Who the Hell is Hamish?

Hedley Thomas’ new podcast investigation, The Poisoned Wife

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Who killed Rosslyn McQueen? Today’s launch day for something very special here at The Australian: a new Hedley Thomas cold case investigation. The Poisoned Wife is a podcast examination of how a 30-year-old pregnant mother died of strychnine poisoning in her own home - and nobody has been brought to justice.

Who killed Rosslyn McQueen?

How key witness in Rosslyn McQueen murder broke her 40-year silence on case

Subscribers to The Australian hear new episodes first on Apple Podcasts, on The Australian’s app and thepoisonedwife.com, where you’ll find photos, videos, timelines, stories and more.

See the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Joshua Burton. Our team includes Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack, and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music.

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10: The Reckoning

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:58:34 +0000

For years Hamish McLaren had evaded the law. But not any more. The brutal truth, like a runaway out-of-control limited edition Mercedes McLaren, is bearing down on him. There's no escape.

Judgement Day for Hamish McLaren has finally arrived.

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9: Bonus: Jane

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:56:39 +0000

As a bonus for all listeners, we are publishing the full interview with Jane, recorded in her house north of Sydney. She speaks at length about her experiences of Hamish, the impact it had on her life, and how she hopes to begin moving on.

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8: The Definition of Evil

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:54:21 +0000

It may appear that Hamish got away with his schemes for decades. But he didn't. He kept getting caught out, time and again.

It's self evident that many systems failed to apprehend this serial offender. How could this be so?

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7: On the Couch with Hamish

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:52:28 +0000

He killed off his parents, by air and by sea. He ran over his twin brother Phil, and killed him, too.

What are we to make of these fanciful stories Hamish made up about his life? We've called in experts. And we've gathered bevy of ex-girlfriends to give us their take on their time with Hamish.

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6: Kevin from Queensland Goes to Canada

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:50:07 +0000

Skiing was Hamish Watson's great love. Before he was a puffed-up futures trader in Sydney, he was a pumped-up muscle-bound ski instructor, in Australia and Canada.

The ski fields of Canada were his home away from home, a place where he could show off the millions he'd stolen. He flew in on private jets, he bought properties, he handed out Rolex watches and he regaled the locals with tales of life as a billionaire who was mates with Tom and Nicole.

But it wasn't all play and no work for Hamish in Canada. He stole millions, roping in a high end car dealership, and drawing the attention of a spy and a former Australian Prime Minister.

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5: Who the Hell is Phil?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:48:38 +0000

Hamish arrived on the floor of the Sydney Futures Exchange in the late 90s - he talked big, but they all knew he traded small. They called him a One Lot Wonder. And they all wondered where he got his cash. There were cars and boats and trips in private jets and a girlfriend called The Pleasure Machine.

But it was all other people's money. One of his victims reported $20m dollars worth of fraud to police, but Hamish slithered away to strike again.

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4: The Intern

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:46:26 +0000

Jane was destined for big things. She was the great hope of her local school. She was in love with Jack, her teenage sweetheart. Life was sweet.

Then, along came Hamish, promising an internship and a placement at Princeton. Two families would be devastated by the results.

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3: The Gatsby of the Great Lakes

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:44:54 +0000

Hamish arrived in sleepy Blueys Beach with a beautiful woman on his arm, and on the run from his past. Rumours of dark deeds wafted through in his wake. Then he met Bec Rosen. He'd shower her with love. They'd be married on the balcony of a beach shack. He'd become a father figure to her boys.

And then he'd cruelly betray them all.

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2: Fashion Crimes

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:42:56 +0000

Hamish McLaren was always attracted to the high-life. It was inevitable he'd gravitate to fashion. And so, nestled among the retirees and energy healers, Hamish stole from was another name: Lisa Ho. But had Hamish met his match in this high profile Sydney designer?

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1: The Day Max Died

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:40:06 +0000

Tracy fell in love with Max Tavita, a man who won her over with tales of a life in the investment world and how he was working in the World Trade Center in New York when the first plane hit in 2001. Then Hamish crashed into their lives.

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Bonus: Judge Colin Charteris

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 04:55:00 +0000

The swan song of judge Colin Charteris - his final words from the bench, the sentencing of Hamish McLaren.

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Bonus: Nick Park

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 03:50:00 +0000

Nick Park is a trader who worked alongside Hamish Watson on the Sydney Futures trading floor in the mid 1990s, he suspected something was off with Hamish from the start.

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Bonus: Tim Watson-Munro

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 03:50:00 +0000

A criminal psychologist with 40 years experience analysing offenders in prisons. Tim hasn’t examined Hamish but listening to the podcast he believes Hamish is a psychopath who operates at the top 1 percent of offenders.

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Bonus: James Leigh

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 03:50:00 +0000

James Leigh is Canadian security consultant and former US Intelligence and Homeland Security operative, he claims to be able to collect stolen funds which cannot be recovered by conventional methods.

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Bonus: Matt Nable

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 03:50:00 +0000

Before Matt Nable became a successful actor and screenwriter, he was a rugby league player, but gave up being the Manly strength and conditioning coach to be Hamish’s personal trainer. Matt taught Hamish how to box, and witnessing his jet setting, extravagant lifestyle first hand.

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Bonus: Jack Rosen

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 03:50:00 +0000

Jack thought he had a solid role model when Hamish McLaren married his mum, Bec Rosen. But soon the spotlight fell on his high school sweetheart, as Hamish betrayed the family that had let him into their lives.

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Bonus: Catherine Coleman

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 03:31:00 +0000

Catherine Coleman watched from the sidelines as Max Tavita entranced her good friend Tracy Hall. It's very difficult to burst the Hamish bubble, but she tried her hardest, fact checking his story however she could. But what do you do when you find evidence, but your friend refuses to take it seriously?

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Bonus: Lisa Ho

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 03:50:00 +0000

Fashion designed Lisa Ho explains how Hamish inserted himself in her business, the red flags that started to worry her, and the perfect storm that ultimately imploded her life.

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Bonus: Tracy Hall

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 03:34:00 +0000

An extended cut of Tracy Hall's interview, in which she explains how she met Max, the stories of his childhood and career in America, the arc of their relationship, and her sense of betrayal.

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Introducing Who the Hell is Hamish?

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 04:20:00 +0000

He was born Hamish Watson, a surfie dude from Sydney – but he could morph into whatever you needed him to be.

Hamish is due to be sentenced to jail in early 2019 for swindling a handful of victims out of more than $7m. But these crimes are just the final pages in a resume too thick to staple; for decades he’s duped victims in the US, Canada, Britain, Hong Kong and Australia.

How did he do it? How did he evade authorities around the world for so long and what’s he done with all those tens of millions of dollars he stole?

On the trail of a serial conman. Who the Hell is Hamish? is an investigative podcast from the team that brought you The Teacher's Pet.

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