Thanks again for another great term – it is great to see the steady progress made by all, keep it up.

Before I continue with this newsletter, I would just like to say that last term was marred by tragedy. Leighton and Sarinah Archer’s father, Ross, suddenly passed away a couple of weeks back and, on behalf of our club; I would like to offer the Archer family our sincere condolences.

We will always remember Ross as a happy and cheerful parent, proudly watching his Son and Daughter’s remarkable commitment and their steady climb through the ranks. You will not be forgotten!

Last term was a busy period for Helena and I.

Our trip to Europe was fantastic and we had a fairly intense time catching up with old friends and relations. We also held three seminars for our old students, giving them an insight as to how our style has developed over the past 8-years. The seminars were very well received and we managed to grade Fredrik Yderström to 2^nd Dan – he performed amazingly well, which was to expected given the huge amount of time that he has spent in China studying Martial Arts.

Fredrik has spent a total of 5-years in Beijing for his Martial Arts degree. In that time, he has entered and made a real mark on the full-contact circuit there. He has also mastered quite a number of Chinese forms, including a variety of weapons but what I found interesting is that he has not been taught any applications at all – even at that level.

We also assessed Åsa Bräster and Göran Kirsch. Their standards were very good and we were able to grant them a partial pass that will become unconditional once they submit a video containing the required katas and modified bunkai.

We also spent 5-days in the UK and were able to catch up with the entire karate crowd from the Bugeikan. We haven’t seen some of these people since 1989 and it was great to see that the majority of them are still training.

Kevin Fox sends his regards to all of you. He confirmed his intention to immigrate to New Zealand with his family. It would certainly be fantastic to have access to a person with his level of skill, knowledge and experience at our door step. Exactly when this will happen is unclear as he is still looking for a company in New Zealand that is prepared to sponsor him and his family.

I would like to thank Dale Hutton, Jack Akker, Jon Hopkins, Jocelyn Scott, Rob McGregor and Leighton Archer for running the club so well during our absence.

As usual, I would like to report on my health, which, thankfully, has taken a dramatic turn for the better. The long and hard treatment protocol I have been following is now showing very measurable results and I can now start the painful battle to regain some/all of my former fitness. Ouch, it hurts just thinking about it.

Before I can do this, though, I am going to have to go through a minor operation, which may see me on the sidelines for a little longer while the scars heal – this operation will be scheduled within the next 2-3 weeks.

A couple of important notices for next term: Deanwell School may commence a rather large re-roofing project. If so, it will start within a couple of weeks into the term and will end before start of term in February. As each block undergoes re-roofing, the affected classes will move into the sports halls.

When this happens, the hall will not be available to us. We are therefore looking for alternative venues, such as the Melville Intermediate School hall. We will let you know if and when this will take place, as well as the location for our new temporary venue – any ideas would be appreciated.

Secondly, we will be arranging another summer camp at Pukehina. It will be open to all students in the adult class, but we will be concentrating on mainly higher grade tuition. The camp will take place in the latter half of November – we will announce the dates as soon as we have secured the hall.

Well done all.

The sparring competition was as exciting as ever with some really good technique being displayed. Well done to the blue team who won this term.

Our long standing dispute with Karate New Zealand over their failure to supply black belt certificates is nearing conclusion. Our plans to withdraw from the organisation will not now happen as a result.

Due to my illness, we have not been advertising for new students for quite some time – this is why numbers in the Junior club have dwindled somewhat. We will be having a major drive to recruit new members in the beginning of next year. If you know of anyone interested in joining, bring them along. Also, all you parents who secretly would like to train, this could be a great new year’s resolution!!

Lastly, a reminder to all to pay membership fees as soon as possible next term – it saves me from having to chase people. We will no longer be taking credit card payments directly. If you wish to pay by credit card, you can do so through our website. The website utilises PayPal as a secure transaction methodology and all major credit cards are accepted.