Kilvonian Profile - Éowyn Robertson 

Éowyn Robertson, Class of 1988

Teacher, Belgrave Heights Christian School

Éowyn graduated from Kilvington in 1988 and has since nurtured a lifelong passion for teaching people of all ages. Her interests span sociolinguistics, music and conversational French. 

She is actively involved in the music ministry at both her church and school, where she enjoys singing and playing the violin. Married to Evan since 1993, Éowyn is a proud mother of three adult children. 

Today, she teaches VCE English Language at Belgrave Heights Christian School in Melbourne’s east, where she continues to inspire students through her love of language and learning.

What have you been up to since leaving Kilvington?

I first studied at Swinburne Uni in Hawthorn, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies and Literature. While studying part-time, I also did a cadetship in journalism with the media office of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, where I worked as a production journalist for The Melbourne Anglican until 1995. I also volunteered with a Christian ministry to students at Swinburne University from 1993 to 1995. My husband and I lived in Oxford, UK from 1996 to 2000, during which time I was a stay-at-home mum to our first two children. We travelled extensively within England and Scotland over that time, usually when family came to visit from Australia. On returning to Melbourne, I volunteered at my children’s kindergarten and school. When our youngest (Aussie-born) child started Prep, I went back to uni, completing my Master of Teaching at Deakin University. After qualifying, I worked as a relief teacher for a number of years before starting at my current school in mid-2018.

What is your favourite memory of Kilvington?

I spent 11 formative years at Kilvington, where my mum was on staff, and I catch up with friends from School regularly, so my memories are strong. Many of the things I loved best and remember with affection are music-related: choir and madrigals with Mrs Venn, orchestra rehearsals with Mr Logie-Smith, productions of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals such as The Mikado (with an all-girl cast), performing Handel’s Messiah with Haileybury Grammar and the madrigals winning at South Street 1988 in Ballarat.

I was also part of The Kilvonian magazine committee along the way. (Does anyone else remember using ‘Letraset’ for headings?) Friendship is the ‘glue’ that binds all these memories together.

Any funny stories?

I vividly remember ‘studying’ in the library while listening to music on a friend’s ‘Walkman’ (portable tape player with headphones). All was well until I got over-enthusiastic and sang aloud at the top of my lungs. It may help if I explain that libraries were very quiet back then. Speaking in anything other than a whisper was prohibited, let alone singing!

Did you end up where you expected you would when you finished School?

I’d have to say no, but also yes. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do when I finished Year 12, but doors opened for me and I found my path. I began as a cadet journalist and ended up in pre-press (including subediting and proofreading). I worked as a secretarial ‘temp’ in the UK before my children were born, and was then privileged to spend 13 years as a stay-at-home mum. Both my parents were teachers (Laele Pepper taught English at Kilvington from 1978 to 1988), and they tried hard to dissuade me, but ultimately I went back to uni and completed my Master of Teaching in 2013. I never thought I’d work in secondary education, but teaching VCE English Language dovetails perfectly with my interest in linguistics, words, the history of English and how language shapes society.

How did your time at Kilvington prepare you for what you are doing now?

As students in an all-girls’ school, we were encouraged to expand our boundaries and to find our place in the world. When I attended the 35-year reunion, I was fascinated to discover just how many different paths the class of 1988 had taken. I’m grateful to my English and Literature teachers who taught me to write and edit, and then edit again – these are skills I use every day. Time spent in musical ensembles and House debating has helped me with public speaking in the years since. I’m also grateful for my mum’s prescience in insisting I take typing as a subject at Year 10.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face to get where you are now?

I have a very strong inner critic, so at least some of the challenges have come from within. Being raised in a household where academic achievement was highly valued was great, as I was motivated to succeed, but I sometimes set the bar too high. One of the biggest life challenges I faced was raising two small children half a world away from family and support networks. I’d also nominate trying to do a master’s degree part-time while running a busy household, including having children at three different schools at one stage.

What advice would you give to others who might be faced with similar obstacles?

When people who have your best interests at heart say positive things to or about you, they might just be right! Listen to the people who genuinely love you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I find Jesus’ instruction to live ‘one day at a time’ and not borrow trouble or catastrophise really relevant too.

What has been your biggest highlight so far?

Seeing how small things can make a big difference for others – be that helping an adult migrant learn basic English, encouraging a student to keep trying until they succeed, or seeing my own children learn and master a new skill.

What excites you about the future?

I feel as if I’m just getting started! I’m in my mid-fifties (how did that happen?) but I’m not ready to retire just yet. I love learning, am passionate about teaching, and I hope to step into the music space a bit more as time goes by.

How did what you learnt at Kilvington help make you the person you are today?

From my primary years onwards, I had teachers who mentored and encouraged me. I now try to do the same with the students in my care. Kilvington’s motto (‘Non Nobis Sed Omnibus’) and the focus on personal integrity and having an active Christian faith are foundational to who I am.

Any advice for our current Year 12students as they embark on the next stage of their journey?

Be your true self, wherever you are and whoever you are with. It may sound simplistic, but it’s true. We live in a society that’s obsessed with optics and good impressions, but it’s what’s on the inside that actually counts. If you’re consistently yourself, and treat others as you’d want to be treated, you’ll be remembered as and valued for being a person of integrity long after everything else fades away.