Robert Lachal

Robert Lachal (born 11 January 1943) is an Australian former representative rower. He was a national champion in 1964 and that year competed in the men's eight event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Club and state rowing Lachal was educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview where he took up rowing. He rowed in that school's 1st VIII in his senior year of 1960.

Lachal was selected in the Victorian state representative men's senior eight which contested and won the King's Cup at the Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships in 1964. He made another King's Cup appearance for Victoria in 1967. In 1967 he was selected with Kim Luff to race a coxless pair at the Trans-Tasman match race series against New Zealand. They won all their races by convincing margins.

Adventurer During and immediately after rowing competitively Lachal took up other opportunities which came his way. In 1965 he spent six months working at the Australian Antarctic Mawson Station. In 1969 he took up a role in Papua New Guinea as a Patrol Officer, responsible for law and order, health and local government needs of the villagers in his area. He continued to work in Rabaul once independence was granted in PNG. In 1986 he was appointed Station Leader on Macquarie Island for a year.