Professor Peter Collins, a long time friend and former lecturer of Kerry's, speaks of the "wonderful richness" of Kerry's life and the "incredible variety of his gifts and achievements". He said that if he had to choose a single phrase to identify the special essence of Kerry's personality it would be the phrase: “a genius for friendship” in both his professional and personal life.

Kerry had a rich array of interests, which ranged from contemporary and military history to heraldry, American politics and vexillology. He was a knowledgeable and insightful historian who easily had the intellectual gifts to have made this his profession, as his early academic career attests. He also had a formidable knowledge of both physical and political geography which was greatly enriched by his enthusiasm for international travel.

Kerry was a devoted parishioner of St Michael and All Angels in Observatory, serving on the church council and busying himself with fund-raising activities for this highest of Anglo Catholic communities. He was a profoundly religious man, whose fondness for the ritual and liturgy of his faith sustained him richly in the last months of his life.

Kerry was born in the then-Northern Rhodesia in 1958 and educated in Rhodesia before attending the University of Cape Town, where he obtained a BA (Hons) degree in political science. 

At UCT, his engaging personality, conviviality, enthusiasm, energy, and exceptional general knowledge, coupled with his unique ability to sustain friendships with varied and interesting personalities made him one of the best known students of his era. He was highly active in the different structures of student government, reaching the position of RAG Chairman in 1982.  He was instrumental in forming a number of societies including the exclusive organization, OVOSC.

It was also at UCT that he forged some of his life long friendships.

After the death in 1984 of one of his closest friends, Dwane Martin, Kerry together with a handful of friends and colleagues established the Dwane Martin Memorial Scholarship which later expanded to incorporate the Sir Richard Luyt Scholarship. Significantly the DMMS was the first Scholarship at UCT to recognize Leadership in Student Government and was the precursor to UCT's own prestigious Leadership Awards which were established in 2000.

After graduating, he was employed as a research fellow in the Department of Political Studies before becoming a professional assistant, speechwriter and communications adviser in the office of the Mayor of Cape Town.

After a brief period as public affairs adviser with Shell SA, he lectured Politics at UCT and was chief speechwriter for the Mayor of Cape Town, before joining public affairs firm Corporate Image in 1989. It was here that he, Kevin Kevany and Tamra Veley built the company into South Africa's premier public affairs consultancy, with a distinguished portfolio of major national and multi-national clients.

Kerry's strengths in this powerful professional partnership lay in lobbying, company transformation, image management, black empowerment partnerships, major project development and the co-ordination of major national bids
and tenders in the public domain. A great number of Cape Town's landmarks were conceptualised by Kerry.

The number of awards, commendations and citations that pack the Corporate Image boardroom, are testimony to the achievements and skills of the company.

As evidence of Kerry's extraordinary variety of enthusiasm, he was a member of the SA Institute of Race Relations and the South African Institute for International Affairs, and was associated with the Institute for the Study of Public Policy at the University of Cape Town, for whom he reserved an especial affection and close connection.

As testimony to the regard and affection in which Kerry was held, his funeral in June 2008 was attended by almost 500 people from many parts of South Africa and abroad, and from many different walks of life. After the service a wake was held at the Cape Town Club, an institution of which he was a past chairman and which occupied so important and fond a place in his life.

In 1999, he married Tamra, entering into what was without doubt the happiest period of his life, for it was with his family that Kerry was at his most contented. His love for Tamra was genuine, enviable and inspirational.

Kerry's single most notable characteristic was his determination to live a life full of energy, enthusiasm and conviviality. This zeal was exercised through his passion for friendship, his wide-ranging involvement in the life of his society, and his love for Tamra.

Kerry is best remembered for his incredible sense of friendship and generosity.  He was an immensely talented man, a formidable and peerless organiser and an academic with great insight into a wide variety of subjects.  He was possessed of great wit and a conspicuous sense of humour, tempered by a wisdom that belied his age even as a youngster.  His commitment to the many organisations in which he was involved displayed an unselfish idealism and commitment. He always made time for everyone. Above all, Kerry was a loyal friend and simply a great man.