By Michael Roberts | posted on February 4, 2021
PETER Watson considers himself a good listener, but he also spins a great yarn.
And the man affectionately known as ‘Watto’ is putting some of those tales down on paper as part of an autobiography called On the Front Foot.
Mr Watson said he’s so far written more than 27,000 words and will pen a few more thousand before he organises his story into “some sort of order”.
While the 72-year-old is one of WA Labor’s longest-serving MPs, the book is going to be about much more than just politics.
The Member for Albany was a champion runner, representing Australia at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico.
But as fate would have it, Mr Watson fell ill in Mexico the night before he was supposed to compete in the 1500m-heat.
“We had to be really careful about what we ate and what we drank,” he said.
“You weren’t allowed to drink the water. I was religious. But what I did was clean my teeth in the shower.
“We were there for three weeks. And after two weeks, the night before I ran my heats, I woke up with diarrhea and I was vomiting, just shaking.”
Mr Watson managed to run the race but was about 10 seconds slower than his usual time and didn’t qualify.
While he never made it back to an Olympic Games, Mr Watson said those kinds of experiences as a runner helped him later deal with the whirlwind world that is Australian politics.
“It took me a while to get over Mexico,” he said.
“It gave me that toughness. It made me more determined in what I do.
“Every election I treated it like the Australian titles. I was so focused.”
Heading into his first contest for the Seat of Albany in 2001, the former Australia Post Manager decided the best plan of attack was to doorknock every home in the city and sell himself to the people.
“I knew a lot of people through sport and the post office,” he said.
“When I was doorknocking, I was getting pretty positive results and the last day I doorknocked at 6pm on the Friday night before the election.
“On the way back to the office, I thought if half the people are telling the truth I’m in with a chance.
Gaining a swing of nearly 16 per cent on the two-party preferred vote, Mr Watson romped home to a decisive victory against sitting Liberal Minister Kevin Prince.
And over the next four elections he continued to deliver Labor victory in Albany, even when the ALP was sent to the opposition benches in 2008 and 2013.
The retiring MP said he was proud to have helped complete the Albany Entertainment Centre but considered his fight for justice on behalf of the survivors of horrific sexual abuse at Katanning’s St Andrew’s Hostel the most important work of his political career.
“It was just three young men who came into my office one day,” Mr Watson said.
“They had been to all sorts of different people, members of parliament, newspapers and no one would listen to them.
“I told my staff to cancel my appointments. The stories they told were sickening.”
In 2011, Mr Watson’s efforts led to a Special Inquiry by former Supreme Court Judge Peter Blaxell which found a number of local authority figures failed to act after they became aware of the allegations.
“I’ve got so many stories I’d like to tell but I can’t about people who knew,” Mr Watson said.
“A lot of people turned a blind eye.”
The 72-year-old said WA Premier Mark McGowan wanted him to go on for a sixth term in parliament, but the quick-witted Mr Watson had the perfect response.
“I asked him how old he was, and he said 47,” Mr Watson said.
“And I said ‘okay, in 25 years do you think you would like to go on an election campaign?
“And he said, ‘enjoy your retirement’.”
