Martin John Healy was the son of Martin and Nell Healy. He along with his sisters, Marie and Lillian grew up in Rosebery on Tasmania’s west coast.
Martin John Healy was the son of Martin and Nell Healy. He along with his sisters, Marie and Lillian grew up in Rosebery on Tasmania’s west coast. (Marie married prominent Old Virgilian – Roger Smart).
As the Rosebery Convent School was not opened until 1958, he was initially educated at the local State School (supplemented by correspondence lessons from the Home Missionary Sisters.) In his final year of primary school he won the Electrolytic Zinc Company Scholarship – open to the children of that company’s employees and the most valuable secondary schools’ scholarship in Tasmania at the time.
In 1951 Martin arrived at St Virgil’s College as a boarder, the beginning of a very proud and close association that would last for the remainder of his life.
Martin was elected Head Prefect in his final year, was stroke of the Head of the River crew, Captained the athletics, swimming, cross country and life saving teams and was a member of the 1st XVIII. It was therefore no surprise when he was awarded the College’s 1956 ‘Leadership, Study and Sport ‘ award.
Martin attended the University of Tasmania in the years that followed and gained a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1962. During this period he played with the Old Virgilians 1970 OVA 1st XVII Football Club. He was to return to UTAS years later and gained an Economics Degree in 1978.
Following the first of his degrees he worked in England for two years before returning to Tasmania to the EZ Co. at Risdon where he went on to become senior electrical engineer. After 27 years with that company, he joined PACAM as its principal electrical engineer and then Sun Metal Corp. Queensland as the Principal Electrical Engineer for the design of the new zinc plant at Townsville.
In 2002 he returned to Hobart and became specialist engineer for Hydro Tasmania Consulting. Martin continued to work right up until his passing and during his latter years with Endura (an arm of Hydro Tasmania) he demonstrated a commitment to mentoring the younger engineers.
Throughout his life Martin was a tireless worker for the aged and disadvantaged in the community and had generously given himself to a wide range of parish and church-based organisations and activities.
In 2002 he gained a Pastoral Ministry Diploma. He had an association with the St Vincent de Paul’s Loui’s Van for fourteen years and had actually spent the Monday evening prior to his death on the van.
Martin was extremely proud of his two sons, Paul, an orthodontist, and Matthew, a lawyer, their spouses, Yasmine and Michaela and his ten grandchildren. Paul and Matthew both attended St Peter’s School, moving on to St Virgil’s College. During the time his boys were at these two schools, Martin was heavily involved in the Parents & Friends and was at one time President of the SVC Parents & Friends Association.
In his latter years, Martin became a ‘fun run junkie’! In 2013 he suffered a near death experience during the annual Point to Pinnacle event. In fact he was ‘dead’ for about twenty minutes, but fortunately skilled assistance was on hand and he made a remarkable recovery.
Such an experience did not deter Martin’s yearning to be involved in fun runs. On May 17, 2017, while out training for the upcoming City to Casino event, he suffered a heart attack and passed away. Martin Healy led a remarkable life and the size of the congregation at his funeral was testament to the love and esteem with which he was held by so many. This was previously acknowledged in 2010 when he was inducted onto the St Virgil’s Heritage Roll of Honour.
