Teen & Twenty May 1973

“Jo” Burke

Our May personality is seventeen-year-old Joanna Burke, “Jo” to all her friends, still reeling with the applause which greeted her recent performance as Eliza Dolittle in the Thomas Peacocke School Play. She shared the limelight in this with Wendy Swaine, but as a twin she is well accustomed to sharing the lime­light and is quite content to “do her own thing”. A true Ryer, Jo was born at 112 High Street where she still lives with her mother Joan Parkes, and her new stepfather, Rye’s well-known doctor.

She went to the Primary School, now Freda Gardham School, and on to Thomas Peacocke. She is very keen on amateur drama­tics, and hopes to make a lifelong hobby of this, but would not like to go on the professional stage. Nor does she want to go, like her twin sister Jane, to university: she intends to take a good secretarial course, and see what the world has to offer.

Jo' Burke
Jo’ Burke

She has been to Austria, ski-ing with the school, and to France. But foreign travel has no pull for her and she aims to be a “stay at home” girl, although she expects to move away from Rye, probably to London, to see more life. She loves swimming, and darts; and was in the Brownies and Guides. Elton John turns her on, and she is increasingly drawn to classical music. Asked about Women’s Lib, she at once replied “1 can’t see the point. After all women are on top already.” So she’ll have to sort this one out with her boy friend. Rye hasn’t heard the last of this determined “young Fair Lady”.

Rye’s Own May 1973

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