Nicholas David Hill

Most of us could only hope to live half the life that Nicholas Hill did. Beloved husband, father, son, brother, grandfather, and Soldier. Nick died July 15th, 2023 doing what he loved — riding his motorcycle.

The tragedy of Nick’s passing, however, should not be overshadowed by all he did while gracing this earth. Nick loved his entire family fiercely. Nothing tickled him more than spending time with his grandsons, who knew him as “Poppy.”

Born in Melbourne in 1972, Nick was a proud Aussie who came from a long line of warriors. In 1989 he fulfilled a lifelong dream by joining the Australian Army as an infantryman. In March, 1998 he volunteered to join the Australian Special Forces, eventually earning his coveted Commando green beret later that same year.

In service of the Commonwealth and its people as a member of the 4th Battalion (Commando), Royal Australian Regiment (later renamed 2nd Commando Regiment) in Sydney, Australia, Nick served all over the world, from East Timor to Iraq to Afghanistan. Nick deployed to Egypt for six months and was no stranger to the geopolitical environment in the Middle East. He spent a time as a trainer at the Special Forces Training Centre, passing on his knowledge to the next generation of Australian Commandos. Nick was also a founding member of the Tactical Assault Group East, Australia’s premier no-notice, counter terrorism force, which he joined four months after 9/11. In June 2014, he proudly retired as a Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) after 35 years of honorable service.

Since his retirement, Nick spent time traveling the world, where he ultimately met the love of his life, his wife Cheryl. In post-retirement life, Nick spent much of his time traveling all over Europe, but particularly between Germany and France. Nick and Cheryl enjoyed spending time together on his motorcycle, seeing Europe together and they had made plans to RV across the United States.

Prior to his passing, Nick was working on an autobiography of his life as a Commando. A curious sort, he was an inveterate history buff who loved visiting historical places. That included many of the iconic World War I battle sites where Australian Soldiers fought and died.

An affable sort, Nick enjoyed meeting new people and hearing their stories, typically over a gin and tonic or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Upon meeting folks for the first time, he’d typically stick out his hand and say, “Nick, nice to meet ya, mate.”

Nick is survived by his wife Cheryl Hill and stepson Garrett Spivey of Chapin, South Carolina; sons, Zach (Jacqui), Jake, and Cody Hill of Melbourne, Australia; grandsons, Dominic and CJ, also of Melbourne; mother, Barbara Louise Nicholson of Melbourne; brother, Tim Hill (Polly McCarthy) and sister, Jacqui (Hill) Lewis (Garry), also of Australia.

Nick was preceded in death by his father, David Stewart Sydney Hill.

He will be sorely missed by all those who knew and loved him.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm prior to the service. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 5, 2023 at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington Chapel located at 503 North Lake Drive, Lexington, SC, 29072.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Thomas Lutheran Church located at 215 St. Thomas Church Rd. Chapin, SC 29036, https://www.stthomas-lutheran.org/.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.caughmanlexington.com for the Hill family.