Vale Colin Kerr (1965 – 2023)

Sydney contract recruiter, Colin Kerr passed away as a result of a tragic accident on Melbourne Cup afternoon.

Colin had worked at [axr] Recruitment & Search for nearly three years, having previously worked in Australia at u&u recruitment partners (5 years), Talent 2 (nearly 10 years), Ambition (18 months) and Morgan and & Banks (5 years) having originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC in London.

The company announced Kerr’s passing via a Linkedin post last Monday, stating

Colin’s priority in life was his family. He was proud, so proud, of his wonderful children – they came first. They would randomly appear in the office, sometimes with friends, on their way to and from school, doing homework, waiting for Dad. They were a wonderful window into the Kerr family and their amazing parents. Kathryn, our hearts go out to you. Colin was such a generous, caring, and aware person.

 Colin’s approach to life was humble. Between the demands of being a father and work, he made time for charitable causes. He made no noise about this, he just did it. He also rated himself as a tennis player, he could hit a good ball but was maybe not as fast as he used to be around the court.

The impact Colin had on [axr] was tremendous. Colin treated everyone equally, with respect and care. He was passionate to deliver for client and candidate alike.

Colin was key to our culture at [axr]. His calm and slightly understated style offset what can be a hectic task-focused environment. We will all remember Colin telling a joke and losing it in laughter before reaching the punchline. His big smile, sunglasses on his head, and office treats will be greatly missed.

[axr] and our community will deeply miss Colin.

In an email exchange with devastated [axr] Recruitment & Search, Director, Mike Dickson, two days after Kerr’s death he shared with me that “(Kerr) was very well known in finance recruitment in Sydney and was everyone’s friend as well as an amazing recruiter. We’ve lost the happiest, warm and generous man you could ever meet.

We are a tight knit team. Colin’s last words to me on Tuesday were that he’d never been happier in life. He loved family, his friends and had never been more engaged and stimulated at work in his life. So, so sad.

Earlier this week I spoke to Jan van der Meer, who was still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her friend and colleague of many years.

“We’ve had dozens of clients calling the office in disbelief. Our Linkedin post about Colin’s death has had hundreds of comments. This response shows you how highly, highly respected across both the recruitment and finance industries Colin was. He was just the loveliest, loveliest man – so well-liked. I never heard a bad word said about him, or by him. It’s just so devastating for everybody who knows him.”

A celebration of Colin’s life will be held at St Joan of Arc Church 97 Dalhousie St Haberfield on Wednesday 22nd November 2023 at 11.00 am.

In lieu of Flowers, Colin’s family has requested a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation where a fundraising campaign has been started in his memory.

Colin Kerr is survived by his four children and his wife, Kathryn.

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