My Karate journey began as a seventeen year old. After successfully completing Year Twelve in 1986, I decided I was ready to give karate a go. My best friend, Sensei Darren Newbegin, went for his black belt with Heiwa No Tai Karate Do that year. Having him there at the beginning of my karate career was great. We would travel to and from karate together and his positive influence certainly set me on the right path.
After what I guess was about three months, I really began to enjoy karate, not so much because Darren was there, but because I was thoroughly enjoying the karate for myself.
I clearly recall how difficult it was to master certain moves, and learn how to perform them, techniques that I now regard as natural as blinking. All the while I was learning I was thinking, “will I ever learn the correct way to do this?” It all looked so easy when others did the moves; I felt totally uncoordinated and at times became frustrated with my lack of progress.
Thankfully the moves began to fall into place and I felt that other students weren’t thinking how silly I looked. I began to train three times a week at different clubs, as well as self training and often getting together with Darren to train together on a one-to-one basis.
I prided myself to learn all the numerous techniques (kihon) and the Japanese terminology for these and absolutely loved the differing forms of kumite. The katas (patterns) became their own art form, and it was terrific to develop them in such a way that I could actually know and feel if I had not performed a move correctly. The koans (Japanese riddles) were and probably still are the aspect of karate I found most fulfilling, because it is from these that I can learn so much about life itself.
I progressed and was graded for my Shodan-Ho with Heiwa No Te Karate Association of Australia on the 12th of November, 1989. After this I was given the responsibility to teach and train students in both Thomastown and in Mill Park.
In 1990 I married my beautiful wife of eighteen years, Michelle. In this year I graduated and received a Diploma of Education. With only very few jobs in Melbourne available, we moved to Queensland, where employment in the area of education was easier to ascertain. In the ten months of living here, I opened a karate club in Burleigh Heads with Seishin Seiryoku Karate Do. However, feeling homesick, we decided to come and live back in Melbourne in 1991.
Early in 1992 Sensei Darren Newbegin and I opened a Karate Club, San Ni Tai, in North Fitzroy. In 1993 we affiliated with Hideyuki Ashihara in Japan. We ran this club together for four years before I felt I needed some time to explore other physical sports.
I had a two year break before I opened the doors to Power of Won Karate in 1999 in Greensborough. The club has and I am extremely proud to teach about one hundred and fifty Junior students and forty Senior students. Hopefully the students enjoy learning as much as I enjoy teaching.
