Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Written by Year 12 VCE Vocational Major students of John Paul College, Frankston.

Kevin Hillier was born on November 28th in 1952, in a town called Cremorne NSW, Australia. Kevin was in the navy for 28 years and he joined when he was only 15 years old. The year was 1968, when Kevin joined as a musician, so that’s why he was able to join at such a young age. He was on the HMAS Sydney multiple times from the 15th of February 1971 until 30th of November, 1972.

Kevin was very skilled in playing various musical instruments. He acquired the nickname 'Red' because of his ginger-coloured hair. Kevin’s grandfather was a World War Two veteran. 

Before Kevin joined the navy, he was very much into his footy. He was also a great musician. Kevin could play just about any instrument you could think of like the trombone. He went to a high school with mostly girls, because the other boys in the town went to the Technical/trade school down the road. Kevin wanted to pursue his music and wasn’t to fussed with school at the time, so when a music teacher suggested to him and his parents to do music in the Navy he was stoked. As Kevin enlisted when he was only 15 years old, he would’ve lost a very valuable chunk of his childhood while in the Navy, and by what Kevin said he had one regret which was the age he enlisted.

Kevin Hillier was a musician in the Royal Australian Navy and had the rank Acting Leading Musician while onboard HMAS Sydney. As far as achievements go, he served for a total of 28 years and achieved the rank of Lieutenant.

Kevin enjoyed his service, where he went to Vietnam seven times on the HMAS Sydney (the ship he was stationed on) which they called the Vung Tau Ferry as they needed to bring the troops back and forth. He spent lots of time entertaining troops and keeping them relaxed with the band’s music. A few times even Kevin said they’d gotten off the boat at Vietnam and performed in the middle of nowhere in the of the bushes of Vietnam for the Aussie soldiers. 

Kevin also had to work by doing various jobs on the ship. The jobs included cargo handlers, crane drivers and dogmen.

However, Kevin’s naval journey was not without its share of harrowing moments. One of the scariest experiences came when he was just 18 years old, stationed in the middle of nowhere with two South Vietnamese allies. In addition to the unsettling feeling of being under constant observation, Kevin had to face the terror of being amid horrific hurricanes during his time at sea. The violent storms would thrash the ship around, causing him to feel helpless and afraid. The sound of the wind howling and the waves crashing against the hull of the ship was deafening, and he sometimes felt like he was at the mercy of the elements.

Kevin would have to show strong leadership throughout these times, and without leadership the men may not have been able to deal with it. Kevin showed our group how important leadership really is, and no matter the challenges that come your way, keep your chin up and always keep moving forward. 

Kevin’s life after the navy included band playing and organizing bands to march on ANZAC Day parades to do with the war, which he still does to this day. His role in the navy was key because it is necessary for the morale to be kept up when the navy was going through scary times or rough weather. It was also key for relieving stress.

When Kevin enlisted in the Navy, he was joined by three other 15-year-olds. Throughout his time in the Navy, he learned the value of teamwork, particularly during a simulated attack by a torpedo where as part of the exercise the band were all killed. It became clear that sharing knowledge and skills was essential, especially when it came to starting the bilge pumps. Unfortunately, when the pump was required, no one was able to start it because  it was members of the bands job and nobody else had been taught how to do it. This experience highlighted the importance of cross-training and ensuring that multiple team members have the necessary knowledge and skills to handle any situation.  

Kevin demonstrates teamwork because the band he played in needed to always be in sync with each other and needed to be on the same page constantly. He also demonstrates leadership because after the war he still takes initiative to set up bands for parades and other events.

While speaking about his time in the navy, the group asked whether Kevin dealt with any injuries. He funnily enough didn’t deal with any major injuries during the war, but instead during the navy afterwards. Although, he dealt with minor injuries, such as falling on the ship. 

While interviewing Kevin, we were intrigued by all of these stories. Kevin spoke with passion, and you could tell how much the navy meant to him. It made me ask him, “Would you do it all again?” to which he replied,  “Most definitely.”  

Kevin now is an ambassador and President at the Frankston RSL. He has also been awarded an OAM. He certainly taught the group what it takes to have courage, how to be a good communicator and leader, as a skill in the navy that was arguably the most important was to be able to communicate with others.  

We are beyond grateful to live in a country where there are so many people willing to put their lives in front of ours to protect Australia. We hope Kevin realises what a brilliant and unique individual he is, and that everyone in our group was privileged to be able to sit down and have a conversation with him. 

Thank you for teaching us many valuable life lessons, Kevin. It was an experience we will remember for a long time. Hopefully one day when we have children of our own, we can pass on these life lessons to them as well. 

The students at John Paul College express their gratitude for the privilege of hearing your stories about your service and comradeship during the Vietnam War, Kevin Hillier. We appreciate how you have protected Australia's future and acknowledge the sacrifices you made during those times. We thank-you for the positive work you have put into the community to make it a safe place.

We thank you teaching our generation what you went through to make sure we were here today.