Walt Robertson

Walt Robertson was born in Glasgow, Scotland and emigrated to Canada in 1927 with his parents at the age of two, settling in the Hamilton, Ontario area. The family briefly returned to Scotland when he was eight, but soon returned to Canada one year later. Robertson grew up in North Hamilton, living on Shaw Street and took a job with the Otis Elevator Company as a clerk, where his father also worked as a moulder. Robertson was a lifelong member of the nearby Leander Boat Club and served as coxswain of the 1948 team that competed in the coxed eights event at the Summer Olympics in London. He was married in 1950, and had four children with his wife Catherine.

Robertson was also one of the founding members of the Otis Elevator Employees Credit Union, which would later merge with the Hamilton Street Railway Credit Union to become the Hamilton Community Credit Union in 1982. Robertson continued to serve on its board of directors into his seventies. In 2010, after amalgamation with the Twin Oaks Credit Union of Oakville, it became known as Momentum Credit Union. In addition to rowing, he was also active in golf and curling, and spent time travelling with his wife after his retirement.