Chris Watson – was married to the late Jan Watson.
There are four adult children and five grandchildren.
They live at Ivanhoe, Victoria and sometimes at Korweinguboora, Victoria.
Community Activities and Groups
Heidelberg Training & Resource Centre (Skillshare), Board of Management, 1991- 2009 .
Irish Famine Commemoration Committee, 1995- 99 .
North Eastern Citizen Advocacy Inc.. Member of Committee of Management, 1996-98.
Local Enterprise Development Initiative Project (Heidelberg). Member of Committee of Management, l992-93.
Viewbank Neighbourhood House [now Rosanna Fire Station Community House.] Member of Committee of Management, 1991-95.
Banksia Secondary College, Heidelberg West. Council President, 1989-91.
Heidelberg High School. Member (& sometime Vice-President) of Council, 1984-89.
Endorsed A.L.P. Candidate for State Electorate of Ivanhoe, 1992.
Candidate for Ivanhoe Ward of Heidelberg City Council, 1990.
Bellfield Community Centre, Committee of Management, 1991-93.
Ivanhoe Primary School, Member of Education Committee, 1982-83.
Yarralea Kindergarten, Alphington, Committee President, 1972-73.
Darebin Parklands Committee of Management, Secretary, 1990-92.
Past and present membership of other groups, including: Hepburn Wind Project, Wombat Forest Care, Warringal Conservation Society, Bicycle Users Group (Heidelberg), People for Nuclear Disarmament; Oxfam, ANTaR, The Boite, Borderlands Cooperative.
Other Interests and Hobbies:
Foreign languages:
Chris translated an autobiographical book, La Piccola Quercia, by Olga D’Albero-Giuliani, from Italian. and, after retiring from La Trobe University, studied Irish, Aramaic and Coptic and conducted seminars (for a LaTrobe University “Literature and Translation” course) on Biblical translations and the translation of poetry).
In 1997, he led a Latin reading group and in 2001 a “Latin for beginners” group at Livingstone Community Centre. He was a member of an Old Irish reading group and remains a member of reading groups in Medieval Latin and Old Norse, all associated with the University of Melbourne.
Singing: Member of Phoenix (community choir based at Livingstone Community Centre), former member of St Bernadette’s Church choir, West Ivanhoe, and Melbourne Millennium Chorus and the Victorian Trade Union Choir.
Environmental:
Along with membership of several environmental groups, he and other family members have restored and continue to care for a block of land adjoining Wombat Forest.