Andreas and Myles Yorke to carry on their dad's party legacy

ANGELO MARCELLE

"Every sunset is the beginning of a new dawn."

From this expressed viewpoint, brothers Andreas and Myles Yorke, sons of the late veteran party promoter, Gerard Yorke, will carry on their father's legacy with the dawning of a new event.

February 5 will see the of birth of New Dawn when Andreas, 28, and Myles, 27, pay tribute to their father and his brand, Yorke Incorporated, with a premium breakfast and drinks-inclusive event.

Andreas said, "At age 24 he started inviting me to all his events and I had to attend whether I liked it or not. I didn't appreciate it much because the music at many of his events, to me, was outdated. I eventually joined his events committee and got small roles. Myles was studying abroad at the time and was more involved in sports.

"I was brought in to target a younger audience and to transfer the brand loyalty to those younger faces. In 2018, I got to be much more involved. I was given stage management and artiste bookings to oversee and really got to understand the groundwork some more."

Sadly, on November 17, 2022, Gerard Yorke, the former Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) CEO (Ag), died after battling medical issues.

"Even with all the challenges he had, he used his connections while on his hospital bed to ensure that plans for an event went smoothly. He was always positive, looking forward to what was to come (and) speaking about investors and getting the word out to companies."

On May 1, 2022, under the guidance of their father, the brothers held Roasted, a food fest at Rock Back, Chaguaramas. They produced a successful resurgence and rebranding of Yorke Inc, after the two-year break due to the pandemic. As usual, Gerard was at the door collecting tickets and welcoming patrons.

"It was the first event where we combined the younger and older crowd. It was also Myles' first hands-on involvement. We targeted the 27-35 age group and of course, kept the signature roast pork. We realised that the roast pork always had the longest lines at his events."

Gerard was involved in the promotion of parties for more than 30years.

"At his funeral the priest said that in their parties in Woodbrook, he noticed that dad would mark every face and every new face and form a bond with all. He liked to see everyone having a good time."

Unknown to the brothers, Gerard was involved in many charities but his death brought all of this to light.

"Along with being a great father, he was very charitable. One of his main charities was the Credo Foundation. We spoke with a representative from them and promised to continue supporting."

Myles said, "It is a privilege for Andreas and myself to follow in the footsteps of the late Gerard Yorke to continue this magnificent legacy he built over the years.

"We hope to continue to bring people happiness and fun through entertainment as he countlessly did, starting with New Dawn."

The breakfast party, the first under the Yorke Inc events banner, is scheduled for the same morning when Pan Trinbago will host the National Panorama semifinals competition.

"We didn't want to host the party at the same time in respect for the national instrument, although there were times his events were hosted at the same time as the International Soca Monarch (ISM) semis and he was still successful. This was at a time when the ISM had the mega stars competing.

"Our party will be a warm-up for pan semis as we would also have a live steelband playing. We included the live steelband because a lot of younger people may not have a total appreciation for it. However, when played during a party, they will say, 'this is a vibe.' We are hoping this inclusion encourages them to go."

According to Andreas, any event that his father hosted would be branded as Classic Yorke Events, while the new ones (like New Dawn and Roasted), would be New Gen Yorke Events.