Michael John Hill

     (For a brief history and context on the Hill family see this page)

(For a brief history and context on the Darby family see this page)

NOTE: The information on this page is my research to date and is subject to change as I become better informed. I very much welcome any corrections or additional info you might have - my email address is at the bottom of this page. Whilst historical facts are not copyright, my writing about these facts are. If you wish to use any text from this site on Ancestry or on any other website, please ask me first - Tim Hill.


Michael was born at the Mercy Private Hospital on Monday, 12 December 1938 at East Melbourne, Victoria. Mike believed that he was born in the early hours of the morning, as his mother needed to leave the Victory Cinema in St. Kilda midway through a film to go to the hospital. He was given the name Michael as it was the dying wish of his father's mother (Mary Hill née Bourke) who's father was named Michael..^1,2 His common name was Mike. He lived with John Hill and Margery Jean Smith in December 1938 at at Flat 3 in 3 Meredith Street in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood.^2,1 Michael John Hill was the son of John Hill and Margery Jean Smith. On Monday, 24 April 1939 his parents departed on a trip to America and Germany, leaving four month old child Michael at home with a family friend, Kay Reid.³ He moved with his parents to at 3 Were Street in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton circa June 1939¹As a child, he "spent much of [his] early childhood years paddling and playing in the safe shallows of the little bay directly across Beach Rd."¹ Michael was listed on the St. Leonard's kindergarten roll as a St. Leonard's kindergarten is opposite St. Andrews church. student at at Were St. in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton in January 1942.⁴ He was a boarder Grimwade House at the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield at age 6. Grimwade House is a part of Melbourne Grammer Church of England. Michael returned there for a reunion in the early 1990's, and recalled it as a most unhappy time of his life. However in 1947 he attended on a daily basis..⁴ He moved in 1949 to at 3 Highfield Grove in the Melbourne suburb of Kew.⁴ Michael was listed on the Melbourne Grammer Senior School roll as a He represented the school in several sports, including swimming, athletics, rowing and football. He was, by his own admission, a poor student; his best subjects were English, Art and History. student at at Domain Road in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra in 1951.⁴ They was a student at Melbourne Grammer.⁵

In May 1955 Michael and his mother departed on a cruise to England on the Orcades. They met John there, then travelled through Europe. They departed to Melbourne from Naples, returning on the Orion in September of the same year.⁴ Michael was employed with General Motors Holden at the Melbourne industrial area of Fisherman's Bend in 1955. Mike's father John was also with GMH..⁴

Mike began to learn to fly in late 1955, but gave it up two years later because of health problems.⁴ Michael was employed with Trans Australian Airlines as a flight administration clerk at Melbourne circa October 1955. He resigned from TAA in 1957 at about the same time that he stopped flying..⁴ He enlisted in 1957. After the full-time component of his training was complete, he was a member of the CMF, first as a driver in a signals regiment, and later in the Victorian Scottish Regiment..⁴ Michael was employed at Commonwealth Aircraft Corp. as a trainee metalurgist at Fisherman's Bend, Victoria, circa October 1957.⁴ Michael was employed at Preston Motors as a sales cadet in 1959.⁴ Michael was employed at Southern Motors circa 1960.⁴ Michael was employed with Minnesota Mining Company circa 1961.⁴ Michael was employed as a sales correspondent in November 1961.⁶ Michael was employed as a storeman at Hoover in April 1965. After a while, he was promoted to senior stores clerk..⁴

Every Sunday, the young Hill family would vist Mike's parents for a meal; Mike would sit inside and watch television, whilst John would take his grandson Tim's and take him out on the patio to cook steak on the BBQ and Margery and her daughter-in-law Barbara would make salads.⁷

After the return from Brisbane, he again took up flying training. In 1969, at the age of 29, he qualified for his commercial pilot's licence and obtained a job with Connellan Airways in Alice Springs.⁴

Over the period 1967 to 1973 he flew all the Connellan Airways (Connair) aircraft and was endorsed on all the Alice Springs based RPT routes and some Northern routes. During this time he also flew for the Royal Flying Doctor Service on a regular basis.⁴

He arrived in Alice Springs in December 1967 and until he was joined by his family, early in the following year, lived in the Connellan's Mess at the old Alice Springs airport on the west side of the town.⁴

He was the Secretary and later President of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Federation of Airline Pilots, sitting on the Federal Executive of the union.⁴ Michael John Hill was ill with (an unknown value) in 1973.

In 1973 he contracted hepatitus and did not return to flying, later letting his license lapse. He also found flying dangerous; quite a number of his colleagues were killed in the early 1970's.⁴ Michael was employed by the MTIA as an Industrial Officer in 1974. He was with the Metal Trades Industry Association for a number of years, ending as a Senior Industrial Officer..^4,8 Michael was employed with TAA in 1978. He rejoined Trans Australian Airlines as an Industrial Officer after an absence of more than 20 years. He was there until the late 1980's when we has made redundant. Ironically he was working as an advocate; his parents had wanted him to become a lawyer after he left school - a notion he strongly resisted..⁴

His father died 12 July 1978 at the age of 72. Michael was aged 39 when this happened. Michael John Hill delivered a eulogy for his brother-in-law Michael John Hill.

His mother died 25 May 1987 at the age of 80. Michael was aged 48 when this happened. He was ill with heart disease and had a triple bypass in 1992.

Michael died on 17 July 2015 at at Box Hill Hospital in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill at age 76 pneumonia and sepsis.⁹ His body was cremated at Bunurong Memorial Park at the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong South.¹⁰