Dedicated. Encouraging. Inspirational. Enthusiastic. A fine gentleman.<\/p>\n
Winston Watson is a man fondly remembered, the affection not dulled one bit by the passage of time.<\/p>\n
Today, his family and the Huntsville community gathered to honour him in one of the places he loved most for the contributions he made to one of his passions: hockey.<\/p>\n
“These are among the most special events we get to do as a community and it’s a particular honour for me to be here with Winston’s family,” said Mayor Scott Aitchison at the unveiling of the Winston Watson sports memorabilia display at the Canada Summit Centre.<\/p>\n
In attendance were Winston’s wife, Martha, son Dan and his daughter Simone Serra, and son Chris with his wife Kelly Markle and children Kaitlyn and Rixon Watson. Winston and Martha’s third son, Geoff, a teacher in Toronto, wasn’t able to attend. Winston would have approved, said Aitchison. “Martha and I, when we were walking in, she commented that Winston would not hold that against Geoff. Because he never missed a day of work in his life. She pointed out that even her babies were all born on weekends to make sure Winston didn’t miss a day of work.”<\/p>\n
Through Aitchison, Geoff sent this message: “I think of dad’s focus on fair play and sportsmanship. I remember his promotion of female referees. I remember his passion for teaching young players the game, even when he was supposed to be refereeing impartially. And most of all I remember his enthusiasm.”<\/p>\n
An educator in his career\u2014Winston was most recently the principal at Almaguin Highlands Secondary School\u2014his eagerness to teach spilled over into his role as a beloved minor hockey referee and referee director. Legions of young players will forever remember his fairness and his sense of humour. One Doppler reader commented on the announcement about the display that, “He once changed my tripping penalty into a roughing call….. as I went in the box he said, ‘It makes you look tougher on the game sheet.'”<\/p>\n
Winston was honoured with the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) Excellence in Development Award in 2014, which was established to recognize and honour an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to hockey development programming in minor hockey.<\/p>\n
That commitment also led to an annual tournament in his name, one that started immediately following the dedication.<\/p>\n
![\"Puck](\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2018\/11\/Puck-drop-at-the-2018-Winston-Watson-Memorial-Tournament.jpg\")
Puck drop at the 2018 Winston Watson Memorial Tournament<\/p><\/div>\n
Councillor Jonathan Wiebe encouraged others to emulate Winston’s volunteer spirit. “In the spirit of Winston, I want to thank all of the volunteers that participate in this community. It’s what makes this community so great and what people take away when they visit…for games and tournaments like the one that’s about to start.”<\/p>\n
As the display was unveiled, one of Winston’s favourite songs, Come’s a Time<\/em> by Neil Young, played in the background.<\/p>\n Winston’s wife, Martha, said she was overwhelmed by the love displayed for Winston. “This is overwhelming, look at all the love here.”<\/p>\n She thanked the Huntsville Minor Hockey Association and Town of Huntsville staff for their part in making the display possible.<\/p>\n\n\t\t