John Patrick Hill, born at Camperdown, Victoria, in 1924, one of six children. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Ballarat. He served in the RAAF during the War and then studied civil engineering at Melbourne University and Swinbourne Technical College. In 1959 he oversaw construction of the original roll-on roll-off vehicular ferry, the 'Princess of Tasmania'. He then worked on the development of the major port expansion at Portland, Victoria. He was a Harbour Engineer for the Devonport Marine Board (later Port of Devonport Authority) from 1961 until 1984. He became a fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia in 1976.;;;;JP Hill was a member and past president of the Devonport Rotary Club, life member of the Devonport Men's Probus Club and president of the Devonport Eisteddfod Society from 1979 to 1988. He served for many years on the Devonport Parish Council of the Catholic Church. John and his wife Colleen were active in the restoration of the historic Forth Catholic Church as a spiritual retreat centre, known as McKillop Hill. John and Colleen had six children. He died aged 80 and was buried on 13 September 2004 at the Devonport Lawn Cemetery.