Mourners farewell 'loving, caring' Quinton Humes - 'You steal you die'
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TOWN MOURNS: Pallbearers - including a prisoner on release (blurred) - walk carry the body of Quinton Humes, the driver of a stolen car who died with three relatives in a crash at Pinjarra.
Mourners farewell 'loving, caring' Quinton Humes
Jim Kelly and Nicole Cox, police reporters
July 11, 2008 01:00pm
MORE than 200 mourners have farewelled Quinton Humes - the oldest of four boys killed in a stolen car crash in Ravenswood - at a sombre Pinjarra funeral service.
The crowd packed the picturesque St John's Anglican Church, with about 60 people spilling out into the historic gardens on the banks of the Murray River, in Pinjarra.
Reverend Sealin Garlett, who
conducted the funeral service, read out a series of tributes to 17-year-old Quinton from family members.
The teenager was described by his loved ones as "a caring and loving child'' who had many friends, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal.
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Quinton Humes funeral pictures
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Rev Garlett read a tribute from Quinton's oldest sister, Annabel, saying: "You blossomed from a loving, caring little boy to a loving, caring young man who loved his nephews and nieces.''
The mourners, including a pallbearer in handcuffs, escorted by prison guards, also heard about the young Aboriginal man who was involved in sport, inlcuding boxing and football in the local community.
A message from his brothers Jon and Bronson said:
"Love you with all my heart, always have done and always will, true man. It's not going to be the same without you.
"It feels like a piece of me is missing and can never be replaced.
"You had everything, you had the intelligence, you had the girls, you had the younger boys looking up to you and idolising you.
"True man, that's why it is so hard to believe that you have gone.
"You were only young.
"Life is hard and not fair and yes it sucks, but in life you learn to deal with it.
"I will be thinking of you every day for the rest of my life and I will see you on the other side. "
And from Brandon, his nephew: "It feels like yesterday we were together. You was like a older brother to me and my sisters.
"Uncle, you left a big hole in my heart that no one can replace. It's hard for me to say how much I love you and how much I'm going to miss your smile and your laugh but most of all I'm going to miss you. "
The gathering was also told
how he had not lost touch with his Aboriginal culture, and could expertly skin a kangaroo.
There were emotional scenes as Quinton's coffin was carried out of the church, with family members and friends breaking down in tears and hugging as the coffin was placed in the back of the hearse.
The mourners included a large number of teenagers and youngsters dressed in white T-shirts with a picture of their friend Quinton emblazoned on their backs.
Earlier, Reverend Garlett said: "This has had a deep impact on the community.
"It is like it has opened a wound again in the Aboriginal community.
"It is like we are saying, 'Here we are going to see again the neglectful way that Aboriginal people have with their children'.''
The funeral service leaflet, bearing a photograph of Quinton carried the words: "Born on the 14th of June 1991, Released into the arms of your mother June 27, 2008.''
Meanwhile, a low-key contingent of more than 60 police, including officers f
rom Pinjarra, Mandurah and the Traffic Enforcement Group, had been deployed to the funeral, amid fears of a possible grief-stricken backlash at Quinton's family.
However the sombre service was conducted without incident.
Quinton was behind the wheel of a stolen Holden Commodore when it slammed into a lamp post on Pinjarra Rd last month, killing himself and his three cousins.
Brothers Matthew Indich, 15, Benjamin Nannup, 11, and Jeremy Nannup, 10, died in the crash.
Another cousin, 17-year-old Beau Pickett, who was the front-seat passenger, survived.
After Quinton's funeral at St John's Anglican Church in Pinjarra, a burial service will be at Pinjarra Cemetery.
Pinjarra officer-in-charge Sergeant Darrell Phillips-Jones said police would monitor the funeral to ensure any tensions did not boil over.
``We have contingencies in place in regards to possible repercussions,'' he told PerthNow.
``Funerals are not generally a problem, but we need to be
there as a matter of course.''
Another police source told PerthNow the large police contingent was being sent as a precaution.
``We will flood the Pinjarra and Mandurah areas so there is a big police presence,'' the officer said.
``It's about keeping a lid on things before it gets out of control.''
Last weekend, The Sunday Times revealed that the only survivor from the crash - Beau Pickett - had fled to a small town near Albany for his own safety after threats were made against him.
Quinton's family said they had selected the song Choices by American country singer George Jones for the funeral in the hope the lyrics would send a strong message to other young people in the community.
``We want it to be a lesson to young teenagers -- black and white -- to look at the grief stealing cars can have on their families,'' Quinton's brother Jon, 20, said. ``We certainly don't want other families to go through this.''
The deaths of the four boys divided t
he state, with an outpouring of comments from Perthnow and Sunday Times readers, critical of the family for allowing their young children out unsupervised late at night to steal cars.
However, the tragedy also hit hard in the local community, where the boys were well-liked and were talented young footballers.
It is believed the three brothers, Matthew, Benjamin and Jeremy will be buried next Thursday.
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