Hammer DeRoburt
Nauruan Parliament for Boe | |
---|---|
In office 31 January 1968 – 15 July 1992 | |
Preceded by | Constituency Established |
Succeeded by | Michael Aroi |
Personal details | |
Born | Victoria, Australia | 25 September 1922
Spouse | Lukale Rowena Harris |
Hammer DeRoburt , and ruled the country for most of its first twenty years of independence.
Background and early career
DeRoburt was born in
During the Japanese occupation of Nauru he was deported to Truk by the Japanese, along with most of the Nauruan population. When he returned to Nauru in 1946 he started working at the Department of Education.[3] He decided to stand in the first elections to the Local Government Council in 1951, and although he gained enough support to be nominated as a candidate in the Boe constituency, he was disqualified due to irregularities in his nomination.[5] Local residents and European residents protested without success, whilst a petition to the 1953 Visiting Mission from the United Nations was also overlooked.[5]
In 1955 elections he stood again in the Boe constituency and was elected to the Council.[3] In 1956, the Council elected him the last Head Chief of Nauru.[5]
Presidency of post-independence Nauru
DeRoburt led the country to independence on 31 January 1968 and was president for most of the period until 17 August 1989. In December 1976, younger politicians gained a majority and installed Bernard Dowiyogo as president, but DeRoburt returned to power in May 1978. He was also out of office for two short periods in September and December 1986.
In his final term, DeRoburt's government filed a case against Australia in the International Court of Justice for not rehabilitating mined-out areas of the island. His last public appearance was in the ICJ hearing in November 1991.[6]
Personal
He was given an honorary knighthood by Queen
DeRoburt is credited with popularising Australian rules football to Nauru, which became the national sport.
He died in Melbourne in 1992[6] from diabetes mellitus.[citation needed] He was given a state funeral, and buried in Boe Cemetery.[7]
References
- ^ "Nauru Government Gazette, No. 15 (20 May 1968)". paclii. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ a b Pollock, Nancy (2020). "DeRoburt, Hammer (1922–1992)". Australian Dictionary of Biography.
- ^ a b c d e Nancy Viviani (1970) Nauru: Phosphate and Political Progress Australian National University Press, p. 107
- ^ Cain, M. B. (25 November 1992). "BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES" (PDF). Republic of Nauru Government Gazette (81): 3.
- ^ a b c Viviani, p108
- ^ a b Bain, Kenneth (22 July 1992). "Obituary: Hammer DeRoburt". The Independent. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Pollock, Nancy. "DeRoburt, Hammer (1922–1992)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 7 June 2023.