Roger Watterson RIP

[dilligaf]

17 minutes ago, gettafa said:

It is a bit.

But there again, if you know your local history (1970s) , it isn't.

Yes I agree with that, but this thread is surely for adding condolences 

[Barrie Stevens]

7 hours ago, foxdaleliberationfront said:

Roger was a very good broadcaster. He was a true professional and I enjoyed listening to many episodes of Sunday Opinion on listen again over the years. He will be missed.  RIP

I was the cleaner at the Watterson business The Copy Shop on Buck's road for some years. I also progressed to cleaning the house. As a result I got to make and appear in a few of the "Sunday Opinion" programmes on Manx Radio.

Roger put in many, many hours behind the scenes building up each programme and pulling people in. I used to alert him to various topics and events and write a few notes. A lot of hours went into making those Sunday Opinion shows.

He said the first time I had to be dragged into the studio but after that he couldn't keep me out! Mind you I never got over the nerves and the fear of being live on air and especially one when I stayed for the "Phone in"....

One Sunday I did a programme with Roger about the impact of information exchange and other obligations on the finance sector. He told me that a day or two later Allan Bell and Richard Corkill came to the Copy Shop to suggest keeping me off air. Roger's reply was to offer them a programme where they could debate the issue with me ie right of reply. They refused.

Roger's father was a leading light in the local Freemasons and had one or possibly two toy shops along Strand Street. He was also a local "Captain Mainwaring" and Roger tells me that as a small boy he saw the Manx Home Guard's Sherman tank. Apparently the only one on the Island.

Roger told me that he was at times put on a Dragon Rapide twin engine biplane for visits to Manchester when a boy. 

I believe he worked in the BBC in Manchester as an announcer and also did voice-overs.

Having his own business gave Roger the independence to attempt programmes and topics that salaried staff would have avoided.

The upstairs front room of the Copy Shop is haunted by the way...

 

[Uhtred]

The one thing about RW that I always found very odd is that on his election literature he adopted virtually the same image as the Italian fascists - the ‘fasces’ (hence ‘fascist’) a bundle of rods with an axe head originally being of Roman origin. An Onchan resident friend of the day showed me RWs manifesto and the image was most surprising. I never met the man but I very much doubt that he actually was a fascist. His reason for adopting such a similar motif is unknown to me.

[John Wright]

12 minutes ago, Uhtred said:

The one thing about RW that I always found very odd is that on his election literature he adopted virtually the same image as the Italian fascists - the ‘fasces’ (hence ‘fascist’) a bundle of rods with an axe head originally being of Roman origin. An Onchan resident friend of the day showed me RWs manifesto and the image was most surprising. I never met the man but I very much doubt that he actually was a fascist. His reason for adopting such a similar motif is unknown to me.

Was it Roger? Or was it the guy who ran the country farm and animal park down  at Port Soderick, Oakhill, Lough Ned(?).

I first got to know Roger in a dark place in his life. He’d had a fall out with Maltese IoM Newspaper proprietor HL Dor who had managed to hoodwink the authorities that there was something untoward. Roger stood trial. It was trumped up. Unfortunately he was convicted. Fortunately the Appeal Court overturned his conviction.

Roger dealt with it all with good grace. I never heard him utter a bad word against Dor.

As a guest on his programmes from time to time I can attest to his meticulous preparation and how hard he worked to make it all seem effortless.

[gettafa]

24 minutes ago, John Wright said:

It was trumped up.

With the Isle of Man and it's glorious justice system....neverr 

[dilligaf]

43 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Was it Roger? Or was it the guy who ran the country farm and animal park down  at Port Soderick, Oakhill, Lough Ned(?).

I first got to know Roger in a dark place in his life. He’d had a fall out with Maltese IoM Newspaper proprietor HL Dor who had managed to hoodwink the authorities that there was something untoward. Roger stood trial. It was trumped up. Unfortunately he was convicted. Fortunately the Appeal Court overturned his conviction.

Roger dealt with it all with good grace. I never heard him utter a bad word against Dor.

As a guest on his programmes from time to time I can attest to his meticulous preparation and how hard he worked to make it all seem effortless.

Dor was a complete twat. ( and that is being more than generous )

[Barrie Stevens]

49 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Was it Roger? Or was it the guy who ran the country farm and animal park down  at Port Soderick, Oakhill, Lough Ned(?).

I first got to know Roger in a dark place in his life. He’d had a fall out with Maltese IoM Newspaper proprietor HL Dor who had managed to hoodwink the authorities that there was something untoward. Roger stood trial. It was trumped up. Unfortunately he was convicted. Fortunately the Appeal Court overturned his conviction.

Roger dealt with it all with good grace. I never heard him utter a bad word against Dor.

As a guest on his programmes from time to time I can attest to his meticulous preparation and how hard he worked to make it all seem effortless.

I was not going to mention the trial. Or a trial. The one I read about was when he was an MHK. I read it also in the archives of the local paper in the Manx museum. Deemster Eason heard the case. There was a lot about an invoice and a motorbike. Michael Moyle prosecuted. I do not recall the Maltese man. The appeal is in the Manx Law Reports Watterson v R. If I recall aright there was some fault with the Deemster's handling the case and what he may or not have said to the jury. The papers reported the trial in great detail. You can see it on microfilm in the museum.

[dilligaf]

14 minutes ago, Barrie Stevens said:

I was not going to mention the trial. Or a trial. The one I read about was when he was an MHK. I read it also in the archives of the local paper in the Manx museum. Deemster Eason heard the case. There was a lot about an invoice and a motorbike. Michael Moyle prosecuted. I do not recall the Maltese man. The appeal is in the Manx Law Reports Watterson v R. If I recall aright there was some fault with the Deemster's handling the case and what he may or not have said to the jury. The papers reported the trial in great detail. You can see it on microfilm in the museum.

You don’t remember Dor ?

I don’t believe you.

Everyone remembers that tw*t

[Barrie Stevens]

2 minutes ago, dilligaf said:

You don’t remember Dor ?

I don’t believe you.

Everyone remembers that tw*t

Well I was not on the Island then. Was Dor involved in motor bike hiring and dealing in Douglas....

[John Wright]

9 minutes ago, Barrie Stevens said:

Well I was not on the Island then. Was Dor involved in motor bike hiring and dealing in Douglas....

Dor was the proprietor of the Examiner, Weekly Times, Star and Green Final.

Trial was 1978. Appeal was 1979. He was MHK 1976-81.

Possibly  Dor had a financial interest in Watterson’s printing business and maybe the allegation was the bike had been acquired using company funds. But it’s 40 years ago.

Dor used his proprietorship to crucify Roger.

[dilligaf]

23 minutes ago, Barrie Stevens said:

Well I was not on the Island then. Was Dor involved in motor bike hiring and dealing in Douglas....

No. That would be Bel D’or 

[dilligaf]

17 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Dor was the proprietor of the Examiner, Weekly Times, Star and Green Final.

Trial was 1978. Appeal was 1979. He was MHK 1976-81.

Possibly  Dor had a financial interest in Watterson’s printing business and maybe the allegation was the bike had been acquired using company funds. But it’s 40 years ago.

Dor used his proprietorship to crucify Roger.

And others

[gettafa]

The Independent was..independent. Then.

(?)

[John Wright]

7 minutes ago, gettafa said:

The Independent was..independent. Then.

(?)

The Independent didn’t exist then. 
 

Dor was hopeless at industrial relations, row with editorial staff, year long strike/lockout.
 

sacked Journalists set up the Independent in 1987. Dor sold the Examiner, Times and Star titles to IoM Courier in 1987.

Independent was sold to Morton Group in 1992 and then to Courier group in 1993.

 

[gettafa]

Then it was The Courier that was knocking about?