Bill Waterhouse was a visionary whose ideas and enthusiasm made Huntsville a better place. Now his legacy will live on in the form of a performing arts award announced Saturday night (March 19).
Mayor Scott Aitchison shared the idea for the award with a full house at the final performance of Deerhurst’s live show, HIT L!ST. The show – the longest running live stage show in Canada – had its beginnings in the early 1980s thanks to Waterhouse.
“Teri Souter and I came up with the idea – we thought it would be a fitting tribute to Bill and to the longevity of the show,” said Aitchison. “It’s a fitting legacy for the show and for Bill Waterhouse when you think of the various talent and economic impact that has resulted from what Bill did there. There are several dance academies in Huntsville now because of that show and there’s the huge example of Shania Twain getting noticed there and becoming an international superstar.”
He wasn’t just a visionary; he cared about people, too.
“Bill invested in youth and invested in people and gave people so many chances,” said Souter. “He had such a vision and he was willing to risk financially to achieve his vision. It’s because of his vision and his leadership that Huntsville and Deerhurst have enjoyed the growth that they have since 1980.”
It’s a small way to recognize a person whose personality and vision had a huge positive impact on our community and to pass that on to future generations.
Teri Souter, Manager of Arts, Culture and Heritage for the Town of Huntsville
Full details of the award haven’t been worked out yet – Souter will first present a report to Town Council and, once it’s ratified, the process of forming a jury and determining eligibility for the award will begin.
“We’d like to award the first one next year and we are thinking it would be an annual award with the recipient, an up-and-coming (performing) artist, selected by a jury of people,” said Aitchison. “Someone who has potential that we can help out just a bit by recognizing them and there will be some money as well to help them on their way. Ultimately it would be really nice if it became a much bigger thing (encompassing all of the arts).”
Souter agrees. “The award will recognize excellence and vision in music in Huntsville – so it could be awarded to a musician or singer or dancer. But my hope is that this is the start of a more robust local awards scene because it’s not something we really have in our community. The Huntsville Festival of the Arts has an award and the high school has some sponsored awards, but this is one more way to give aspiring musical artists a hand up.”
Aitchison and Souter wanted to ensure that Waterhouse’s children – Jeremy Waterhouse, Tracey Waterhouse, and Julie Colvin – were in favour of both the award and in using Bill’s name in memoriam.
“Growing up at Deerhurst and being in a family that understood three generations of hospitality is a unique and special experience,” said Colvin. “Not only was I Bill Waterhouse’s daughter, but my siblings and I were a part of a much bigger family, the Deerhurst family. There are many great memories that go along with that. Top on the list would be the ability to enjoy talent of all forms on a daily basis. Whether it was live piano playing and singing in the lounge, or comedy of the “Second City” Cabaret show in the Four Winds Disco, which I was allowed to sneak into, underage (the perks of being the boss’s daughter).
“Then there was the Vegas Show. The sparkle, the dancing, the singing, the talent. So much talent. I was a bus girl in the Vegas Show for a while and would be sure to have the tables cleared every night in time to stand at the back of the room and enjoy the last song, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” sang by our own Eilleen Twain (now Shania Twain, of course). There was rarely a night that I didn’t get goose bumps while being transported to a fantastical land through the magic of entertainment and music.”
It’s truly an honor for the Waterhouse family to see our father’s legacy continue. I know that he is smiling down on us right now from his resort in the sky. My family and I very much look forward to following the progress and recipients of this wonderful award over the years to come. We are deeply grateful.
Julie Colvin, Bill Waterhouse’s daughter
Three generations of the Waterhouse family – Charles, his son Maurice and his grandson Bill – owned Deerhurst from 1896 until 1989. Bill Waterhouse passed away October 28, 2015.