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Horace "Horrie" Watts

Shared by Lester Devine.

Watts, Horace Jewell (“Horrie”) (1927–2024)

By Lester Devine

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Originally trained as a secondary history teacher, a career long Adventist educator, Lester Devine, Ed.D., has taught at elementary, secondary and higher education levels and spent more than three decades in elected educational leadership positions in two divisions of the world Church, NAD (1969-1982) and SPD (1982-2005). He completed his forty years of denominational service with a term as director of the Ellen G. White/Adventist Research Centre at Avondale University College in Australia where his life-long hobby of learning and presenting on Adventist heritage issues became his vocation. 

First Published: February 11, 2025

Horace Watts was a career length pastor, youth leader and missionary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, noted for being very much a people person.

Early Life, Education, and Marriage

Horace Jewell ("Horrie") Watts was born in Mackay, Queensland, Australia, on March 21, 1927,1 a twin and the fourth of five children in his family. The Depression years in Australia and World War Two were difficult times for Australians and so it was also for the Watts family. It must have been exhausting manual work for the family to remove trees and carve a farm out of the bush to create a farm where bananas and pineapples could grow in abundance. Thus Watts grew up in rather harsh conditions and had to leave school at the age of eleven in order to help out on the family farm. Watts loved people and, very early in life, resolved to value kindness and loving relationships. At the age of nine, he heard an uncle preach and resolved that he, too, would enter the ministry of the Adventist Church.2

But it was not until he was twenty years of age that Watts could leave the farm and enter ministerial training at the Australasian Missionary College (now Avondale University). In those days, ministerial training graduates had to complete a year of colporteur work before being employed as pastors. Many students completed this requirement in their summer vacations during their student years. They thus earned scholarships, which would pay their tuition fees and then work during the academic year to meet their dormitory and cafeteria living costs. This was a great system and allowed students to complete their training and be debt-free at graduation. Unfortunately, Watts received a severe head injury while on his Avondale school year work assignment. The brain bleed experienced then, and the resulting long recovery made it impossible for Watts to complete his final year of ministerial training, but once well enough to work again, he entered the colporteur ministry of the Church, selling denominational publications from door to door, initially part-time, from 1953 until called into pastoral ministry in the Victorian Conference which continued there until mid-1956.3

During his Avondale years, Watts met Margaret (Margie) Rowsell, a graduate of the Sydney Sanitarium (now Sydney Adventist Hospital) nursing program. They married in the East Prahan church in Melbourne, Victoria, on February 8, 1951,4 beginning a union that was to last 74 years.

Missionary Work

In July 1956, Horrie and Margie were called to the New Hebrides Mission (now Vanuatu Mission), where Horrie took on the role of district director. Despite having only one hour of dental training, he was tasked with extracting teeth. His first patient fled in terror after several unsuccessful attempts, but eventually, he managed to succeed. Watts had to practice giving injections on Margie as part of his training. For his first sermon in the mission field, he had his assistant translate and made sure to use simple English to make it easier for the translator. However, the translator later confessed that he had gotten lost in the process and ended up preaching one of his own sermons instead. Watts just laughed; after all, what else could he do?5

In 1960, the family moved to the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, where Watts became president of the Mission. Travel was challenging at the time, but he had a mission boat, the Devare, which allowed him to visit coastal areas. From there, he would embark on long journeys on foot, often spending weeks at a time visiting churches, clinics, and schools. This left Margie and their two children, Judith and Loren,6 feeling quite lonely. Later, another daughter, Debra, also joined the family during their mission service.

Despite her extremely busy and exhausting daily routine, Margie made every effort to send a letter home to her family in Australia each week, and she mostly succeeded. Decades later, these letters, carefully preserved by her family, were recovered and published in a book. The resulting account offers a fascinating insight into the challenges of mission life at the time. One such challenge occurred when Margie, pregnant at the time, traveled to Australia for the birth of their son, Brendon John. Unfortunately, he was stillborn, and it took three weeks for the news to reach Watts, who was serving at his post in Bougainville.7 Margie ran a medical service at the mission station and quickly became a highly sought-after midwife. Initially working in her two-bed clinic, she later moved to an eight-bed “hospital” that Watts helped build in 1966 using concrete blocks made on-site. One can only imagine the challenges Margie faced as a midwife, attending to patients in labor while others sometimes waited their turn. She also had the difficult task of homeschooling her children, who had varying attitudes about schooling, all while juggling responsibilities between the clinic, hospital, and her household—often without constant oversight of her children.8 Margie and the children always looked forward with keen anticipation to Horrie’s return after his long absences as he traveled around the field.

The Watts’ home often resembled a hotel, with constant visitors to be fed and housed, leaving little room for family privacy. The family maintained good relationships with nearby plantation owners and the local Methodist Mission. Horrie and Margie particularly looked forward to visits from denominational leaders, as it could get lonely in such an isolated mission setting. One legendary visitor was pioneer missionary Alma Wiles,9 whose unwavering commitment to service was an inspiration during her visits to the Watts’ home.

Margie became very good at stitching wounds and caring for seriously ill people, not all of whom recovered. But she did other stitching too, sewing over one hundred school uniforms on one occasion and 50 choir dresses on another.10

Devil worship was a significant issue in the local culture that needed to be addressed, with a better path shown to the people.11 On one occasion, Watts became frustrated with two villages preparing for war. He stood between the two armed groups, loudly admonished the behavior of the chiefs, and told everyone to return to their home. Remarkably, the chiefs and the people listened and did as he instructed.12

Missionaries in those days had to be incredibly practical, and Watts was no exception. He could fix or build almost anything, from replacing the guttering on the house to ensure the rainwater tanks were full, to building a speedboat for the family to enjoy water skiing. In the evenings, he liked to repair watches.13 Watts was always busy, even when exhausted—there was always something to do. He also raised money to provide bicycles for local pastors, greatly improving their ability to travel more quickly and efficiently within their areas. This initiative was widely appreciated.

Return Home

After two terms of service in Bougainville, it was time for the Watts family to return home as their children were growing older and had educational needs.

Watts was always focused on people in his ministry—dedicated to his family, friends, and God. So, it was no surprise that several conferences in Australia and New Zealand sought him out upon his return. Initially, Bundaberg, Queensland, was considered a good pastoral post due to the family’s familiarity with the warm tropical climate. However, once things settled, Watts became the Youth director for the North New South Wales Conference in 1967, a role he thoroughly enjoyed.14

In 1973, six years later, Watts became the Bible teacher, and with Margie, they served as dormitory deans at Lilydale Academy near Melbourne, Australia.15 Lilydale was a boarding secondary school, and Horrie and Margie found themselves as house parents to one hundred teenagers, in addition to their own children. This role was incredibly challenging, especially as the Adventist world was changing. With the establishment of more day secondary schools across Australia and New Zealand, fewer students were enrolling in boarding schools. Among those who did, many came from difficult home environments, including situations involving divorce, remarriage, and single parents, all of which contributed to students arriving with emotional baggage. Horrie and Margie, however, were well-equipped to handle these challenges. During their four years at Lilydale, with their kindness and compassion, they formed lifelong friendships with many of the young people in their care.

In 1977, Watts was called to the West Australian Conference as a pastor evangelist and remained in that field until his retirement in late 1987.16 During this time, Watts pastored several churches, including three in the Perth area. The same personal qualities that had made him effective and valued throughout his ministry continued to shine. He became actively involved with the local Ministers Fraternal, eventually serving as its president. Watts was comfortable working alongside other faith communities while remaining true to his own beliefs.17

Contribution

Watts had a deep love for people, reaching out to them, and they responded in kind. He valued others for who they were, showing genuine care for humanity. The legendary hospitality of the Watts home continued, to the point where Margie decided to keep track of all their visitors. She bought a visitor book, in which she recorded 180 guests in just 18 months—truly reflective of their welcoming spirit!18

In retirement, Horrie and Margie moved around for several years, enjoying time with their grandchildren and later great-grandchildren, while continuing to preach and share sermons with others. One difficult challenge during their retirement years was the loss of their eldest daughter, Judith, in a boating accident in 2007.19

One of Watts’ strategies was quite unique; he enjoyed fishing, but as a committed vegetarian, he never ate the fish he caught. For him, fishing was simply an opportunity to connect with the person he was fishing with.20 In his final home at the retirement village in Cooranbong, New South Wales, Watts’ garage (Horrie’s Haven) served as both his office and workshop. There, he continued to help others until the end of his life. It was in that garage that, at the age of 97, Watts made his last watch repair for his son-in-law, Peter Beamish,21 just one week before he passed away on April 26, 2024.22

Sources

Avondale Memorial SDA Church YouTube site, “In Loving Memory, Horrie Watts, 1927-2024 — Celebration.” Accessed February 11, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-D8rkjgiU.

Ferret, Rick and John Hammond. Obituary of Horace Watts. South Pacific Record, September 14, 2024.

“Watts, Horace (Horrie),” Personal Service Record. Archives, South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Wahroonga, NSW, Australia.

Watts, Margaret and Robyn Priestley. Dearest Folks: Letters Home From a Missionary Wife and Mother. Warburton, Victoria: Signs Publishing Company, 2016.

Notes

  1. “Watts, Horace (Horrie),” Personal Service Record, Archives, South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Wahroonga, NSW, Australia, pg.1.

  2. Avondale Memorial SDA Church YouTube site, “In Loving Memory, Horrie Watts, 1927-2024 — Celebration,” accessed February 11, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-D8rkjgiU.

  3. Ibid.

  4. “Watts, Horace (Horrie),” Personal Service Record, Archives, South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Wahroonga, NSW, Australia, pg.1.

  5. Margaret Watts and Robyn Priestley, Dearest Folks: Letters Home From a Missionary Wife and Mother (Warburton, Victoria: Signs Publishing Company, 2016), 7.

  6. Ibid., 16.

  7. Ibid., 26.

  8. Ibid., 9.

  9. Ibid., 41.

  10. Ibid., 112.

  11. Ibid., 45-46.

  12. Avondale Memorial SDA Church YouTube site, “In Loving Memory, Horrie Watts, 1927-2024 — Celebration,” accessed February 11, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-D8rkjgiU.

  13. Margaret Watts and Robyn Priestley, Dearest Folks, 111 and 125.

  14. Ibid.

  15. “Watts, Horace (Horrie),” Personal Service Record, Archives, South Pacific

    Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Wahroonga, NSW, Australia, pg. 2.

  16. Ibid.

  17. Avondale Memorial SDA Church YouTube site, “In Loving Memory, Horrie Watts, 1927-2024 — Celebration,” accessed February 11, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-D8rkjgiU.

  18. Ibid.

  19. Les Devine, interview with Margaret Watts, November 12, 2024.

  20. Les Devine, interview with Dr. Peter Beamish, November 12, 2024.

  21. Ibid.

  22. Rick Ferret and John Hammond, Obituary, South Pacific Record, September 14, 2024, 21.

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Devine, Lester. "Watts, Horace Jewell (“Horrie”) (1927–2024)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. February 11, 2025. Accessed July 04, 2025. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=8JQF.

Devine, Lester. "Watts, Horace Jewell (“Horrie”) (1927–2024)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. February 11, 2025. Date of access July 04, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=8JQF.

Devine, Lester (2025, February 11). Watts, Horace Jewell (“Horrie”) (1927–2024). Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved July 04, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=8JQF.