RIP BRIAN JEFFRIES

RIP BRIAN JEFFRIES

It was with great sadness and a deep sense of loss that we learned of Brian’s passing at the weekend.

Brian was an administrator, a ‘racing dad’, a committee member and, for a time, Clerk of the Course at Killarney, vastly respected for his love of motorsport and his depth of experience. Quick-tempered and outspoken, you always knew where you stood with Brian.

Brian matriculated from the Prince of Wales School in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1953, and served for a time in the Kenya Police Reserve. He later became very much involved in rallying, both as a competitor in Regional rallies in a Peugeot 404 and as one of the organisers of the East African Safari.

When he, Jennie and their young family moved to Cape Town in the late 1960s, he soon became an active and very involved member of the Western Province Motor Club, and when his son Christopher began kart racing, Brian became a committee member and later chairman of the Karting Section, where he helped to design and lay out the ‘K’ circuit in its current form.

He became one of the Western Province representatives on the MSA Karting Commission and later served for many years as chairman of the MSA’s Western Cape Regional Committee, which oversees all forms of motorsport in the Western Cape. Jennie, meanwhile, achieved lasting fame as one of the three timekeeping ladies who produced all Killarney’s results until the advent of computer timekeeping.

Brian had a particular passion for circuit safety, which probably stemmed from his lifelong love of aircraft and flying, and for many years he voluntarily gave up his time to carry out circuit safety inspections on a regular basis.


He and Jennie served the Western Province Motor Club with dedication and distinction for many years, until they moved to the United Kingdom in 2017 to be closer to their grandchildren. They have been sorely missed since then at Killarney – and now the feeling of loss is all the greater.

Brian worked for many years in the airline and airfreight industries; his love of aircraft also led to his involvement with microlight aircraft at Morningstar airfield near Killarney – a passion he shared with many of the Killarney family. When we look up at the sound of a light aircraft flying past the circuit, we will remember him.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jennie, Christopher, Carole and the family.