John Kenneth Burke
Ken Burke must have been one hell of a rugby player. A Newcastle born fullback; Burke was “credited by metropolitan critics with being almost the equal of Ross.” The Ross in question here is the “wonderfully gifted” Alec Ross, 20-capped Wallaby (#211), “the greatest fullback the State has known” and the man who captained Australia to their first Bledisloe Cup series victory.
A splendid all-round sportsman, Burke attended St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill where he came under the influence of Brother Henry, “the wizard of the rugby field and universally regarded as the most brilliant football coach” of his generation. Burke left Joeys after Intermediate to attend St Stanislaus’ Bathurst and went on to play three years of rugby league in the College 1st XIII (1922-24). In his final year, Burke won a gold medal as Champion Athlete of the School “He is an all-rounder, good at any game he touches and especially so at Cricket (whether as Batsman or Bowler), at Football, at Handball, at Swimming, at Foot-racing – in fact, no sport comes amiss to him. Best of all he is modest in success and is quite unassuming” – ‘Echoes from St. Stanislaus’
Burke returned to Newcastle in 1925 where he suited up for the Wanderers alongside his brother Adrian. Immediately stamping himself as “a brilliant left foot kick and a very secure custodian”, it didn’t take long for the Newcastle selectors to recognise Burke’s nascent talent. After a 1926 run against The Royal Australia Navy, Burke was selected for a reasonably high-profile fixture against Manly at Manly Oval. The press of the day was suitably impressed despite the Novocastrians’ 17-21 loss” “K. Burke, the visiting full-back, gave a faultless display”, “Ken Burke, the Newcastle fullback, was the outstanding player on the ground. He was questioned by the selectors as to his ability to tour New Zealand if selected.” While Burke did not tour, he rounded out the year in fine style when he won the first of his five Newcastle Golf Club championships.
The following year, Burke’s play “was as sound as ever” and it surprised few when he won selection for the 2nd XV (of four teams) in the NSW state trials - alongside Eric Ford, Syd King, and Cyril Towers - ahead of the incoming tour by New Zealand. The 2nd XV upset the firsts 19-18 where “some fine fullback play was a feature of the game”. In some quarters, Burke was “considered the equal of Ross [his opposite] on the day.” That performance earned Burke a place among the reserves for the first Test against the All Blacks. While not required in that fixture he did get a crack at the tourists in a NSW XV that went down 14-31 at University Oval.
In 1927 Burke was “well in the running for a place in the Waratahs” tour to the Northern hemisphere however the selectors opted for just one fullback which enabled them to select an additional middle rower. Ross, as the lone custodian, was one of the tour sensations despite an incredible workload that saw him start a remarkable 32 of the tour’s 34 matches, including the first 21 straight.
Burke was not seen in 1928 however he returned strongly in 1929 and was chosen for an Australian XV to play New Zealand in Melbourne. “Burke, the Newcastle custodian, was the outstanding player for Australia…. He gave a faultless display right through the piece, and capped his effort with a snap field goal that would have earned an ovation if played before a real rugby crowd…” Once again Burke earned a spot on the reserve bench, this time for the 3rd Test in Sydney. Unfortunately, he was left unused as Australia, with Bob Westfield at fullback, won 15-13 to secure a first ever 3-0 series sweep over their great rivals.
In 1930, Burke’s promising career was cruelly cut short by injury. Burke went on to enlist for service in World War II during which he had a distinguished and extraordinary war career that was the subject of the book ‘Mission 101’ by Duncan McNab (Pan McMillan 2011). Burke served in Ethiopia, where he was part of a secret commando group of five Australians - leading a small force of Ethiopian freedom fighters - which set out on a classified mission codenamed ‘Mission 101’ with the objective of re-installing Emperor Haile Sellaisse onto the Ethiopian throne. He also served in Greece and the Pacific.
