2007
This proved to be a busy year.
In January I ran a knife defence session for Aikibudo Australia's seminar which was well received. Then in February Karol Stojko, Dante Roccisano and others in the AMAA approved my 6th Dan. Proud to have achieved this within the organization of which Rob Dobson had founded 25 years previous for contact combat styles and orphaned clubs. This is all in the minutes of the meeting at the time and was recognised later by the IBF.
It was also when I met with Sensei Terry Riches, President of the IBF Australia. It soon became obvious the new AMAA leadership was not there for the members so I resigned in March and joined the IBF Australia where I knew I could achieved more for all the members who had walked away from the AMAA. Now we had an international decades old organization to continue what the AMAA founders had built, a better martial arts community.
After 24 years of supporting the AMAA as a member, working actively on the committee, sponsoring and officiating tournaments it was a sad time but I was glad founder Karol joined me as well. It proved to be the best thing that could have happened all of us. It’s been exciting to have the opportunity to continue working with a better community of martial artists, especially with Karol and Dante supporting me.
Terry Warke, Bruce Freeman, Tracy Ellis, Phil Barker, Mick Murphy, Ivan McWilliams and so many others who all joined the IBF soon afterwards.
Terry Riches presented me with an IBF 6th Dan certificate in recognition of my work and performance and shortly after asked me to take on the role as Vice President nationally. I have taken on that role whole heartedly. I'm now am involved in many new projects including constructing and maintaining the website.
In September 2007 I had managed to encourage Sensei Rob Dobson to meet with me in Blacktown, Sydney to catch up with the mentor he hadn’t seen for 30 years, GM Wally Szlagowski. Sensei Bruce Freeman had set up a great weekend of training and reunion night. Rob passed onto me that weekend an original training film sent to Wally in the 1960’s by Yasuhiro Konishi and I have now put it up on youtube for all to see, especially for my friends in the Ryobukai. (organization of Shindo Jinen Ryu Karate Do ) Also was a DVD with many films of the early SAKA fights and early training days with the Salisbury karate club in the 1970’s. It proved to be a very important time for it was soon after that GM Wally was killed in a pedestrian accident.
In October 2007 I hosted the first IBF training day with over 50 people representing 14 clubs from here and interstate.
Soon after I attended a Systema seminar and was a guest of Sifu Nino Pilla to train at the Legends Tour with Dan Insonato, Francis Fong, and Jean Jacques Machado, for this I am very grateful.
This proved to be a busy year.
In January I ran a knife defence session for Aikibudo Australia's seminar which was well received. Then in February Karol Stojko, Dante Roccisano and others in the AMAA approved my 6th Dan. Proud to have achieved this within the organization of which Rob Dobson had founded 25 years previous for contact combat styles and orphaned clubs. This is all in the minutes of the meeting at the time and was recognised later by the IBF.
It was also when I met with Sensei Terry Riches, President of the IBF Australia. It soon became obvious the new AMAA leadership was not there for the members so I resigned in March and joined the IBF Australia where I knew I could achieved more for all the members who had walked away from the AMAA. Now we had an international decades old organization to continue what the AMAA founders had built, a better martial arts community.
After 24 years of supporting the AMAA as a member, working actively on the committee, sponsoring and officiating tournaments it was a sad time but I was glad founder Karol joined me as well. It proved to be the best thing that could have happened all of us. It’s been exciting to have the opportunity to continue working with a better community of martial artists, especially with Karol and Dante supporting me.
Terry Warke, Bruce Freeman, Tracy Ellis, Phil Barker, Mick Murphy, Ivan McWilliams and so many others who all joined the IBF soon afterwards.
Terry Riches presented me with an IBF 6th Dan certificate in recognition of my work and performance and shortly after asked me to take on the role as Vice President nationally. I have taken on that role whole heartedly. I'm now am involved in many new projects including constructing and maintaining the website.
In September 2007 I had managed to encourage Sensei Rob Dobson to meet with me in Blacktown, Sydney to catch up with the mentor he hadn’t seen for 30 years, GM Wally Szlagowski. Sensei Bruce Freeman had set up a great weekend of training and reunion night. Rob passed onto me that weekend an original training film sent to Wally in the 1960’s by Yasuhiro Konishi and I have now put it up on youtube for all to see, especially for my friends in the Ryobukai. (organization of Shindo Jinen Ryu Karate Do ) Also was a DVD with many films of the early SAKA fights and early training days with the Salisbury karate club in the 1970’s. It proved to be a very important time for it was soon after that GM Wally was killed in a pedestrian accident.
In October 2007 I hosted the first IBF training day with over 50 people representing 14 clubs from here and interstate.
Soon after I attended a Systema seminar and was a guest of Sifu Nino Pilla to train at the Legends Tour with Dan Insonato, Francis Fong, and Jean Jacques Machado, for this I am very grateful.