I was very sad to hear of the passing of Keith Williams this morning. Keith was the owner and builder of Hamilton Island and the creator of the Hamilton Cup event.
Keith and his mate Max Christmas bought the first Malia OC6 canoe from Hawaii to Australia in the 1980s and started the sport of outrigging here in Australia.
Keith also bought the first Classic (Hawaiaan Class Racer) OC6 to Australia and paid for the first Hawaiian crews to come and race in Australia at the Hamilton Cup.
Keith was a true visionary and the sport in Australia has a lot to thank him for.
RIP Keith Williams.
Barts.
Submitted by Colin on Tue, 10/18/2011 - 2:30pm
Colin,
Thankyou for posting the obit. It has been almost 25 years since I first visited Hamilton Island and the first visit would have never happened if it were not for the vision and generosity of Keith. As winners of the Molokai Hoe our crew was offered an all expense paid trip to Hamilton Island to compete in the Hamilton Cup race. We readily accepted and were overwhelmed by the friendship and generosity that was extended to us. Thanks to Keith, the journey to Hamilton has been a ritual for numerous Hawaii crews over the years. Outrigger Canoe Club and Team Hawaii owe a great mahalo to Keith. Rest in peace.
Tommy Conner
#1 Tue, 10/18/2011 - 7:17pm
Well said Tommy. The same goes for me and our 1990 Off Shore men's team. Every one of us enjoyed the hospitality and generosity of Keith Williams and the entire Hamilton Island staff. We were treated like rock stars and thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Keith was exceedingly friendly and gracious, as was Colin and everyone we encountered there. The world is a little bit poorer today due to the loss of Keith Williams. Rest in peace my friend.
Jerry Guy
#2 Wed, 10/19/2011 - 5:00am
RIP Keith! Mahalo for your contributions and vision.
#3 Thu, 10/20/2011 - 8:15am
Although I knew Keith, it wasn't vrey well, I can say that he defnitely was a huge influence in Outrigger Canoe Racing. Having gone to Hamilton Island in 1990 and 1991 with a Masters Crew from Hawaii for a great week of racing and comraderie, I can say it wouldn't have been possible without Keith. Also, when Keith sponsred and brought Outrigger of Australia to Hawaii for the Molokai Race in 1984 that was a huge factor in raising the bar of the race. Even though they were 4th that year, they later came back and won impressively. Keith definitely left a lasting impression in Outrigger Canoe Racing as well as all Water Sports in Australia.
Mahalo Keith,
Mark Buck
#4 Sun, 10/23/2011 - 9:59pm