McLaren’s snowjob fleeced Canadian victim of $2m

Hamish Watson made an impression on the ski resort of SilverStar in British Columbia and the nearby city of Kelowna.

Neville Summach in Kelowna, British Columbia. Summach and his family were defrauded of two million dollars by Australian Hamish McLaren, known then as Hamish Watson. Picture: Jessica Zais

At first, Hamish McLaren appeared to other skiers on the Canadian slopes to be a young, muscle-bound, affable Aussie with a wild goal to make the ski racing world championships.

He bragged about being wealthy and was an avid reader of biographies about successful businessmen such as Kerry Packer and Richard Branson.

McLaren, then known by his birth name of Hamish Watson, made an impression on the humble ski resort of SilverStar in British Columbia and the nearby city of Kelowna.

As the 1980s ended, McLaren left Canada, only to return years later in a private jet, with beautiful women by his side and fancy cars to ferry him about.

The new Hamish played the role of a successful futures trader and even had an office at the back of a fancy car dealership.

It was so convincing he was able to fleece Kelowna man Neville Summach out of $2 million.

McLaren’s Canadian jaunt is revealed in the latest episode of The Australian’s chart-topping podcast series Who The Hell Is Hamish?

Mr Summach told The Weekend Australian he met McLaren through the owner of a local Mercedes-Benz dealership in 2002.

“One day you’ll have to meet this guy, he’s incredible,” the dealer had told Mr Summach about McLaren.

“He’s a futures trader. He’s got the most amazing mind.”

When Hamish did arrive back in town, shortly after his involvement with the collapse of Brisbane accounting firm Harts, everybody knew about it.

“Watson put on a heck of a show in Kelowna,” Mr Summach said. “I’ll always remember the way they could park their Ferraris just outside the door of the Hotel Eldorado in the loading zone and nobody would say a thing.”

The people involved

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Shortly after he received $2m from the sale of a waterfront property, Mr Summach gave ­McLaren the money to invest in what was supposed to be a short, profitable turnaround.

As months wore on, McLaren told a concerned Mr Summach that he was trying to get the money back to him. But McLaren disappeared and Mr Summach never saw him again.

After legal avenues in Canada and Australia failed to help, Mr Summach turned to a private investigator and then opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd, whom he met in British Columbia in 2003 and to whom he presented a dossier on McLaren.

Hoping to prevent others from being conned, Mr Summach also spoke to the Australian Securities & Investments Commission about the scam. But his $1m in legal fees and his revelations to ASIC and Mr Rudd came to nothing and McLaren was able to continue his destructive ways until he was arres­t­ed in July 2017.

The conman has pleaded guilty to 18 counts of fraud for stealing more than $7m from victims­ between 2011 and 2017.

Who the Hell is Hamish? Timeline

“It sounds like basically he went back there and did it all over again,” Mr Summach said.

“He’s hurt a lot more people.”

The “devastating” experience caused Mr Summach severe depression and affected his relationship with his now ex-wife and family.

“I’m glad he’s (McLaren) finally in the net and has pleaded guilty,” Mr Summach said.

“I would think he doesn’t have a future beyond bars and maybe those are the kind of bars he should be hanging around now.

“It’s better than the Eldorado.”