Bill Waterhouse funeral on 19 December [1]
Friday, December 13, 2019 - 17:45. Updated on Monday, August 30, 2021 - 12:53.
The funeral for the former Honorary Consul General for Tonga, the late William (Bill) Waterhouse (97), will be held in Sydney, Australia, next week.
His daughter Louise S. R. Waterhouse, who succeeded her father as Honorary Consul, said the funeral will be held on 19 December at 1:30pm at St Mary’s Catholic Church, 264 Miller Street, North Sydney. Following the funeral, a wake will be held at The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron at 33 Peel Street, Kirribilli.
“We welcome the Tongan community to pay their last respects,” Louise said. “If anyone would like to ring our Consulate General for more details, our phone number is: +61 2 9936 2028.”
In lieu of flowers, the family are requesting donations to Her Majesty The Queen’s Royal Charity for the Aged in Tonga.
Bill Waterhouse passed away on 22 November. He served as the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Tonga to Australia for 44 years before he retired in 2010..
His family are high profile betting figures in Australian racing. He was a barrister, hotelier, who became renowned as the world’s biggest bookmaker.
“After Bill started betting shops in Fiji, he was called to the Kingdom by his old Sydney University friend – HM King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV. They brainstormed ideas to help the tiny Pacific nation and His Majesty appointed Bill as his representative for Australia,” said Louise.
The Tongan Community grew from just a few hundred in the 1970s - to over 25,000.
“Bill said in his bestselling autobiography, ‘What Are the Odds’: ‘I have enjoyed loyalty and friendship from a few people in my life - none more so than the King of Tonga.’ ”
He is survived by his children, grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.