Kerry arrived in Vancouver at St. Paul’s Hospital in the early years of 1950. His parents, Stanley and Daphne Burke, already had one son Brian. Shortly following Kerry’s birth, his father Stanley was sent to the nation’s capital as the Ottawa correspondent for the Vancouver Sun.
Kerry’s first comedy routine occurred during christening at St. Francis in the Woods. When the priest placed his fingers on his brow, Kerry let out an almighty burb, an oft repeated family story.
The family were to spend the next four years in Ottawa, where the family grew to include sister Holly. In Ottawa, Stanley was employed by the CBC. During this time he won a trip to the United Nations and from there he received a posting from the CBC to New York.
For the next four years, the family resided in Connecticut and grew with the birth of brother Randy.
This was the era of hope that this organization would prevent any further wars. Sometimes Kerry played in the BBC offices adjacent to the CBC studio while his Dad attended the general assembly and Security council meetings. A favourite toy were boxes of multi coloured unused UN tickets.
Kerry attended kindergarten in Ottawa and repeated it in New York. He finished Grade 1 and part of Grade 2 when they sailed on the Queen Mary through a hurricane to Paris for his Dad’s new posting.
Kerry had difficulty learning. In those days, a child with attention difficulties was thought to be either stupid or lazy. It was very apparent that he was not stupid — but, unfortunately, it became a nightmare of punishments through the following school years.
The first year in Paris, Kerry attended the English Speaking School of Paris along with brother Brian. It was housed in Alexander Dumas’ former home. The school was for military kids and had a four-month rotating curriculum. There were many military personnel in Paris connected with NATO.
France had an ongoing civil war over leaving Algeria. A bomb exploded at the end of their street their first week in Paris.
The local children called the family ‘Sale Etranger’ or dirty foreigners. A curse was to be called ‘piece of green bean’, which sounded rather uncurse-like. When the chef of a local restaurant shot himself upon losing a Michelin star, they realized how serious the French took food.
Younger brother Randy was sent to a French school while his parents struggled over sending their two oldest boys for a British or a French education. Brian and Kerry ended up in a British boarding school in Kent called Marlborough House — an elementary level prep school. Brother Brian did really well both academically and athletically and ultimately became headboy. It was a disorienting and at times difficult experience for both boys. Kerry’s learning problems led to pretty awful times. There was fear of being caned for infractions of unknown British norms.
Finally after four years, Kerry wrote his O levels and then was sent to a high school called Lancing College in Sussex. This was, like many similar British schools, a training ground for civil service. You could choose to engage with navy, army and Air Force cadet opportunities with planes, boats and army equipment. In a future war, they were prepared to be leaders.
Their parents lived in France for the first 2 years the boys were at Marlborough House. Their parents finally moved back to England and lived in Seven Oaks, their mother’s birthplace, until 1967 when the family returned to Canada. The voyage home on the Empress of Canada and along the St. Lawrence river to where Expo 67 was happening was a thrilling experience for 14-year-old Kerry.
The family settled in Toronto. Brian and Kerry attended Upper Canada College. Kerry couldn’t understand a school with no caning or the earnest Canadian teaching staff. They were a bit boring. By comparison, one of his English high school teachers was a mountaineer and while teaching would climb the stone walls and over the classroom ceiling, even with a broken leg. The German teacher would stand up on his desk every week and pretend to be Hitler while playing Nuremberg speeches on the gramophone. The Latin teacher, a minister, claimed to have served dog food in the meat sandwiches for the new boy tea with the parents.
Kerry had difficulty understanding other things about Canada… was hockey as a sport, or a brawl? Did Canada have history other than paddling up and down rivers?
The children wondered if their father really was on TV as he claimed. They did not see him on TV in the States, France or England. In Toronto, Stanley Burke read the nightly news and was recognized everywhere he went.
At Upper Canada College, Kerry made it to grade 11 and then came down with severe mono. He was ill for many months.
After high school he went work as a farm hand near Orangeville, Ontario for 2 years. Here, he learned Reflexology from a specialist in that field. Also he took up the guitar and taught himself how to play it.
He spent the next year in New York, staying with his sister and her boyfriend. These three and one or two other musicians formed a band to entertain in local bars.
In 1975 his folks had moved back to Vancouver so Kerry came to B.C. and enrolled for a year at VCC. At the end of that year he heard about the new Music Therapy program starting at Capilano College (later called Capilano University), which to him sounded like a great possibility. He joined the program and very soon met Liz — and they became a couple. They married in 1979 by the Rev Phillip Hewitt in the Vancouver Unitarian Church.
After three years at Cap, Kerry went to work at Valley View hospital in the psycho geriatric area. He was part of a new team system which assessed individuals having challenges in their own homes. People could possibly return home with appropriate supports from all over B.C.
He next had a teaching opportunity open at Capilano College. Nancy McMaster was coordinating but didn’t want to continue. Kerry took over from her and coordinated for 7 years.
The Children’s Festival was a new development and Kerry seized the opportunity to run a children’s improvisational music tent. As a summertime occupation, this fitted into his life quite well.
Kerry went on tour with different festivals across western Canada. This led to bigger fairs such as the PNE, Exhibition Days in Edmonton, and then the CNE in Toronto for 25 years.
He began reducing his teaching at Capilano College and embarked on programs for preschool and daycare children. It was his favourite — so he decided to stay with just preschoolers, doing 40 sessions in a week. Kerry finally retired when Covid hit.
He still teaches one course in the Music Therapy Program. His association with Capilano College has lasted 48 years.
In our NSUC community, Kerry has been on the Board, and has organized men’s groups and retreats. Also, he has presented services to the congregation on a number of subjects. He’s been an organizer of three bands involved with our church going back 20 years.
Kerry and Liz have two amazing married sons and four incredible grandkids all living on the North Shore. It’s been an wonderful life!