John Findlay Burt August 24th 1948 to August 12th 2009.
Johnny was the only son of John Telford Burt and Catherine Ann Burt of Fairfield Dunedin.

Johnny Burt CQB intake photo

I would like to begin this look into the life of my dear friend Johnny Burt with some facts of Johnny's life and then cover the lesser-known aspects provided by Johnny's family, unarmed combat training mates and my own personal recollections. Johnny was born in August 24th 1948 and sadly passed away August 12th 2009, age 61, of a massive heart attack at his Brighton home while getting his old Labrador OJ some food from the freezer.

Johnny worked in the freezing works for 24 years initially in a clerical position and then as a meat inspector after qualifying at Lincoln University. When the freezing works closed down, after a year of considering his future, he decided to buy a taxi business and operated number 23 cab as an owner-driver for Dunedin taxis.

In the mid-1990's he began his law studies at Otago University graduating in 2000 and being admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 2001. He was in his mid-40s when he achieved his admittance to the bar, which was great feat in itself. Johnny was no trendy dresser and was most comfortable in his trademark cardy and as Professor Henaghan so well put it he was not so much Pierre Cardin but more Peter Cardigan. He was a strong union man at the freezing works and later as a taxi driver always fighting for his rights and the rights of others.

He loved his food and for him it went hand in hand with good friendship and good times. He was a pie cart customer of mine and after the pie cart went was a regular at the Dragon Cafe. He knew where all the best pies were made in Dunedin and was a greater promoter of his regular eateries.

He loved his family and was a fiercely loyal friend that could always be relied on and trusted. He loved shooting and hunting, and all types of firearms, unarmed combat, and the law, as well as horse racing, diving and fishing, including spearing flounders and dive spear fishing, duck, deer and rabbit shooting as well as white baiting. He was a good slaughter man and butcher who was well known for his farm killing and butchering. He loved animals especially his dogs and pet cat and looked after his friends' dogs when need be, treating them like his own. He was a right horder of anything and everything and had just about every tool, appliance, and apparatus you could imagine in his basement garages.

From Vera and the family

Johnny lived his entire life at Fairfield until he met Vera. He attended Fairfield Primary School and later Kaikorai Valley High School. He played rugby for Green Island and even represented his province of Otago. Johnny's parents had a holiday house at the beach settlement of Taieri Mouth where he spent much of his time fishing, spearing flounders, and white baiting.

Johnny's father passed away when Johnny was in his mid-20s. His father had served in World War II and was captured by the Germans and was a prisoner of war for four years in a German prisoner of war camp. He had major health problems on his return and ended up with stomach cancer that led to his death.

Johnny's mother was a lovely lady well known for her meticulous appearance and for her attention to detail and always ensuring everything was perfect. Johnny at times was embarrassed about being an only child and would walk rather than ride in the back seat of the car with mum and dad. Mrs. Burt lived until age of 83 and worried about her boy Johnny everyday.

Vera met Johnny when he was 32 and they built a new home together opposite the Brighton Beach.

Johnny loved the freezing works especially the camaraderie and lived up to this one of the many names he was known as cheeky boy Burt. He was a man's man and enjoyed the manly environment of the freezing works with all its characters and hard cases. Vera recalls one of the many other names Johnny was known as at the freezing works, Stony Burke after early 1960s western TV series Stony Burke. He was right in there against management when his work mates needed support and would give them a right drenching with the high pressure hose if required.

When Vera first met Johnny he was smartly dressed and driving an RX3 Mazda and looking every bit a right good catch. Vera recalls when dating Johnny his weekly stop on a Friday at the Fairfield garage where he had an account and would fill the Mazda RX3 up with petrol and charge an entire carton of cigarettes on his account, quite an expense for the time.

Johnny always had a love of racehorses not only betting on them but also working as a starter at Forbury Park Raceway, which he did for over 20 years. Vera can remember Johnny taking her and her dad and Johnny's old uncle Fred to the races at Forbury Park on many occasions.

Johnny was always a stocky, physical type and enjoyed a wide range of physical pursuits. He was a very good scuba diver and would spend as much time as possible spear fishing or diving for crayfish including taking quite a few sick days from work to go diving. Now Johnny, on one of his sick days off work to go diving, ended up in the headlines after being lost at sea. The story goes like this. While diving off of Moeraki, the sea cut up rough and the current pulled Johnny away from where he had been diving and his work mates in the boat could not find him. Eventually his friends headed back to land to raise the alarm that Johnny had been lost at sea. The police were informed and they had to contact his mother and inform her he had been lost at sea and was presumed drowned. Johnny performed an unbelievable feat of survival swimming initially with the current and then against it for over 12 hours and eventually coming ashore at Shag Point. Swimming against the current Johnny realized if he did not make the rocks he would be dragged out to sea and drowned.

So he swum against the current, made land and climbed up the cliff face and knocked on an old fellow's backdoor and informed him he had been lost at sea for the past 12 hours and the old chap couldn't believe him. He made the headlines the following day in relation to this tremendous feat of survival on his sick day off work.

Johnny had quite a scar on his forehead and the story behind the scar is just another in the many everyday acts in the life of Johnny Burt in relation to his rough and toughness. He and his cousin Dave had been given permission to cut some trees down on a farm and unfortunately they felled a tree across two fence lines and blocked a road which meant some speedy work to clear the road. Clearing the road, to let the traffic through, the wood was then loaded and taken home. Back home Johnny set about splitting the logs swinging the log splitter axe with such force that head come off hitting him right in the forehead. This was a nasty wound and what Johnny did next was tied to tea towel around his head and kept on chopping up the wood.

Johnny was also a crack shot and very much enjoyed duck shooting at Waitahuna. Johnny's old school friend Les Smail got a job on a farm at Waitahuna owned by the Lyder family. Ross Lyda and Johnny hit it off from day one and Johnny Les and Ross enjoyed many a good duck shoot. Johnny would kill and butcher the cattle beasts for them and on one occasion Vera recalls Johnny shooting a cattle beast and the rest of the herd going crazy and heading straight for them. Johnny, Vera and Ross Lyder's son, Jason, had to all get on one motorbike and get the hell out of there with the cattle chasing them.

Johnny and Vera had two children, a son, Tim, and a daughter, Cathy Anne. Johnny, Vera and children spent every weekend doing things together back then and were always fishing, rabbit or duck shooting, spearing flounders, or white baiting, or out at the forestry gathering fire wood.

Johnny, when it came to dogs, fancied the Labrador and over the years had three of them the first was named Bess, then he had Judy and finally he had OJ, who he said was big, black and guilty. Johnny looked after my English Bull Terrier named Ricky who he renamed Ricardo when we went away on holiday and treated him like a right royal corgi. Ricardo could do no wrong according to Johnny.

When the Burnside freezing works closed down Johnny lost a very important part of his life and really never got over the closure and lost a lot of motivation especially with his former physical pursuits and family and social life.

Unarmed combat training was one of the pursuits that Johnny had been very committed to and that was no longer a common occurrence for him and we didn't have the pleasure of Johnny training with us in unarmed combat very often. However Johnny never forgot this part of his life and kept in touch with me personally and attended important events like the 80th anniversary of the Todd Group.

Johnny picked up from the airport in his taxi lawyers and judges including Professor Henaghan who become a genuine friend to Johnny. He would talk to them about the law and how it interested him and with the advice and encouragement from Professor Henaghan, Johnny took the major step in his life of enrolling at Otago University's Law School. He worked long hours driving his taxi while putting himself through law school. He faced many obstacles at his age studying law and there were those who discriminated against him because of his physical size and appearance, but these were ignorant fools and Johnny proved them wrong by not only qualifying but also as was mentioned at his funeral by Professor Henaghan he excelled much to the surprise of some of his trendy fellow law students from around the country. Professor Henaghan had always wanted Johnny to open a small law practice at Green Island, near Dunedin.

Johnny was a rough looking diamond at law school with this trademark cardigan, considerable size, and at times difficult to understand speech possibly because of his hearing problems, possibly the result of his years of shooting. He was truly the epitome of appearances can be deceiving as he was quick witted, as sharp as a tack, highly motivated and very knowledgeable. Unfortunately, driving his taxi and attending university left little time for family or pursuing his many previous hobbies and he became very recluse in regards to his very outward going ways of previous.

Johnny could be found in his taxi studying his law books constantly between fares and when he got any time away with the family he spent most of the time buried in his books. This desire and commitment was such that he sacrificed much to achieve his ambition of becoming a lawyer. By now I was referring to Johnny as Rumpole, as in Rumpole of the Old Bailey. Johnny had a heart of gold and never prejudged anyone. He would always give people the benefit of the doubt and as a lawyer working legal aid cases would always endeavor to do the very best by his clients.

Johnny was very proud of his son Tim's surfing abilities and of Cathy Anne and her horse riding and pony club participation. Tim and Cathy Ann went to Brighton school and Tim taught himself to surf initially in the river at Brighton on a piece of polystyrene. Johnny was also a keen pistol shooter and gun collector.

Now Johnny liked a good practical joke and Guy Fawkes night brought out the best in him. He was renowned, along with cousin Dave, for making a mean bang with a rubbish bag filled with a certain gas that practically removed Johnny's trademark cardigan not to mention sending out a boom that rattled the windows and shook the ground.

Vera remembers a car accident Johnny had at Ocean View not far from their Brighton home. The locals raised the alarm informing Vera that Johnny had turned the Avenger over. They took Vera to the crash scene where she found Johnny covered in and blood and feared he had been seriously injured. It turned out that Johnny had rolled the car as a result of the front wheel digging into a pipe that run under a vehicle entranceway and the front wheel had protruded right up through the wheel arch rolling the vehicle with it ending on its side. The copious amounts of blood that covered Johnny were from the bags of lambs kidneys and livers he had on the front seat.

Although Johnny worked at the freezing works and regularly slaughtered and butchered farm animals. He loved his pets and when OJ was hit by a car and required treatment he was most upset and when Shorty, his cat with half a tail, had to be put down he really felt the loss. When Cathy Annes pony Susie and the family pet sheep Ringo were short of feed in the paddock around the road from their home, Vera would put the sheep in the car and drive it home then lead the pony home and let them eat the grass in the backyard and Johnny loved having them there.

Howard Bell a friend of Johnny's and fellow meat inspector and unarmed combat instructor can remember when Johnny and Vera were both on diets and Vera was trying so hard and making good progress and generally doing it tough while Johnny was his usual happy-go-lucky self helped by him having a substantial cooked breakfast every morning at the freezing works cafeteria.

Johnny really associated good times with good food and the camaraderie of being with his mates. Even though he a rough and tough character he had and an eye for treasures and Vera can remember on their holiday in Fiji not long after building their house the considerable money Johnny spent and how he sought out fine objects such as two leading jeweler manufactured brass ship's weather barometers that he later had mounted on hard wood and hung proudly in their home. Paintings, furniture, firearms he a keen eye for quality something he must have inherited from his mother.

I can remember the wading with Johnny in the water at Taieri Mouth with white bait net in hand and returning to the Burt's home where Johnny would cook up his legendary whitebait patties the biggest I have ever seen. He was a driving force behind the oyster season beer and oyster party the unarmed combat club had at my place and reveled in the food and fun with his mates.

Johnny told me of the real estate agents wanting him to sell his Brighton home and saying how it had a million dollar view. He would reply then get a million dollars for the view for me and I will keep the house.

I can always remember Johnny telling me never walk the same way twice as you may miss out on something good, one of his many sayings. He would come up with the odd riddle or rhyme some times to cover his feelings about something that really mattered to him and rather than showing any weakness he would put on the brave face and make out he cared little and pass it off as nothing, but for those of us that knew him we could see right through it.

During Johnny's years at law school and after he graduated, those close to Johnny saw less of him with his reclusive lifestyle outside working his taxi business and law work. He kind of kept his various friends in boxes and although he would turn up for short visits with his various friends there was no real connection between them or any of the previous gatherings at the Burt's he was well known for and so much enjoyed.

Every year I would invite Johnny for Christmas dinner and he would usually turn up around midnight for a quick bite and chat. Other times I would call him on his cell phone when he was working the taxi and always leave the same message, “John Findlayson Burt, Tank Todd here what are you up to?” He would always reply and let me know when he was going to call in to my Fight Times shop during the day for a catch up or drop in to my apartment late at night. Johnny was an interesting conversationalist and although some people had difficulty understanding his low pitched fast talk I did not. We would talk about firearms, hunting, fishing, and especially about Judith Ablett-Kerr QC, someone we both held in the highest regard as an expert. Johnny would talk about high profile trials in the media and his theories on these cases taking us into the early hours. He would often speak of a Judge O'Driscoll and how he considered him in the highest regard and someone who also had encouraged him to get into law. He respected Professor Henaghan immensely and told me of not only how he encouraged him to get into law but also how he was there for him every step of the way. The small pieces of advice and assistance meant so much to Johnny.

He was always very interested in my military unarmed combat work and my travels training and instructing overseas. When not driving his cab Johnny had a VW Beetle with the number plates FIN LAW and he really did take on the Rumpole persona getting around the town in this his personalized plated lawmobile.

Some incidents that epitomize Johnny Burt the rough and tough hard case character that he was that I can clearly recall include:

Johnny and Howard Bell once attended a karate grading being conducted by a visiting high-ranking Japanese Black belt. They couldn't wait to tell me of how during a break the Japanese Master opened the double swinging doors and respectively bowed only to have the swinging doors hit him in the back side leading to him ending up flat on his belly on the floor. Johnny loved such incidents and humor and always could find a lighthearted side to anything.

There was an incident where we ended up with an ancient genuine Japanese katana outside a pie cart and Johnny decided to test the quality of this fine blade on a tree. Well a single slash from Johnny twisted and bent the blade and to correct this he decided to duplicate the same in the opposite direction ending with some interesting bends and twists.

Johnny had a heart of gold, but if crossed he would totally wipe you and would pass you in the street as if you were not there as Vera recalls. If you made the fatal mistake of severely crossing Johnny he would get even and believed that vengeance was sweeter taken cold.

I first met Johnny the start of 1987 when one of my longest members, Howard Bell, brought him to training, as they were both Brighton boys as well as workmates both being meat inspectors. Johnny had told Howard of his interest in unarmed combat and of his previous training in the Bolton systems of unarmed combat. Johnny signed up with Tommy Bolton a well-known Dunedin professional wrestler who instructed his own system of unarmed combat and physical culture including weight training.

Tommy Bolton

Johnny completed the required physical fitness and weight training regime in order to be accepted into the unarmed combat training class. He begun his unarmed combat training under Tommy Bolton in his 20s and completed the three levels of training that made up the Bolton unarmed combat system. Johnny later joined the Todd Group training in the Todd Systems of close quarters combat including passing the grueling phase 1 test. I can remember all too clearly how Johnny, the big man he was, could move so fast leading to yet another name I gave him Flintstone, as in Fred Flintstone, the twinkle toes tenpin bowler.

Johnny Burt (far right)

Johnny was tough and skillful and if he could not out smart the enemy party on training or test phases he would drive forward and through his opposition, or stand toe to toe and never take a backward step. Johnny started training at the Todd Group February 4th 1987 and passed his grueling phase one test November 18th 1987. He was the recipient of the most dedicated trainee and most achieved trainee awards in 1987. Johnny was a current member and dedicated Todd Group supporter until the day he died.

Howard Bell told me if Johnny found a weakness in his workmates he would exploit it to the maximum near driving them crazy. Flicking offal at a coworker that did not like this or getting under the skin of an easily agitated fellow worker with the constant beckoning of him by HE HE HE HE.

One such story from decades ago was when Johnny run amok of a member of an official authority who in Johnny's words had it in for him. Johnny made life as difficult for this individual as possible and it was like a game of cat and mouse. Johnny always scheming and trying to get over or up on his adversary. Eventually he sent him coffin as a practical joke that received a less than appreciative response and he had to collect the coffin or end up in considerable trouble.

Now Johnny the goodhearted taxi driver would always give his fares the benefit of the doubt when it came to getting a bit unruly and on many occasions would give free rides or credit but when threatened then the 5 foot 4 inch 150 plus kg Johnny Burt would pounce like lightning in a flash and connect with devastating affect. More importantly he was quick of mind and a smart thinker well versed in dirty tricks brigade practices and how to employ minimum effort and achieve maximum results.

I can recall him telling me of two situations that happened in his cab and they went like this:

Heading up to the Hill suburbs a passenger in the backseat of Johnny's taxi decided to verbally threaten him then physically attack him from behind. Johnny quickly stopped the cab and got out opened the back door grabbed and pulled him out and when he continued to resist employed a Para lunge and double palm strikes to the chest sending him clean over a low fence. Johnny said there was a moment's silence followed by a high-pitched sound indicating a considerable decent then a smashing sound as the subject crashed through what ever was below.

The second incident was when again a backseat passenger decided to progress from verbal to threats of robbery and assault to actual physical assault. He decided to try and throttle Johnny from behind, not a great plan against a bull neck like Johnny had, at which point Johnny stopped the cab and employed the seated strangulation or choke escape we had practiced many times before in training. Once free, Johnny slid his seat back as far as it would go turned around to face his attacker kneeling on the front seat and seized his attacker pulling him towards him, followed by wrapping the drivers seat belt around his neck and garroting him. Johnny told him that's how you choke someone boy as he gave into the effects of the seat belt around his neck and Johnny opened the door and pushed him out.

Now Johnny had a low center of gravity and during phase 1 basic CQB training would combine his fast footwork and driving from the ground up with power shots that would regularly lift his enemy party clean off of the ground. I can recall his phase 1 test, the enemy party sent flying on the end of Johnny's hands or head butts always employed with momentum and in multiples. Johnny and Shaun Carroll squared off in Johnny's phase one test and neither cut the other any slack.

The following pictures are taken from film footage of Johnny's phase one test and him as enemy party on phase two test.

Unarmed combat phase, Johnny's Phase One test, enemy party George Shand

Combative Conditioning Phase One Test, coming back from the dead

Johnny Burt on the front foot against enemy party Shawn Carrol, unarmed combat phase.

The following sequence on Johnny's phase one test proves his considerable power lifting the enemy party clean off the ground with close range unarmed offensive assault.

On a phase two test during the skills execution phase where the enemy party was considerably smaller than himself he showed restraint until I warned him for holding back and in an instant his training partner had been picked up to full extension and body slammed into the deck in a heap.

Johnny enemy party, phase two test toughner and sickner phase.

Johnny enemy party, phase two test toughner and sickner phase.

I was very proud of Johnny and his achievements and he graciously donated to the Todd Group history room his level three blazer patch from Tommy Bolton's unarmed combat school.

Johnny Burt's level three blazer patch from Tommy Bolton's unarmed combat school.

Johnny had many friends at the Todd Group and one special mate was Jon Moke who delighted in his visits to Johnny's Brighton home and the generous meals provided. Johnny would call in to see Jon over the years when driving his taxi in south Dunedin to catch up on his mate.

During his many years of committed study of the law when at times he would confide in me that he wondered if it was the right thing to do and how hard he found some of the workload, I would remind him that he had never quitted in anything before and that I knew he had no intention now. I would remind him of how I would be at his admittance to the bar and how he had better invite me after forgetting to let me know about his university graduation. Now when the time came I got more of the old I've got the bloody admission to the bar next week but you don't need to bother with that. My reply was we will see about that and I wouldn't miss it for anything. I told him I had waited long enough was downright proud of him and would be there to celebrate his great achievement.

Johnny Burt (back row, left), admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 2001.

Johnny Burt with Tank Todd at his admittance to the bar.

It was a very proud day for me as Johnny's friend knowing all the adversity he had faced and how he had succeeded in achieving his objectives against considerable odds. Now as the years went on and everyone became busier the visits to Brighton from Jon Moke and I were no longer, apart from the occasional time I would call in and catch him at home. He had become so busy with his study and driving the taxi and assisting at the community law center and later his legal aid court work we did not see near as much of him.

Another training mate of Johnny's was the late Anthony Whiting whose dog Fritz Johnny would also look after when called upon and when Anth passed away Johnny was there to assist with his funeral. Johnny assisted many club members including myself in many ways.

I can remember the council complaining of the height of my hedge and I must have mentioned this to Johnny only to come home one day to find he had chain sawed the hedge down to almost ground height and removed it all. He helped me shift from that house when I brought another and he moved everything like he was clearing the hedge, a right workhorse, fast and furiously.

After his passing I was most surprised when Vera and Cathy Anne invited me out to sort through Johnny's things and what I found. Well he had masses of brand new clothing and shoes and we are talking top labels that he never even opened the packets, let alone put on. He had every new appliance, work tool, machine and gadget and some in multiples and still in their boxes and stacked up. Goodness knows what his motivation was to buy so much of everything and just hord it and I guess we will never really know, but Vera explained it away as he loved to shop and had that real eye for quality.

Johnny did so much for so many and will never be forgotten. Sitting here writing his story I feel so proud to have been a friend of Johnny's and the memories keep coming back of the many great times shared with Johnny Burt a loyal friend.

The Todd Group at the annual prize giving now have a Johnny Burt Memorial Award for Loyalty. The first recipient of this award was the Todd Group's most respected member in World War II Bomber Command veteran Bill Hall.