14 Jul RIP QUINTUS SMIT
It was with a deep sense of loss that the Killarney family learned of the passing of Quintus Smit on Sunday 12 July, shortly after his 71st birthday.
Main Circuit competitors at Killarney knew him as a marshal on race days, quiet, conscientious and always polite. To the staff and, particularly to karters, he was the familiar face manning Gate 5 on weekdays, seemingly part of the furniture.
But there was much more to Quintus than met the eye. Raised in a blended family with a younger brother and three stepbrothers, he made the decision early in life to remain single so that he could take care of his parents. In fact, it is known that he requested his ashes be scattered on the beach at the Strand, at the same spot where his father’s ashes were returned to earth.
Generous to a fault, Quintus was a humble, old-school gentleman, unfailingly courteous to ladies and children, as meticulous in his personal habits as he was in his work. This stemmed in part from many years as a member of the security personnel at Cape Town International Airport, where sloppy work can put lives at risk, but mostly because that’s who he was.
To Quintus, if a something was worth doing, it was worth doing right; many Killarney regulars have noted that Quintus would constantly sweep and tidy the area around his post at Gate 5, keeping it as neat and orderly as the man himself.
Few of them knew, however, that Quintus was also an avid reader, especially of non-fiction, who would rather sit with his nose in a book than watch television and who could discuss modern history with an astonishing depth of knowledge; it was typical of the man that his spoken Afrikaans was both erudite and eloquent.
An enthusiastic follower of sports, especially rugby and cricket, the highlight of his year was his annual invitation to a gathering of former cricket greats at Suikerbossie, where he could chat with his heroes.
Many of the people we see every day and take for granted have surprising depths; sadly, all too often, we only learn just who they were when they are gone. If these words can help us remember Quintus Smit for the true gentleman he was, then they have served their purpose. For his unfailing devotion to his job, and his years of service, he will be sorely missed at Killarney.
