A JET BOAT AND A HUMAN CATAPULT

The thrill of riding in jet propelled boats and the adrenaline rush of a rapidly propelled human catapult – both created by Kiwi inventors.

In 1921, after leaving school in Christchurch, Charles William Hamilton, known always as Bill, moved to a sheep farm in the McKenzie country known as Irishman Creek Station. He soon got bored with looking after sheep and turned his attention to designing heavy moving machinery. In 1924, he purchased a lathe and established his first workshop at the farm and began his life as one of New Zealand’s greatest inventors. read more