Yesterday it was my sad duty to attend another funeral. Gerry Watt was the Motorsports Chaplain at Nowra Speedway. He had been battling with throat cancer for the last couple of years and it finally claimed him at the beginning of this month. Gerry was a highly respected member of the close-knit speedway community at Nowra having gone there as the chaplain when the track first opened in the mid 1990’s. I had worked closely with him for the last five years or so as he worked with me in the commentary tower, operating the lights and managing the communications loop. When the microphone was closed, we had many animated conversations, discovering that, between the two of us, we could manage speedway far better than those who were presently running it! Gerry had a wicked sense of humour and his wry take on life was always appreciated.
As a chaplain, Gerry never made any secret of what he was actually at the track to do but he never shoved his faith down other peoples’ throats, preferring to demonstrate the practical nature of what he believed in by the things he did for others. When a competitor, or anyone else at the track, was injured or ill, Gerry would comfort them, go with them to the hospital and make whatever arrangements were necessary so that they did not have to worry about things. On the night that Bruce Irvine had a heart attack at the track, Gerry sat with him, prayed with him and provided a vital link in ensuring Bruce’s survival and his eventual recovery.
Gerry had been a serviceman, a clearance diver in the Navy, actually, and his family members spoke in glowing terms of how he had transferred the ideals of service to ones country into service to his family and friends.
As always, it was a sad affair but, at the same time, a joyous one as family and friends recalled a man whose legacy will last long beyond his 62 years. I count it a privilege to have known him and the speedway is going to struggle to find someone to fill his role with the dedication, humour and diligence that he exhibited.
RIP, Gerry, one of the good ones.