From Stawell to St Hilda’s and Beyond

Carly Damen

In February this year, the first recipients of the new Hateley scholarship arrived to begin their tertiary studies and their St Hilda’s journey. Since their arrival, all four of these students have well and truly settled into their new environment and are thriving. They’ve also had a chance to meet the two people who have made this journey possible, former St Hilda’s students and siblings, Shayne and Robyn Hateley.

This is a story that traces its roots back to the 1980s and the little Victorian town of Stawell when Shayne successfully applied to St Hilda’s as somewhere to live while he was studying Dentistry at university. Twelve months later, he was joined in Melbourne by sister, Robyn as she began her journey in Physiotherapy. Forty-something years later, their connection to St Hilda’s remains strong.

Following their recent trip to the UK, which included a jaunt around the ruins of Whitby Abbey and some new-found appreciation of where our namesake came from, Shayne and Robyn sat down with me to share some memories of their St Hilda’s College experience and insights into why they have chosen to fund a scholarship for future students.

Shayne and Robyn in front of the ruins of Whitby Abbey

The conversation starts with Shayne thinking back to his first term which he acknowledged was quite daunting considering he arrived at St Hilda’s, and Melbourne more broadly, without knowing anyone. But, he figured that college was going to be a good place to meet people. Shayne counts himself lucky to have fallen on his feet at St Hilda’s. He found a sense of family here, very soon after arrival, with a group of other freshers, many of whom would become lifelong friends. First year uni is always beset with challenges but early on in his studies Shayne had the additional hurdle of needing some significant facial surgery. This new St Hilda’s family were his support network away from home and, as Robyn suggests, the fact that he was so easily accepted by his peers during this time spoke to the sense of community that could be found here.

With dentistry being such a small cohort, St Hilda’s also gave Shayne the diversity and openness that he needed. At uni, he was one of only two people who had come from the country and the only one who had not been to private school. The variety of backgrounds and study areas of his peers here at college meant exposure to so many more perspectives while also having a sense of belonging with those who had come from similar backgrounds.

For Robyn, the fact that Shayne had already settled into the college and established roots meant that she felt more prepared for the move from country to city the following year. The shock she feels now is the fact that she can enter those front doors today and have all the memories of college just flood back. For her, it doesn’t feel like it was 40 years ago!

Cartoon from the 1981 Communitas magazine. Some of the staples remain the same 40 years later.

Despite the fact it feels like yesterday, both Robyn and Shayne are also clear that much has changed since their time at St Hilda’s in the 80s. One of the most striking changes for them both is the fact that the St Hilda’s community today isn’t one that is based on a hierarchical or authoritarian structure. As Shayne says half-jokingly, “It’s so nice to be able to walk past the Principal’s office now and not feel intimidated!” On a more serious note, both he and Robyn acknowledge that in their time at college, student wellbeing just wasn’t a factor. For them, it is one of the things that is so impressive about the way St Hilda’s is set up today with a clear desire to not only give students opportunities but to also provide them with support structures.

It’s these changes, combined with their own experiences of College and the continuing sense of community that were so fundamental for Robyn and Shayne when it came to making the decision to set up their scholarships. They both credit St Hilda’s as having been transformative for them. Knowing that a transformative experience is what now motivates not only the Senior Leadership Team but the wider staff and the students themselves is, as Robyn says, what drives them to want to support that mission for future students. For her, “College is a chance for a young person to be free as a young adult but in a supportive environment”.

The landscaping has definitely changed, but the entrance to the College is still pretty similar (from the cover of 1981’s Communitas)

Shayne and Robyn are strong advocates not only for education but for the wider college experience. They want to be able to give the opportunity to others that they had, plus all the extras that are now part of what makes a St Hilda’s experience so special. As Shayne himself reflected earlier in our conversation, “College is the chance to be part of a community that is filled with people the same age as you but with different experiences, backgrounds and interests. Yet you get to do this in such an informal environment where you also get to know each other so well”. In their experience, it’s a great stepping stone for young people, especially those who are coming from outside of Melbourne.

Shayne and Robyn both worry that today’s university journey and the overwhelming number of choices that students have to make these days can result in an experience that is isolating and creates anxiety. In contrast, they think college is a place to join in, meet people and develop confidence while opening up a world that young people may not have seen before. It was this safety net that they experienced for themselves when they came from the country to the city and they firmly believe that it is just as important for this generation and beyond.

This personal experience of what St Hilda’s gave them is reinforced for Robyn when she speaks about looking at it all through the lens of a parent. When she thinks about what her own children are experiencing as young people in today’s world she says she understands very acutely how important it is for a young person to be able to come to somewhere like St Hilda’s. A place where they are safe, supported and there are people around them who genuinely care about them and want to help them thrive. It is a sentiment shared by Shayne who adds that there is something truly fulfilling about being able to play a part in helping other people reach their potential and be part of their journey.

We close our conversation with Shayne reflecting on the reality that everyone is motivated by different things when they make a decision to give back to a place like St Hilda’s. But, as he shares, “for us it’s very much about our own experiences here, what it did for us and our trust in the direction of the College today in terms of the support it gives to students and the desire to truly help be transformative for students. We see the value in what we are doing by supporting these students and having been able to see it for ourselves reinforces the need to support it.”