Obituary – Max Watts

Max Watts – journalist, author, iconoclast, and inner-west icon – passed away on November 23, at age 82.

Born to Jewish parents in Germany in 1928, Max belonged to a family of anti-fascists, a political leaning he would maintain to the end. Along with his mother and sister, he survived the Holocaust, an experience which would shape his life.

Watts made his name as a freelance journalist reporting war and conflict, notably in Bougainville, but also in East Timor, Palestine, and South America. In addition to freelancing for a variety of local publications in Sydney, he wrote for three German papers along with a French one. He also worked as the chief reporter for the Sydney bureau of Reporters Sans Frontières, vigilantly keeping an eye on censorship of journalists by press organisations and governments alike.

Famously, Max helped initiate ‘RITA’ – Resistance Inside The Army, which gave its name to a book about the history of resistance from American soldiers from within the army apparatus.

The celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday, December 1, 11.30am, at Camellia Chapel, Macquarie Park Crematorium, Plassey Road, North Ryde.