Ras Trevor Smith XXIV
Chronicle Pepperpot April 16, 2017
– ‘De Original Kite Man’
… adding colour to your Easter
By Shirley Thomas WITH just a few days to go before Easter Monday, characterized by the ubiquitous kite-flying activities, the sale of kites is definitely picking up, and commercial areas in central Georgetown are already abuzz as vendors daily display their ware, transforming the landscape with colorful and uniquely designed ‘paper birds’. But even though not restricted to any particular vicinity, over the last few
days there seems to be an ongoing hive of activities along Camp Street, bounded by Robb Street to the north and Regent to the south. So far some four of the more popular vendors around town have already commenced setting up their establishments on a daily basis at strategic points: two outside of Republic Bank car park on the western half of Camp and Regent Streets; and two more outside of Teleperformance on the eastern half of Camp and Robb Streets. The vendors have been
plying their trade at those spots for almost 90 years collectively. But 54-yearold Ras Trevor Smith of William Street, Campbellville, who can be referred to in local parlance as the ‘Original Kite Man’ claims he has has been associated with kites almost from his mother’s womb. “Since I was a child I just had this love of getting pointer together with a fine pin, and design a kite. At that time we called it ‘Kadeo Punch’ Kites – made from newspaper or just whatever was available.”
In fact the first kite was placed in Trevor’s hands eversince he was a toddler and by age five he began experimenting with kite-making. He first started thawing around with that pointer ‘Kadeo’ as a little boy, and as he grew and became more sophisticated, Trevor recalls he developed a taste for colorful imported kite paper displayed on slender wooden strips … and that was the real thing. “To be honest I just had this joy of playing with kites, as every little boy would.” His parents had 12 children
Ras Trevor Smith displays his kites on Camp Street
6 boys; 6 girls and they all looked forward to Easter so as to be able to experience the thrill of kite-flying. Before he learnt to make the perfect kite, he recalls he had a brother-in-law (now living in the USA), who would make kites for him and his five brothers. “But the problem is that, in those days, you couldn’t see your kite before Easter Sunday night,” he recalled. “My brother-in-law used to put them away and then give us late the Sunday night. So like that, we couldn’t fly our kites before Easter Monday
and that used to take away from the fun and excitement of kite-flying. Then added to that, it used to take away from the period left for the activity.” He likened it buying Christmas gifts for your children, then locking it away from them until Christmas morning. For Trevor, that couldn’t work and so it motivated him to start making his own kites.ssion”al kites. But it was fun in the home around that period. “I recall that on Easter Sunday we all had to go to Church and celebrate the resurrec-