Julie Hawkes (née Lamb; born 1948 in New Zealand) is a former professional squash player who represented Hong Kong for the majority of her career.

Early life and education

Hawkes completed her secondary education at

Matamata College Matamata College is a co-educational state secondary school located in Matamata, New Zealand. History The college was declared open on 11 February 1924 by the Minister for Education, James Parr. In July 2012, a student was killed by a train ...

in 1966, where she excelled in

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

and served as head girl. She discovered squash while pursuing a degree in physical education at

Otago University The University of Otago () is a public research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in Oceania. The university was created by ...

, later completing her teachers' training at Auckland Teachers' College. Following her move to Wellington, Hawkes played squash for New Zealand and achieved the rank of number two on the women's team. In 1975, she competed with the New Zealand Women's Team in South Africa.

Career

After marrying lawyer and tennis player Richard Hawkes, the family relocated to Hong Kong, where Julie began representing Hong Kong in international squash tournaments. She achieved significant success, winning local and regional competitions and becoming the Women's Over 35 World Champion at the World Master Squash Championships in 1985. In recognition of her achievements, she received the "Outstanding Athlete" award from Hong Kong Squash on the 40th anniversary of its founding.

Coaching and recognition

After retiring from playing, Hawkes transitioned to coaching, notably coaching squash champion

Leilani Rorani Leilani Rorani (formerly Joyce, née Marsh; born 15 April 1974) is a New Zealand former squash player. During her professional career, she reached the world number 1 ranking, won the British Open in 1999 and 2000, and finished runner-up at th ...

. Her coaching efforts were acknowledged in 2003 when she received a New Zealand "Prime Minister’s Coach Professional Development Scholarship." In 2007, she was honored as New Zealand's Squash Coach of the Year. She also served as a World Squash Foundation (WSF) Referee.

Personal life

The Hawkes family resided in Hong Kong for twenty-three years. Julie and Richard Hawkes have four children, one of whom,

Jaclyn Hawkes Jaclyn Hawkes (born 3 December 1982 in Hong Kong) is a New Zealand professional squash (sport), squash player. Hawkes grew up in Hong Kong and lived there until she was 15 when she moved to New Zealand. She started playing squash aged five ...

, is also involved in squash, playing for New Zealand. Jaclyn Hawkes won a medal in Women's Doubles Squash at the 2010

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

Awards

* International Championships (representing Hong Kong) ** Second place, Champion, East Asian Women’s Squash Championship ** Champion, Women's Over 35, World Master Squash Championships (1985). ** Champion, Women's Individual, 3rd Asian Squash Championships (22 Jan – 1 Feb 1986, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) ** Champion, Women's Over 35, World Masters Squash Championships (1987, Auckland, New Zealand). ** Second place, Champion, Women's Over 40, World Master Squash Championships (1989). * Other Championships: ** Squash Women's Cup Champion, Hong Kong Football Club (1990-1992) ** Squash Ladies' Cup Champion, Hong Kong Football Club (1984-1985, 1987-1990)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkes, Julie New Zealand female squash players 1948 births Living people Hong Kong female squash players People educated at Matamata College 20th-century New Zealand sportswomen