Community Hero: Eric Watkin

by Hillary Handy

Our community is filled with terrific people. You pass them in the street and may never know their names. But they are making their own corner of the world a better place. These are our community heroes. This issue, North Simcoe life would like to recognize Eric Watkin as our Community Hero!

Eric has lived in many cities growing up and he is a self-proclaimed “military brat”. He was born in Halifax but spent time growing up in Ottawa, San Antonio, Texas, Calgary, Barrie, West Germany and Victoria, BC.  He says Orillia, where he lives with his wife, Boni, now feels like home.

He joined the Canadian Army Reserve when he was in high school, serving for eight years. Some highlights of that experience include winter training in the high Arctic and a deployment in 1993 to the former Yugoslavia with the Canadian contingent of the United Nations Protection Force.

Following that time, he was a jack-of-all-trades, studying commercial diving and working out West, doing construction, making orthotics, and delivering drywall. He then completed his Environmental Engineering Technology program at Georgian College, and has been working at Tatham Engineering Limited (formerly C.C. Tatham & Associates) for the last 25 years.

Eric has had what he describes as a “lifelong fascination” with blacksmithing. He finally picked up a hammer in 2016 and it has been a pleasurable pastime ever since. Many people saw his natural skill, requesting custom pieces. He comments, “I liked the idea of taking on custom work, but I didn’t want my hobby to morph into a job. To get over this hurdle, I started taking on projects that I find interesting and don’t come with a hard deadline or budget.”

One of Eric’s projects is the making of metal poppies each fall, for folks to wear to commemorate November 11.

In lieu of a fee for service for any of his work, Eric asks his clients to offer a financial contribution to the charities of his choice, including the Royal Canadian Legion, as he is a veteran; and The Lighthouse, where he has done volunteer work.  

When I asked why Eric gives back to the community, his answer was so pure and a testament to his love for people. He notes, “First, I see contributing to the community as an insurance policy; it creates a more resilient community that is better equipped to provide help when needed. Second, it’s good for my mental health. I deal with depression from time to time and I’ve found that helping others is therapeutic. Third, I enjoy doing it. I meet interesting people, get exposed to new experiences and perspectives and there’s satisfaction in a job well done. Overall, I get more out of it than I put in.”