Sir John Watts honoured

THE Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association, as part of its 50th Anniversary Year celebrations, held a special cocktail reception at Spice Island Beach Resort last Saturday to honour Sir John Watts, who was very instrumental in the formation of the association in 1961.

Governor General, Sir Carlyle Glean, and his wife, Norma; Prime Minister Tillman Thomas; and Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Keith Mitchell; as well as persons from tourism and business communities were among the guests in an evening where only words of commendation were showered on Sir John Augustus Watts, KCMG, for his contribution of service to the country.  

Sir John Watts (right) receiving his recognition
from Prime Minister Tillman Thomas.

During his discourse in the honour of Sir John, Sir Royston Hopkin, KCMG, recalled the days when Sir John called on him to serve. He recounted Sir John’s tenure as Chairman of the Grenada Tourist Board when he decided that it was time for the hotels in Grenada to form themselves into an association.

It was then that Sir John called on Sir Royston to begin serving his country and invited him to serve on the Grenada Tourist Board as the Jaycees representative. Sir Royston went on to serve on the Grenada Tourist Board for 17 consecutive years and he was also president of the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association for 14 years.

He referred to Sir John as his mentor and said even outside of the tourism arena, Sir John is known for his dedication to service. Sir John, in 1974, became the first Rotary District Governor for District 404, which includes all the French, Dutch, and English-speaking islands in the Caribbean Diaspora.

Minister of Tourism, Senator George Vincent, made reference to Sir John’s work in the field of dentistry. He cited the fact that Sir John has not only demonstrated his penchant for service by being a doctor by profession, but has also done so in government. Sir John Watts served as President of the Senate from 1988-1990.

Sir John Watts poses with Governor General, Sir Carlyle Glean (fourth from left); Prime Minister Tillman Thomas (second from right); Leader of the Opposition, 

Dr. Keith Mitchell (third from left); Sir Royston Hopkin, KCMG (left); and representatives from the tourism and business communities.

Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell, Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, recounted Sir John’s stance when Dr. Mitchell challenged the leadership of the New National Party. He noted that contrary to the views of his colleagues in the party, Sir John took the unpopular position that democracy has prevailed and that all should allow democracy to rule. This, he said, was one of the many ways where Sir John demonstrated strength of character and illustrates the measure of the man we are honouring.


Prime Minister the Hon. Tillman Thomas was called upon to present Sir John with his plaque of honour and in his response, Sir John accepted graciously all the praises bestowed upon him and left a very profound message for all Grenadians.

He said: “You must take time out to serve your country in whatever small way you can.”

Sir John noted that once you serve your country, the country will improve and by extension your life will improve. If you do not serve and the country deteriorates, your life is also likely to degenerate.

In accepting the recognition, Sir John said that he felt very honoured to receive the recognition.

“I am a man of service, service is my business,” he said. “If we as citizens don’t set aside time to serve, I don’t think we ought to be recognised.”

He said that citizens should not be ashamed or afraid to serve. “Come out and serve the country, if you serve and the country improves then your life improves,” he said, while quickly pointing out that failure to serve the country can result in the detriment of not only the country, but the people. (LS)