36 Chambers Skateboarding owner Travis Watson remembered after tragic death in Rous Rd, Lismore crash
A Lismore skateboarder and business owner has been remembered for his generosity towards his community after his tragic death in a car crash. Here’s what his friends had to say.
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The sudden and tragic loss of a beloved Lismore skater, the owner of 36 Chambers Skateboarding, has sent shockwaves through the North Coast community.
Travis ‘Trav’ Kevin Watson died when his Audi sedan crashed into a tree on Rous Rd, near Molly Grass Rd, at Tregeagle, southeast of Lismore on Wednesday, June 7.
Mr Watson was only 48.
Lifelong friend Shane Bryant spoke of the difficulty of losing a mate of four decades.
“Travis was the most unique person I’ve ever met,” he said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like him. He was a very strong character, very strong-headed.”
Mr Bryant said Mr Watson was “very competitive” with all of his mates.
“Trav’ led us to do better,” he said.
Mr Watson shared many laughs with Mr Bryant.
“Once we all dressed up as Freddy Krueger – we’re all about 10 or something – and we went to the City Hall in Lismore for a blue light disco or something. My sister told us it was fancy dress – but she got the date wrong. It was the week after,” he said.
“Three of us turned up as Freddy Krueger and people are like ‘what are you doing? It’s not tonight’.
“So we just did the disco, ran around chasing the girls out and scaring people – I don’t know how we didn’t get kicked out.”
Mr Bryant said he met Mr Watson when two Alstonville schools joined to field a cricket team in the pair’s primary school days.
“His dad happened to be the coach of that team. They used to come and pick me up every Saturday because my dad didn’t have a car,” Mr Bryant said.
The boys “just clicked” and “instantly became friends”.
Besides excelling at skating, Travis was also an excellent tennis player and an age champion.
“He won all the McDonald Cups in a 100km radius (of Alstonville),” Mr Bryant said.
“He’d beat all the adults, everyone – he was amazing.”
The pair travelled to the Gold Coast to skateboard and play tennis.
“I was right into skateboarding and he got into that through me,” Mr Bryant said.
“He saw me skating and he wanted to do it so he did – he picked it up straight away.
“He had heaps of ability. A very talented person with whatever he did.”
Mr Watson was part of a crew of four that took to street skating in Alstonville as teens.
They shot their own videos and spent a lot of time at the Apex Pavilion at Alstonville Showground.
“We were like brothers,” Mr Bryant said.
Mr Watson opened 36 Chambers in Lismore in the late 1990s – almost straight out of school, The Northern Star wrote in a 2009 article.
Friends have remembered Mr Watson as an easygoing family man who went out of his way to better the lives of others.
Mr Watson helped his parents and offered his support when his father could no longer drive.
“Every weekend he’d drive his dad up to Carrara Markets to sell his plants and vegies. I thought that was amazing he did that for his dad,” Mr Bryant said.
“It’s hard to say (exactly) who Travis was, but that was Travis to the core. He’d do anything to help you if he could.”
Another friend, Dylan Hunter, said Mr Watson was a “family role model” to him.
“He taught me how to work. How to use an eftpos machine, how to run a store by myself,” he said.
“He was a really good role model for me and every other kid in the community.”
Well-known for hosting free skate competitions in the Northern Rivers, Mr Watson was the go-to man for anything on wheels.
“He really had a heart of gold,” Mr Hunter said.
He said it was “mind blowing” Mr Watson was suddenly gone.
“It’s really affected me and my family,” he said.
“There’s a lot of people in the community that are hurting.”
He was amazed by the number of people who visited 36 Chambers to pay respects by laying flowers, cards, lighting candles and sticking notes to the front window.
“He’s always been a really good bloke,” Mr Hunter said.
Mr Watson’s business continues after his death – and has been longstanding in the CBD despite flooding. He “just started getting things really going” again after the 2022 disasters, Mr Hunter said.
“A top bloke, never did anything bad to anyone, if you need a helping hand he’s there,” he said.
“He helped me out many times. I wasn’t even his kid and I felt he treated me like his own kid.”
Mr Hunter said he would have talked to Mr Watson for a lot longer had he known their last meeting would be their final one.
“He was a good person, he didn’t deserve what happened,” he said.
“Travis would want everyone to remember him in happiness – he wouldn’t want anyone to mourn on him.
“He would tell you to celebrate my life.”
One note at the shop read: “One of life’s kind souls looking out for everyone.”
Another said: “Am gonna miss you, always happy and kind. Rest in peace Trav, love you bro”, while a third stated “You’ll be sadly missed by our community of Lismore.”
“Lismore won’t be the same without you.”
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Originally published as 36 Chambers Skateboarding owner Travis Watson remembered after tragic death in Rous Rd, Lismore crash
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