The lighter side

The country is lamenting the death of one of its most popular media persons.

Derek Watts will primarily be remembered for his role as the relentless exposer of injustice and downright crookery as the Carte Blanche TV anchor.

Ironically, he has recently been all over our screens hamming it up in a Castle Lite advert, in which he danced a jig to show that he is really a fun chap after all, and not as serious as those programmes make him out to be.

Ironically, the ad must have been shot during the time of his illness – not that this was evident.

I can vouch for his fun nature, having met Derek about 30 years ago.

It’s always a strange thing, meeting someone who has only been in your lounge via a TV set, be it an actress, sportswoman, politician or businesswoman (note my Women’s Month accommodated terminology).

You just don’t know how close the real person will be to the image, but in his case not only was he literally larger than life, he was also twice as friendly, social, outgoing and gregarious as any other celebrity I’ve met.

Not that the modest Derek ever acted like a celeb or a diva; he was as down to earth as you wish.
Back to my meeting with him.

At that time (pre-1994), Round Table used to organise the annual Zululand Sportsman of the Year event, parading those who had gained provincial and even national colours in various sports.

In retrospect, it was rather a hollow victory for the winners – excellent as their achievements might have been – seeing that it was ‘before the playing fields were levelled’ and did not embrace all sectors of the community.

Anyway, on this particular occasion Derek was the guest speaker and I was the MC.

Between the formalities, there was plenty of opportunity for refreshments and a chat, and I spent quite a while talking to Derek’s belt.

For those who need an explanation, there was a bit of discrepancy between his height and mine.

Toby Fourie, our late, dearly loved ZO photographer, fetched a chair and I stood on it to see eye to eye with Derek.

A trivial moment in the big scale of things, but for me it’s a memory forever etched of a gentle giant, friendly, approachable, full of fun and willing to be just one of the boys, sharing a common love for sport.
Bless you Derek, and those loved ones you left behind.

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