew up in Victoria’s high country on a sheep and cattle property, so he has that country grounding as well, and we both wanted to provide that for our children.” Find out more about Matina at matinajewell.com
OUR FAMILY MOVED from Lismore to Alstonville when I was three, to a beautiful four-hectare property called Red Haven in the hinterland of Byron Bay with rolling green hills and rich, bright-red soil. We had eight horses and I did a lot of pony club and three-day eventing. I started riding from the age of two and we did a lot together as a family with horses: we’d go away for gymkhanas, shows and camps. Mum ended up as chief instructor of our pony club and Dad was involved as president and treasurer. Our parents became involved in anything we did: learning the sport and participating in it. My very first horse was a 12-hand bay Welsh mountain pony. We called her Princess and she had the attitude to match her name! I can’t remember how many times I fell off that horse; she’d dump me in the bottom paddock and I’d have to walk all the way home. I really enjoyed dressage and it was a challenge to get to a high level. The last horse I had, Top Fancy, was amazing; he was an ex-racehorse and his mother, Gala Supreme, won the Melbourne Cup in 1973. He had enough time on the track to be quite a challenging horse to ride for showing or pony club. He’d either win supreme champion or you’d have to take him home after the first event. I went to Alstonville Public School and then Alstonville High School and I was quite good at academics. Sport was a reward if you did your work at school and I played multiple sports at state level and represented Australia in two. I toured China playing volleyball; it was quite a life experience and I learnt a lot about myself. Most weekends were sport-oriented, but I also spent a lot of my childhood at Lennox Head where my grandparents lived and the whole surfing and beach culture had a big influence on my life. I have an affinity with the ocean and went on to be the first woman in the Army to be a navy diver. I was really competitive and quite hardworking. I was attracted to team sports and found myself a leader. I just wanted to see how far I could push myself. I was adventurous and spirited, but also quite disciplined and prepared to do the hard work and was very goal-focused at a young age. We grew up in a very loving, nurturing family environment and did a lot of things together. Integrity, responsibility, trust and a ‘never give up’ attitude were instilled in us. That ‘no matter what’s happening, find the strength to keep going and push through’ mentality held me in good stead for my military career. My elder brother Mark is still such a great positive influence. I always admired and respected him, and he’s been a great supporter. He used to set these benchmarks in academics and sport for me to aspire to. My parents were equally encouraging and there were never restrictions because of my gender. It was always, ‘If you work hard enough you can do whatever you want to’, which gave me the attitude to reach for the stars and see where life could take me. A really pivotal part of my life was touring China, playing volleyball. It was the first time I had seen poverty and I came home far more appreciative of what I have. That influence led me to become an officer in the Australian Army. The work I do now as a keynote speaker and advisor allows me to share my experiences with my clients across industries around the world. I like to remind my audiences that every day we get to choose the lens we see the world through: what lens did you choose today, and what perspective might serve you better for the future?