GHTA Honours Sir John Watts

It was an evening where only words of commendation were showered on Sir John Augustus Watts KCMG. The Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association, as part of its 50^th Anniversary Year celebrations held a special cocktail party sponsored by Spice Island Beach Resort on Saturday 15^th December, 2012 to honour Sir John who was the main stimulus behind the formation of the association back in 1961. During his discourse in honour of Sir John, Sir Royston Hopkin KCMG recalls the days when Sir John called on him to serve. He recounted Sir John’s tenure as Chairman of the Grenada Board of Tourism 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 seventeen consecutive years and he was also President of the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association for fourteen 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. Dr. the Rt. Hon Keith Mitchell, Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition recounted Sir John’s stance when Dr. Mitchell challenged for the leadership of the NNP. 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 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. Also on hand for this very special occasion were Governor General His Excellency Sir Carlyle and Lady Glean along with other government officials, members of the business community and private sector organisations. The GHTA would like to thank the Grenada Breweries, Geo F Huggins, Grenada Distillers and Grenada Bottling Company for their contribution to the evening. #end For more information contact: Office of the Grenada Hotel & Tourism Association Tel: (473) 444-1353 Email: mail@ghta.org Website: www.ghta.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/ghtaorg Twitter: www.twitter.com/ghtaorg