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Neighbourhood > Guest Character Profiles > Martin Cook Tony Bonner

Mr Martin [Cookie] Cook 2002
Marital Status: Jeanie
Occupation: Surgeon at Erinsborough & District Hospital

Whilst giving a talk on open heart surgery at Erinsborough Hospital, renowned surgeon Martin Cook, Cookie to his mates, bumped into old friend, Dr Darcy Tyler, and his colleague and uncle, Dr Karl Kennedy. As Cookie started locum work at the hospital, one of his first patients was Karl’s grandson, Ben Kirk, who mother, Libby, had spotted blood in her baby’s mouth and became distressed, but was later embarrassed to realise that it was nothing more than a small cut in his mouth. Another of Cookie’s patients was Summer Hoyland, who had been diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome. After Summer fainted, he admitted that her treatment of beta blockers might not be working, and suggested an operation to stem the problem and possibly prevent her from having to take medication again. Although frightened, Summer agreed to the operation, which was a complete success.

Meanwhile, Cookie began a series of workshops at the hospital and nurse Sheena Wilson, a friend of Darcy’s, was desperate to impress Mr Cook and get into the course. However, because she’d missed the deadline for enrolments, she was forced to schmooze with Cookie and Darcy over drinks at the pub one night. Her plan was successful and she was allowed to sit in on the first workshop, but quickly found herself in trouble when she disagreed with one of Mr Cook’s ideas, claiming that it would drain nursing resources. After the workshop, Sheena apologised, and Cookie insisted that her little speech had made no difference to his decision on who got into his course. When the final list of attendees was posted, Sheena was angry to realise that she wasn’t on it. When she then confronted him, Martin told her that there was still time for him to amend the list – if she made it worth his while. When Sheena stormed out of the room, Cookie followed and told her that it was just a joke and that she was on the course, her name being left off was just a clerical error.

A few days later, nurse Dee Bliss returned from caring for her grandmother in Tasmania and was anxious about her first meeting with Mr Cook. With Dee joining her in the workshop, Sheena suddenly found herself being picked on by Cookie, while new girl Dee could do no wrong. When Cookie asked Dee to observe during an operation, Sheena warned her friend that he wasn’t to be trusted, but Cookie brushed off her concerns, claiming that the girl was just too sensitive. And with Sheena then leaving the hospital for a holiday, Dee was left to realise on her own what a sleaze he actually was. During one of her evening massage sessions at the local surgery, Dee was surprised when Cookie turned up, and then extended his appointment by an extra half an hour, claiming that he was enjoying her magic fingers. Over the days that followed, Cookie tried to get closer to Dee, telling her that his wife didn’t understand what it was like to lose a patient, offering her lifts to and from work and even giving Dee and her boyfriend, Toadie Rebecchi, the free use of his beach house.

It wasn’t long, however, before Dee realised that Cookie had more than friendship in mind, as he cornered her in an examination room and tried to kiss her, telling her that they should both stop playing games. Dee quickly backed away and threatened to report Cookie, but he reminded her that it would be her word against his. After speaking to Toadie, a lawyer, about sexual harassment cases, she decided to drop the matter, turn down Cookie’s offer of the use of his beach house and pull out of his seminars. Toadie was confused by Dee’s odd behaviour, but when he spotted Cookie and Dee deep in conversation at the hospital and him touching her arm, he quickly jumped to the wrong conclusion and, always having felt inferior, ended the relationship. Dee was forced to tell Toadie the whole story and he agreed to help her to make a complaint. Cookie was interviewed by Bill Mott, and told him that Dee was making the whole thing up. As Cookie made an official statement to that effect, Dee was interviewed by Julie Jones, giving her a statement which claimed the exact opposite.

Meanwhile, Cookie was also helping Darcy make headway in his career, recommending him to join the exclusive Delphium Club. But when he heard about the allegations, Darcy was left torn between his ex-girlfriend Dee and the influential Cookie. Realising that nobody completely believed her, Dee decided to drop the charges and resign, but, during an emergency, she and Cookie were forced to work together. Afterwards, they chatted and Dee was softening and about to offer to drop the charges and forget the matter when she realised that Cookie still believed that he’d done nothing wrong in the first place. This realisation spurred her on to continue with the complaint. Meanwhile, Darcy was mugged in the Lassiter’s car park and found himself in a hospital bed. In the room were Cookie and Dee, who, believing Darcy was asleep, argued over the disciplinary hearing, with Cookie finally admitting that he had made a pass at Dee. Once Cookie left the room, Darcy told Dee that he had heard everything and was prepared to help her to bring Cookie down.

A few days later, during Darcy’s induction at the Delphium Club, Darcy his a Dictaphone in his pocket and instigated a conversation with Cookie, in which the surgeon admitted everything. Darcy then produced the recorder and warned Cookie that, unless he admitted everything to the hospital board, he would send a copy of the tape to Cookie’s wife, Jeanie. Realising that he was beaten, Cookie agreed and later admitted everything to Bill Mott, who told Cookie that he would be transferred to another hospital and monitored around all female staff, plus he would have to make an official apology to Dee. After he had apologised, Dee told Cookie that although she would never be able to teach him anything about medicine, she hoped that she’d taught him a few things about human decency.

Biography by Steve

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