Ralph Hamilton Roberts (26 September 1935 – 19 March 2023) was a New Zealand sailor and sports administrator.

Biography

Roberts was born on 26 September 1935 in

Takapuna Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, New Zealand, Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volca ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. Roberts went to the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and competed in the Finn class, where he came sixth out of 35 competitors. He travelled to the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

as a reserve for the

Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' () is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the sea forever. The myths and ghost stories are likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dutch East India C ...

crew of Helmer Pedersen and Earle Wells, who went on to win Olympic gold. At the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, he came eighth in the Flying Dutchman class. Roberts attended the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

as sailing manager, and his team won two gold medals (in the

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

and Finn classes) and one bronze medal (in the Windglider class). Roberts was Chef de Mission for the 1992 New Zealand Olympic team in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. Roberts presided over

Yachting New Zealand Yachting New Zealand is recognised by World Sailing as the governing body for the sport of sailing in New Zealand. Yachting New Zealand also facilitates training in sailing in and around the country. History The emigration of Robert Logan (Senio ...

from 1986 to 1989. In the 1993 Queen's Birthday Honours, He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to yachting. Roberts held several positions with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF; since renamed to

World Sailing World Sailing is the international sports governing body for sailing (sport), sailing; it is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). History The creation of the International Yac ...

). He was appointed a life member of Yachting New Zealand in 2011. Roberts resided in Takapuna where his house fronted Lake Pupuke, and was a member of the Harbour Access Trust. Roberts described fellow Olympic sailor and North Shore resident, Geoff Smale, as his "best mate" after Smale died in a Dyn'Aéro microlight crash in 2011. Roberts died on 19 March 2023, at the age of 87.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Ralph 1935 births 2023 deaths People from Takapuna New Zealand male sailors (sport) Olympic sailors for New Zealand Sailors at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Finn Sailors at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Flying Dutchman New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand sports executives and administrators New Zealand justices of the peace Sailors (sport) from Auckland People educated at Takapuna Grammar School 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen