Rolly Smith in his familiar role at the Harvey Trotting Club
Born just a week before the Gloucester Park track opened in December 1929, Roald Ainsworth (Rolly) Smith was an unsung hero to countless drivers and jockeys over more than 50 years.
Rolly Smith, who was buried today in his home town of Harvey, seemed destined to make his mark as a horseman from the day his father lifted him into the saddle as a 3yo tyke.
Rolly was raised on the family dairy farm at Wokalup near Harvey and rode his pony to and from school and then took up polocrosse as a sport and became extremely proficient at the demaning pursuit.
Rolly was heavily involved in polocrosse for more than 25 years and even took on the job as Manager for the WA State Team when they competed in Queensland.
In the early 1950’s Rolly was approached and asked to take on the role of Clerk of the Course/Catcher at trotting meetings in Harvey and this later expanded to other tracks across the South West of the State before he took up similar duties at the galloping tracks of Bunbury and Pinjarra.
Rolly also answered the call filling in as Clerk of the Course at Gloucester Park on occasions.
Rolly and his one-eyed grey Commanche, who had a fan club a lot of musicians would die for, were a regular sight across the South West before Commanche suffered a heart attack at a race-meeting.
On the verge of giving up his Clerk of Course duties with the loss of his equine best friend Rolly was offered the retired race-horse Silver Medal by a polocrosse mate and decided to continue to provide a service to the racing industry.
In addition to running the family dairy farm, Rolly also ran a cartage contracting business and stood a couple of Standardbred stallions at stud including Yankee Rhythm which won a heat of the 1973 Sydney Inter Dominion.
He was ringmaster at the annual Harvey Show for many years and also filled that role at the Perth Royal Show for a time as well as being an active member of his local drama and music clubs.
Naturally enough the role as Catcher has an inherent danger attached to it and in 1995 Rolly was badly injured when his horse Silver Medal took fright at a strange noise at the Bunbury trots and Rolly was thrown and Silver Medal landed on top of him fracturing ribs and rupturing Rolly’s spleen.
If nothing else Rolly Smith was tough and the septuagenarian was back in the saddle some three months after his spell in intensive care at the Bunbury Hospital, resplendent in his red jacket and R M Williams hat.
Rolly Smith was not only an outstanding horseman he was an outstanding bloke as evidenced by the large turnout at his funeral this morning where the coffin was adorned by his saddle, red jacket and trademark hat.
As Rolly so often said to the drivers “Take up your numbers please” and lets go,
