New Zealand rower and politician
Rob Hamill
Full name Robert Miles Hamill Born (1964-01-04 ) 4 January 1964 (age 61) Spouse
Rachel Website www.robhamill.com Country New Zealand Sport Rowing
Robert Miles Hamill MNZM (born 4 January 1964), also known as Robbie Hamill ,[ 1] is a former New Zealand rower and political candidate. He came to public attention when, in 1994, he won a silver medal in the World Rowing Championships . He went on to win the first Atlantic Rowing Race in 1997.
Hamill was a candidate at the 2008 general election for the Green Party . However, he was not elected. His oldest brother, Kerry , was imprisoned and killed by members of the Khmer Rouge in 1978, after straying into Cambodian waters. Rob testified in court against the leader of the prison, Duch , in 2009.
Early life
Rob Hamill was born on 4 January 1964 in Whakatāne , Bay of Plenty .[ 2] [ 3]
Hamill considers boxer Muhammad Ali his role model , "his skill, athleticism, courage, arrogance and self-belief all had a huge influence."[ 4]
Rowing career
At the 1994 World Rowing Championships at Eagle Creek Park , Indianapolis , United States, Hamill won a silver medal in the lightweight men's double sculls with Mike Rodger .[ 5] [ 6] Hamill also took part in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics on behalf of New Zealand.[ 7]
Atlantic Rowing Race
He is most well known for his winning of the inaugural Atlantic Rowing Race with Phil Stubbs in 1997, with a world record time of forty-one days, two hours and fifty-five minutes.[ 8] [ 9] In the 1999 New Year Honours , Hamill and Stubbs were both appointed Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit , for services to ocean rowing; however Stubbs died in a plane crash before the honours were officially announced.[ 10] [ 11] Hamill wrote a book about this experience, The Naked Rower .[ 12] [ 13] In the next two such races, in 2001 and 2003, Hamill managed the New Zealand teams who won those races.[ 14]
Other involvements
Hamill achieved a world record[which? ] on an indoor rowing machine ,[ 15] and established and co-organises The Great Race .[ 7] [ 16] He also set up a trans-Tasman race in 2008,[ 14] which he hopes to become biennial,[ 17] and manages rowing teams.[ 18]
Politics
Rob Hamill with former Green Party co-leader, Jeanette Fitzsimons
Hamill stood in the Taranaki-King Country electorate in the 2008 New Zealand general election for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand , and at 56 on the Green party list .[ 19] He came third, with 8.41% of the vote, and losing to the incumbent, National's Shane Ardern .[ 20] However, he stated that his intention was not to win the seat, and did not "think that would be realistic." but campaigned for the Green party vote .[ 21] Hamill describes the Green Party as "the only party with a commitment to driving policy towards a sustainable future".[ 22]
Hamill is a supporter of New Zealand becoming a republic , endorsing Member of Parliament Keith Locke's Head of State Referenda Bill, a private member's bill .[ 23]
Hamill was an ambassador for WWF's Earth Hour in 2010.[ 24]
He is a member of the WEL Energy Trust,[ 25] and is considering standing for Environment Waikato in the 2010 local body elections .[ 26]
Brother's death
While on a trip from Singapore to Bangkok ,[ 27] Hamill's older brother, Kerry, was captured, tortured, interrogated and killed in the S-21 prison by the Khmer Rouge in 1978,[ 28] after being caught in a storm on his yacht, Foxy Lady ,[ 29] and straying into Cambodian waters.[ 30] He was aged 28 at the time of his death.[ 31] Hamill was 14 when he learned of his brother's fate.[ 32] The news of his brother's fate caused Hamill's other older brother, John, to commit suicide.[ 33] In July 2009 Hamill testified against Duch , the leader of the prison,[ 34] in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia , and Kerry Hamill's alleged killer,[ 16] who was on trial for crimes against humanity and premeditated murder .[ 30] Hamill called the experience as "going to be quite scary"[ 35] and "an opportunity to find [information] out",[ 36] but stipulated that he is against the death penalty, and did not want to see Duch killed,[ 37] but that an ideal sentence would be forty years of imprisonment , "anything less than that would be a victory to the [Duch] defence team, I suspect".[ 38]
Hamill also wants to research Kerry's last few days in Northern Territory , asking Darwinians for any "precious" information about him, saying that "just anything would help".[ 38] [ 39]
Aftermath
Hamill's search for his brother's story has been made into a documentary film entitled Brother Number 1 ,[ 28] funded by NZ On Air and TV3 , and the New Zealand Film Commission, directed by Annie Goldson , and produced by Hamill, Goldson and James Bellamy.[ 40] It was pitched at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.[ 41]
The death of his brother, Kerry, inspired him to become an ambassador of WWF and to oppose human trafficking .[ 42] [ 43]
References
^ "Robbie Hamill" . New Zealand Olympic Committee . Retrieved 30 September 2016 .
^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill ; et al. "Rob Hamill" . Olympics at Sports-Reference.com . Sports Reference LLC . Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2010 .
^ "Robbie Hamill" . International Rowing Federation . Retrieved 3 October 2015 .
^ Hamill, Rob; Whyte, Rob; Wall, Michael (2003) [2000]. "The Ali Way". The Naked Rower . Mairangi Bay , Auckland , New Zealand: Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers. p. 17. ISBN 1-86958-766-9 .
^ "Lightweight Men's Double Sculls – Final" . FISA. Retrieved 3 October 2015 .
^ "World Championship medallists" . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . 8 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015 .
^ a b Pepperell, Susan (5 April 2009). "Brotherly love: Rob Hamill wants justice for brother killed by Khmer Rouge" . The Sunday Star-Times . Stuff . Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Rower Rob Hamill turns attention to Cambodian genocide trial" . 3 News . 8 April 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Rob Hamill" . Talent Online. Retrieved 29 May 2010 .
^ Barber, Fiona (31 December 1998). "Stubbs died knowing of his award" . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "New Year honours list 1999" . Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1998. Retrieved 31 August 2019 .
^ Hamill, Rob (10 February 2024). The Naked Rower : How Two Kiwis Took on the Atlantic—and Won! . Hodder Moa Beckett. ISBN 978-1869587666 .
^ Mager, Darrel; New Zealand Press Association (22 March 2000). "Rower feared mate would kill" . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 16 July 2010 .
^ a b "Aussie challenge for four in a row" . Waikato Times . Stuff . 29 January 2008. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2010 .
^ "Cool Kiwis: Rob Hamill" . Ministry of Education . December 2004. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ a b "Hamill set to testify at Khmer Rouge trial" (Press release). Pan Pacific Films. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2010 .
^ Eriksen, Alanah May (30 January 2008). "An oarsome challenge of two bridges" . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ Ash, Julie (21 December 2005). "Shark terrorises NZ rowing pair" . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Rob Hamill to Stand for the Green Party" (Press release). Green Party . 14 October 2008. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010 . Alt URL
^ "Official Count Results – Taranaki-King Country" . Elections New Zealand . 22 November 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010 .
^ "Hamill puts on celebrity Green face" . Waikato Times . 14 October 2008. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2010 .
^ "Trans-Atlantic rower Rob Hamill stands for Greens" . The New Zealand Herald . 14 October 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ Hubbard, Anthony (28 February 2010). "Stars back poll on NZ republic" . The Sunday Star-Times . Stuff . Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Helen Clark urges all Kiwis to take part in Earth Hour 2010" (Press release). World Wide Fund for Nature . 5 January 2010. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2010 . Alt URL
^ "Rob Hamill" . WEL Energy Trust . Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2010 .
^ Holloway, Bruce (20 March 2010). "Hamill's passion still in water around him" . Waikato Times . Stuff . Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ Johns, Bryce (21 August 2009). "Editorial: Rob Hamill's act of courage" . Waikato Times . Stuff . Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ a b Neems, Jeff (18 August 2009). "Rob Hamill faces brother's killer" . Waikato Times . Stuff . Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Brother Number One – About the film" . Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010 .
^ a b "Rob Hamill to be heard at Khmer Rouge trial" . The New Zealand Herald . New Zealand Press Association . 1 April 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Khmer Rouge trial may see justice for slain NZer" . The New Zealand Herald . 19 February 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Rob Hamill confronts his brother's killer" . New Zealand Press Association . Stuff . 18 August 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ Phare, Jane (29 November 2009). "Khmer Rouge torturer asked to confess his crimes in full" . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Hamill confronts Khmer Rouge commander" . New Zealand Press Association and ONE News . Television New Zealand . 18 August 2009. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2010 .
^ "Kiwi rower heads to Cambodia to find justice" . ONE News . Television New Zealand . 9 August 2009. Archived from the original on 11 August 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2010 .
^ Boulet, Robbie Corey (18 August 2009). "Rob Hamill's post-testimony interview" . The Phnom Penh Post . Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Hamill does NOT want to kill Duch" . Rob Hamill. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ a b "Hamill seeks clues to murdered brother's last days" . The New Zealand Herald . 16 July 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010 .
^ Hainke, Nadja (16 July 2010). "Khmer murder leads to quest" . Northern Territory News . Retrieved 16 July 2010 .
^ "NZ On Air to fund Rob Hamill's doco on his brother" . Radio Live . 3 News . 3 March 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Brother Number One to be pitched at Hotdocs" (Press release). Pan Pacific Pictures. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Rob Hamill" . WWF . Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
^ "Rob Hamill helps to raise awareness of Trafficking" . Hagar. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010 .
External links
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Rob Hamill .