Watsonian Football Club is very saddened to report of the passing of club stalwart Stewart Robertson on August 13 at the age of 85 after 35 years of stellar service to life at Myreside.
Anyone who has been a member of the club at any time since 1991 will have known Stewart because he was always keeping busy and trying to help the cause where he could. He was also heavily involved in the Watsonian Cricket Club for many years.
A Fifer whose first rugby involvements came with Bell Baxter High School and the Howe of Fife club in Cupar, Stewart joined the police locally in 1959 and then he transferred with work to Edinburgh in 1966.
Between that year and 1991 in a rugby sense he was involved with Edinburgh Wanderers, Edinburgh District, Lothian and Borders Police and beyond.
“My association with Watsonians started in season 1991/92,” Stewart recounted in an interview carried out for the club website in 2021.
“In 1991 I retired from the police and my son Blair started to attend George Watson’s College. However, I had a relationship with the school that went way back to 1970 because at that time I was responsible for the general policing of the Morningside area, although funnily enough the boundary was Myreside Road!
Anyway, I went along to training one night in 1991 and I was at the bar in the clubhouse when Alan Duncan started chatting to me. At the time he was Convenor of Selectors and Tom Kelly was President. They were keen for me to become involved, but because I had retired from work and had already given 25 years to rugby, but I was reluctant at first.
However, I became Team Attendant for the first XV and things just went from there.”
Stewart remembered the first match he worked at with the club being an away game under floodlights against Musselburgh while, for home games at the time, the medical room was a small one at the south end of the Myreside stand in an area which also served as the cricket indoor wicket.
He then took on a part-time job with the Bank of Scotland, but his commitment to the club did not waver.
“Dougie Buchanan was WFC President at the time and also worked at the bank and he asked me to become Team Secretary,” Stewart continued.
“That meant I was doing the Team Attendant and Team Secretary roles at the same time and the latter was a big job because there were midweek selection meetings at the time and Watsonians were putting out five, six and occasionally seven teams on a Saturday.
“The phone never stopped ringing on a Friday night while on a Saturday morning I had to help re-jig teams after late call-offs and such like before then undertaking my duties with the first XV, which could involve away trips to the Borders, Glasgow or Aberdeen.”
During the 1990s the top team - and others in the club - were securing some fine results and Stewart was pitch side when the first XV reached the first ever Scottish Cup final against Hawick in 1996.
Dennis Carmichael took over the role of Team Secretary and he became Kit Manager. This involved supervising laundry and checking and sorting around 100 playing jerseys, dealing with medical kits as well as cleaning and blowing up to 20 rugby balls for every match day.
He also had a spell as House Convener and always juggled his roles to the best of his abilities. At that time, Stewart was spending at least five days a week at Myreside.
Over the years he played a big part in the Women’s section and took great pride in seeing them grow to where they are today as one of the top female club sides in Scotland. He was involved in their first ever game as a team and watched them regularly right up until last season.
“Seeing the Women’s XV lift the Sarah Beaney Cup in 2019 at Murrayfield was a great highlight,” Stewart stated.
“I was pitch side when the men’s first XV won the Scottish Cup in 2006, a good feeling after the disappointment of losing finals in 1996 and 2003,”
“I was also fortunate to be involved with teams which won various sevens tournaments including Melrose and the Scottish club Championship. It was a particular pleasure when the women won the Scottish Premiership at Myreside just before the pandemic.
“I have made many friends at the club over the years and during that time have seen probably hundreds of people in different roles come and go. It is always nice to see male and female players who have represented Watsonians going on to represent Scotland at different levels.”
Club President John McLellan said: "When I joined Watsonians over 30 years ago, Stewart was a great support and helped me settle in with regular words of encouragement, and his stalwart service and commitment to the club is immeasurable.
"The thoughts of everyone at Watsonians are with Stewart's family, particularly his wife Anne, son Blair and daughter Lindsay"
Watsonians women’s Captain Rachel Law said: “Stewart was always there pitch side with his wise words of wisdom and with a Mars bar and Lucozade at the ready.
“He has been an instrumental supporter of the woman’s team at Watsonians over the years, from his constant presence to his player sponsorship and generosity.
“He will be so unbelievably missed by the team. We hope we can do his memory proud this season.”
Following a private cremation, a service of thanksgiving will be held at Newington Trinity Church in Mayfield Road at 1pm on Wednesday, September 2. All who knew Stewart will be welcome there.
