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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-01 Daily Xml
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WATSON, MR J.F.

The Hon. L.R. BREUER (Giles) (15:16): Today I am speaking of John Francis Watson, who passed away peacefully on 18 October 2012 in Whyalla, and I thank Father Jim Monaghan from the Whyalla Catholic parish for many of my words today. John was a man of deep faith and community service in the city of Whyalla—a wise, kind and generous union man who made a great difference to the lives of many people in Whyalla.

He was born on 27 December 1924 and was the son of Thomas and Beatrice Watson, nee Cummings. He attended the Iron Knob Public School, graduating as dux of the school. The family moved to Whyalla in 1941 and lived only three houses from me.

John took up an apprenticeship as an electrician. Not long after gaining his trade, he became the organiser for the Electrical Trades Union; however, a request was made that he transfer and take over as the organiser for the Federated Ironworkers Association. John recalled that this caused some resentment in the electricians' union. It was an unusual move to make—what some might have seen as a downward move—from a skilled workers' union to the union representing the labourers but it was in character for John Watson, who seemed throughout life to have a calling to serve, not to be served.

In the great post-war migrations, the FIA represented many migrant workers, especially from the then Yugoslavia. John befriended many new arrivals from Yugoslavia. John's care for and love of the Croatian workers and their families has left a permanent mark on their hearts. John had an office in the front of his bedroom in the family home where he could see people after hours.

The union movement faced difficult times in the era of a very strong BHP and abundant supply of labour throughout the 1950s. John remembers one union campaign where he sought to get BHP to provide a toilet for the men who worked adjacent to the wharf area. It was a campaign, as John would have said, 'crowned with success', with the installation of a new toilet for the workers, but it illustrates the real difficulties of ordinary working people in a less humane era.

John is remembered for his diligence in encouraging workers to join the union. He displayed a metal sign urging his fellow workers to 'Be Okay Today' by paying their union subscription. The tense politics of the 1950s within the labour movement in Australia, reflecting events around the world, led to the Industrial Groups—dedicated groups of unionists intent on maintaining democratic processes within the union movement against a perceived threat from communist ideology. John was a member of the Industrial Groups in Whyalla for a number of years.

John's service to his fellow workers extended to service for many years as secretary of the Combined Unions Council. He had many years of dedicated committee work in the Iron Triangle Industrial Planning Council, the Eyre Peninsula Cultural Trust, the Whyalla Economic Development Board, the Whyalla Hospital Board and St Teresa's Parish Pastoral Council, to name but a few of his committees.

Throughout his life, John found strength and inspiration in his Catholic faith and in the teachings of the popes concerning the dignity and rights of working people. As the late Pope John Paul II taught, 'The specific role of unions is to secure the just rights of workers within the framework of the common good of the whole of society.'

Upon retirement, John found a new vocation as a volunteer in the community, particularly in the Whyalla Hospital and in the residences of Whyalla Aged Care. He is remembered as bringing the Whyalla News, The Advertiser and the Sunday Mail to thousands of hospital patients, all at his own expense.

In the aged care homes he was often found feeding residents who might have missed out on lunch, with staff sometimes stretched thin. John also supported scores of charitable institutions. Having a first cousin named J.B. Cummings may have had something to do with John's interest in the racetrack. He followed Bart's horses diligently and enjoyed visits to the Melbourne Cup; and no doubt there will be some who will see a Bart Cummings horse as a sure thing this Spring Carnival if John has anything to do with it.

John won many awards in recognition of his community service and kindness but he never spoke about any of these things. Among his awards were the Order of Australia medal, a papal honour, and Whyalla Citizen of the Year. John will be sadly missed by the people of Whyalla. He was a great citizen of Whyalla, he was a great member of the union movement, and a great friend of the working class. Thank you, John. May you rest in peace.

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