KERR, Carl

BORN CARL OTTO VILBAD CARLSON KERR in Sydney in 1901, the son of John Alexander Kerr and Annie Sophia Carlson, brother of John, and sister of Nancy (Annie) and Jean. The family lived at Wahroonga on Glebe Point, and The Tor at Barncleuth Square in Elizabeth Bay from 1924. Kerr's father retired from today's MLC Limited in 1914, and became active in the NSW Figure Skating Association for most of his children's youth. He joined the first state ice hockey association in 1924, two years after it was founded. [5]

A goalkeeper from 1920, Carl and his younger brother played ice hockey with Western Suburbs captained by Jack Pike. Both worked for Airlines of Australia, and both served on the General Committee of the Glaciarium Ice Hockey Club, the forerunner to the state association. [1] Carl won the first Goodall Cup after the war interruption in 1921 with Pike, Les Reid, Jim Kendall, and Tommy Gibson. He played next season when Kendall did not, and Victoria won, and he remained a "probable" in try-out contention for ten years until 1932. His brother John won the Cup in 1925, '26 and '29.

In 1926, Kerr married Mabel Boyce in Paddington, daughter of Taree solicitor and newspaper owner, Charles Boyce. A founding member of the St George club in 1927, either he or his father was the Club's founding president, and Carl was later secretary-treasurer. [2] In 1930, he won the Hamilton Trophy, the state A-grade Premiership, with Jim Brown and Tommy Gibson, [2] then retired in his early thirties, shortly before St George's second premiership in 1935. [2]

Kerr succeeded Norm Joseph as senior vice-president of the state association in 1936, holding office until 1939 when war broke. [2] He was also a state team selector with former state goalie Jim Barnett and Jack Kennedy, the father of Australia's first Winter Olympian. In 1938, when many hockey players were still accomplished speed and figure skaters, Kerr was elected state president of the National Ice Skating Association of Australia.

A top referee for years, he officiated the controversial Ice Palais Bears games in 1938 when Jim Bendrodt imported a team from Canada with players such as Russ Carson and Spike Robertson. That year, he presented the C Kerr Cup for Interstate Relay Speed Skating between members of the F C Brown Memorial Shield ice hockey teams. Four of each team skated four laps each until the tournament ended in 1951. The Kerr Trophy was still in the care of former St George player Geoff Thorne in 1992. [1]

Kerr's sister Nancy played left-wing for the state in the Gower Cup from its inauguration in 1922. She was runner-up to Maffie Molony (wife of Ted) in the 1924 quarter-mile speed skating championship, the 1925 NSW Ladies Figure Skating Champion, and a 1926 medallist. Nancy married W Dixon of Melbourne.

A notable ice sports family, the Kerrs were active in all three of the sport's disciplines over several decades. Carl Kerr's contribution as a player, referee and administrator at local, state and national levels was important in both ice hockey and figure skating circles. Elected a Life Member of the state association in 1935, he was fourth on the state's ice hockey honour roll after Jim Kendall, Dunbar Poole and Norm Joseph. [1, 4] He died at 60 in Sydney in 1961.