Gympie Hammers icon remembered as selfless clubman with ‘heart of gold’
“He did the little things. He drove up from Brisbane most weekends to be a strapper for us for a few years. He had a heart of gold.”
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The Gympie Hammers are remembering Paul Watt after the club stalwart passed away following a lengthy health battle at the weekend.
The Hammers shared the Watt family’s announcement of Paul’s death on Saturday night, sharing their thanks “for all you have done for the Hammers over the years”.
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Hammers president Jason McPherson said Paul was a valued member of the club dating back to his playing days in the 1990s.
“Behind the scenes he was tremendous, but he also played for the Hammers back in 1996 when they won an A-grade and B-grade championship for the Wide Bay area,” McPherson said.
“He had ties with the club for a lot of years. Behind the scenes he was always trying to build links between us and other clubs in Brisbane, he helped us get a scrum machine.
“He did the little things. He drove up from Brisbane most weekends to be a strapper for us for a few years. He had a heart of gold.”
McPherson said it was the support of community members like Paul that remained so vital to local rugby clubs such as the Hammers.
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“When you join a rugby club you never really leave it. What Paul brought to us was exactly that,” McPherson said.
“Right towards the end when he was in a world of pain he understood the importance of keeping in contact with past players.
“Recently we went to Souths rugby club in Brisbane, that he was also a big contributor to, we saw him sitting there in his wheelchair giving high fives to each player as they came on the field.”
The news of Paul’s passing drew a flood of touching tributes from friends and fellow club members, both at Souths and the Hammers.
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Originally published as Gympie Hammers icon remembered as selfless clubman with ‘heart of gold’
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