By Michèle Drouart
On Sunday 7 July, the editing community lost a friend and supporter, who died following a brief illness at the age of 94.
Allan Watson had been a member of the Society of Editors WA (SOEWA) since shortly after its inception in the 1990s. He had edited for institutions such as the WA Art Gallery, and had worked as a freelancer, for instance editing Larrikin Angel, Kath Jordan’s biography of Sister Veronica Brady, published in 2009.
His chief contribution to the society was as editor of Book Worm, the monthly newsletter of SOEWA, before the society joined with those of the other states to form the national Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd, which now includes Editors Aotearoa New Zealand). Allan and I worked well together on Book Worm (a two-word title in those days) when I did the proofreading. He was its very good and thorough editor from April 2001 to March 2003.
Some time afterwards we lost contact for a few years, but regained it later through a mutual friend. A few editors who attended my 75th birthday celebration in 2022 may remember him joining their table there. He also had Christmas Day lunch with me and my family that year. He was just six days short of his 95th birthday when he left us.
Allan had a way of being drily humorous, his conversation often sprinkled with clever wit delivered in the gentlest manner. You could almost miss it if you weren’t on the “qui vive”!
Allan, you have been a good and fun person to know and a good colleague. We’ll miss you.