When Victoria Hill was recently voted in as one of Timae’s House Captains for 2025 she was following in her mother’s footsteps!
Renae Hill (nee Devenish), Class of 1992 and Timae House Captain, remembers the early days of the Duncraig Campus.
“The primary school site was ovals, the ELC was a mystery block of bushland and Carramar wasn’t in anyone’s vocabulary,” said Renae.
Being named Timae House Captain together with Nigel Smith was a high school highlight for Renae, and one which taught her some important life skills.
” I felt very affirmed to have people place this faith in me. I wore the badge with huge pride,” said Renae.
“Our legendary Dean Mr Plowman was very competitive, and he drove the house spirit message pretty hard. If you weren’t sporty, you joined me in the stands and yelled rehearsed chants until your voice was hoarse. Being a House Captain taught me to host groups of people, chair meetings and public speak in front of large audiences – all of this has served me well in life beyond school.”
It’s no surprise, then, that Renae wanted her children to attend St Stephen’s School.
“My husband Richard and I wanted our children to grow up experiencing pastoral care focussed on shaping character through a faith-based education that is so distinctively St Stephen’s. There was only one school we wanted for our children,” said Renae.
“We bought our house nearby as newlyweds and, being the organised person I am, I lodged our enrolment application in the fortnight before Victoria’s due date to be as high up on the waiting list as we could be. The enrolment officer emailed me saying ‘While we applaud your enthusiasm to join our school community, we cannot proceed without a date of birth!’ We didn’t have a Plan B and we remain grateful that we didn’t need one!”
Renae was understandably delighted when Victoria continued the family tradition by being named Timae House Captain.
“It is very special to me. Victoria has far more leadership capabilities than I did at her age, and I am thrilled that she wants to use her strengths to serve the school.”
This is a role in which Victoria takes immense pride.
“I feel incredibly honoured,” said Victoria.
“Having been at St Stephen’s School since kindergarten, it feels like a full-circle moment. I’m eager to give back, inspire others, and create something lasting for Timae House, just like the Captains did when I was younger.”
From talking to Victoria, it’s clear that she takes student leadership very seriously.
Victoria said, “The Captain’s role is just one of the ways senior students can step up and serve. From Coordinators to House Captains, to School Captains, student leadership is all about serving others, within our school gates and beyond. The most important thing about these roles, is that the only reason I am in it, is because my peers placed their trust in me. Out of so many incredible candidates who ran alongside me, and also with such big shoes to fill from the 2024 Captains it’s important that I serve my peers’ interests to continue to grow Timae.”
Connecting in a meaningful way is core to Victoria’s ambitions in her role.
“My goal for Timae is to make our 15 minute assemblies worth their time. I want to give devotions on stigmatised subjects, because chances are that even if only one person relates or finds benefits in my presentation, then that was worthwhile,” she said.
In what will no doubt be a busy final year, Victoria is realistic about the challenges ahead with lots of support from those around her.
“The main challenge I think will be to balance this commitment with my ATAR load but I will have lots of support from the other Captains, my Deans and our amazing coordinators,” said Victoria.
“Taking on the role of Timae House Captain is a choice I made on my own, out of my own loyalty and pride in Timae. While my Mum never pushed me to follow her path, I’m grateful that she’s here to support me and offer advice from her own time as Captain. I’ve been raised Timaen and having two generations of Timae House Captains in our family is cool. Maybe I can make it three generations in my lifetime!”
