Dr Ivor Burge - Deceased

Dr Ivor Burge - Deceased

IVOR CHARLES BURGE

CURRICULUM VITAE BASED FORM HIS OWN WORDS

 

Born Maryborough, Victoria, Australia, July 20, 1902.

 

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
  • Bachelor of Commerce
  • Bachelor of Physical Education
  • Doctor of Philosophy
  • Associate Federal Institute of Accountants

 

POSITIONS HELD:

  • Director of Physical Education Melbourne  Y.M.C.A. 1928 - 1940.
  • Part-time Lecturer in Physical Education, University of Melbourne for a number of years.
  • Director and Head of the Department of Physical Education, University of Queensland 1941-1970.

 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONS

  • Foundation and Life Member of both the Australian Physical Education Association and the Queensland Physical Education Association.  President of the Queensland Association in the 1940's.

 

CIVIL HONOURS

  • Appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire by The Queen for service to Physical Education, Basketball and Square Dancing.

 

NATIONAL FITNESS CONNEXIONS

  • Foundation Member of The Victorian National Fitness Council since it inception thru 1940.
  • Member of The Queensland National Fitness Council 1940 to 1981.

 

BASKETBALL

Regarded as the Father of Basketball in Australia. Edited the first Australian Basketball Rule Book.  Founded The Victorian and Queensland Basketball Associations and am a Life Member

of both bodies.  Co-founder of the Australian Basketball Union.  First Rules Interpreter for Australia.  Captain and Coach of the Queensland Basketball Team in 1946.  Awarded the first Blue (corresponds to a Varsity Letter) by an Australian University and the same year was awarded the Telegraph Newspaper Blue.  Was one of three officials in charge of the Basketball Competition at the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956.

 

SQUARE DANCING

Went to first Square Dance in 1923 at Tollerton, Mass., while a Student at Springfield College, Mass.  During the next four years attended numerous dances in New England called by Sammy Springs and learned most of his calls.  During his fourth year studying for a Degree in Physical Education was required to submit an original dance and was successful with a Square Dance singing call.  Taught and called for first time while on the ship returning to Australia, in 1928.  

Amongst the dancers was Eileen Laurie who afterwards became his wife.  In 1953 when Square Dancing became very popular, taught staff and students in the lunch break and this led to the formation of The University of Queensland Square Dance Club for couples as an extension of the work of The Department of Physical Education into the community.  This thrived and soon had a membership of over a hundred dancers.  When Ivor retired from the University at the end of 1970 the name of the Club was changed to the Suzy Q Club and a new venue was found.  The Club functioned until.  

By 1973 this Club was dancing at the Plus Level and the graduates from the Basic Group which was started in 1971 found the standard too high so the Curly Q Club was formed to dance at the Mainstream Level.  This was the first time in Australia that a Caller had a three level structure i.e. one dancing at all three levels, and this has persisted in the main, until a few years ago.  During the time the Basic Group was operating some 1248 adults were enrolled in that group.  For a number of years, weekend camps were conducted for the three groups and most of the time was spent on Square Dancing. Square Dance Clubs from Brisbane to Cairns, a distance of over 1000 miles have been visited and dances put on. Numerous Australian Square Dance Conventions

have been attended and calls made.  Even Alice Springs, in the so-called "Dead Heart of Australia", has been included. The students studying for Physical Education teaching awards, also those enrolled for the Teaching Diploma in Education, had Square Dancing included in their courses.  Many were introduced to the activity by these means.  Square Dancing demonstrations have been given in Nursing Homes, talks on Square Dancing have been given on radio and both talks and demonstrations have been given on television.

Graham Brandon, David Smythe and Brian Horsey were all introduced and taught to Square Dance in his Clubs.  All three were given the opportunity to call on dance nights and all three have become successful Square Dance Callers and have their own Clubs.  Graham Brandon went on to become President of the Square Dance Society of Queensland, a position he held with distinction for several years.  David Smythe became the President of the Australian Callers' Federation from 1987 to 1991 and was long term involved in Caller Training with the Queensland Callers Association, and Brian Horsey was Secretary of the Queensland Callers' Association.

 

CALLERLAB

  • Ivor was a member of Callerlab for some years and have attended a Convention in Baltimore.
  • He was member of the Quarter Century Club, an Accredited General Caller and had The Small World Award.

 

OTHER SQUARE DANCE AWARDS

  • Awarded The Silver Microphone "in recognition of outstanding service to Square Dancing" by the Australian Callers Federation.
  • Awarded The Silver Spur by the Queensland Square Dance Society for "long AND outstanding service to Square Dancing"

 

Attended and was listed to call at the big Bi-Centennial Square Dance Convention in Anaheim.  Have made guest calls in The East, Middle West and West of the U.S.A. with some of

the large number of leading American Callers.  Have called in New Zealand, Tokyo, Bangkok, Taiwan and London.  Also at Calgary and Vancouver in Canada.

 

Attended Caller Schools conducted by Lee Helsel, Bill Peters

and Johnny LeClair at the Anaheim Convention, Lee Helsel at Asilmar and by Bob Van Antwerp in Los Angeles.

 

Attended the Annual Square Dance Convention in Baltimore in 1966.

 

Attended a Caller Coach School run by Frank Lane, Jim Mayo, Cal Golden and Bill Peters in Baltimore, Maryland in 1983.

 

VALE - DR. IVOR BURGE

 

On the 23rd September 1999, Square Dancers everywhere were extremely saddened to hear of the loss of Dr Ivor Burge at 97 years of age. Ivor will be remembered as a great friend, an excellent Caller, and a dedicated  Leader. Ivor was born at Maryborough, Victoria, Australia, on July 20, 1902. Ivor went to his first Square Dance in 1924 at Tollerton, Mass., U.S.A. He taught and called for the first time while on the ship returning to Australia, in 1928.  Amongst the dancers was Eileen Laurie who afterwards became his wife and partner until 1989 when she predeceased Ivor.

In 1953, when Square Dancing became very popular in Australia, he taught staff and students during lunch breaks, and this led to the formation of The University of Queensland Square Dance Club. This Club extended, into the community, the work of The Department of Physical Education where Ivor, as the Director, taught hundreds of Teachers to Square Dance as part of their studies. When Ivor retired from the University at the end of 1970, the name of the Club was changed to the Suzy Q Club and a new venue was found.  By 1973 this Club had branched into a three tiered organization with a Basic Group, a Mainstream Club called the Curly Q's, and the Plus Program danced at the Suzy Q Club.  During the time the Basic Group was operating, some 1248 adults were introduced to Square Dancing.  At the time, this provided the foundation for the largest individual Australian Square Dance organization which numbered 246 dancers in 1982. Three of these dancers Graham Brandon, Brian Horsey, and David Smythe, became recognized Callers and currently have clubs of their own.

Ivor became a member of the International Callers' Association - CALLERLAB's Quarter Century Club, and a recipient of their "Small World Award" and their "Award of Excellence", an award normally reserved for retiring members of the CALLERLAB Board of Governors, but bestowed upon Ivor in recognition of his outstanding services to Square Dancing in Australia. He was awarded "The Silver Microphone" Award by the Australian Callers' Federation, and "The Silver Spur" by the Queensland Square Dance Society for 'long and outstanding service to Square Dancing'.

Ivor's interest in Physical Education, combined with bachelor degrees in Arts (Honours), Commerce, and Physical Education, Doctor of Philosophy, and Associate Federal Institute of Accountants, enabled his undertaking many positions in Physical Education.  These included Director of Physical Education Melbourne Y.M.C.A.  1928 -1940, and the Director and Head of the Department of Physical Education, University of Queensland 1941-1970. He was a Foundation and Life Member of both the Australian Physical Education Association and the Queensland Physical Education Association, a Foundation Member of The Victorian National Fitness Council to 1940, and a Member of The Queensland National Fitness Council 1940 to 1981.

He is regarded as the 'Father of Basketball' in Australia by his having founded the Victorian and Queensland Basketball Associations, co-founding the Australian Basketball Union, by being the first Rules Interpreter for Australia, and having been the Captain and Coach of the Queensland Basketball Team in 1946. He was one of three officials in charge of the Basketball Competition at the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire by The Queen for 'his service to Physical Education, Basketball and Square Dancing' in 1983. We share with his family the strong sense of loss intertwined with pride in the privilege of having known Dr. Ivor Burge.

 

Submitted by David Smythe on behalf of the Q. C. A. and the A. C. F. Caller Associations.