Kambukai Member & Chairperson
I started training in 1974 in Kyokushinkai Karate at the Upper Hutt Karate Club, which was a member of the Rembuden organisation established by Sensei John Jarvis in the 60’s.
In the late 70’s I spent 12 months living in Australia and trained in Tae Kwon Do for this period.
I was training for my Shodan in Kyokushinkai when Rembuden affiliated to Sensei Higaonna and the organisation started training in Okinawan Goju Ryu. My grading for Shodan in Goju was in 1980 at Sensei Jarvis’s Rembuden Dojo in Newtown, Wellington.
My most recent grading was in 2017 for Nanadan in Okinawa, Japan.
I have travelled overseas on a number of occasions to train with Sensei Morio Higaonna, the chief instructor for the IOGKF. These have been to Okinawa in 1981, 1998 and 2006, the USA in 1989/90 and 1991/2, and Australia in 1996. The longest period was one visit to the United States, which was for a two-month duration.
With regard to Goju as a style of karate I think that with the wide range of skills and knowledge required by Goju practioners there is never a shortage of personal challenges when training, which I personally find very motivating.