Team effort praised as former chairman stands down from Wick harbour board
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Willie Watt praised the team effort behind the success of Wick Harbour Authority as he stood down this week after 15 years.
He has been a driving force in the authority since it began in 2005 and was instrumental in ensuring that Wick was chosen as the operations and maintenance base for the £2.5 billion Beatrice offshore wind farm.
Mr Watt (60) received an engraved glass plaque in appreciation of his key role in transforming the fortunes of the harbour. He was chairman until 2018 and continued to serve as a board member before stepping down.
He said he was “overwhelmed” after receiving the presentation from harbour authority chairman John Mackay, as socially distanced board members looked on.
Mr Mackay said: “Willie has made an excellent contribution to the harbour authority right from its inception in 2005.
“When the new board was elected they really got stuck in.
“The first project was the marina, and that really was a game-changer – it lifted the whole harbour. We’ve taken it from there and done quite a few projects since then.
“We are now home to the Beatrice operations and maintenance base and we’re looking for more.”
Harbour master Malcolm Bremner emphasised the amount of background work that had been done by Mr Watt and other board members over the past 15 years.
“Since 2005 his drive and determination has made the harbour what it is now,” Mr Bremner said.
“The Beatrice base took a lot of years of negotiation. As I have said before, the Beatrice wind farm was the best thing that happened to Wick harbour in 100 years.”
After accepting the plaque, Mr Watt said: “I am overwhelmed. Our success is a consequence of team effort – the harbour team and the board team.
"We worked harmoniously throughout the period, and testament to this is that we never actually had to go to a vote.
“Our reward is what you see around us, one of the top harbours in the whole country – clean, tidy and making progress.
“What we promised in 2005 was to create a modern port that was going to be commercially sustainable in the long term, and that is exactly what everybody has delivered.
“The present board and those who have passed over have been an amazing team to work with. It has been an honour and a privilege.”
In 2017 Mr Watt was made an MBE for services to the community.
