Shihan Ian Jeffs, Hanshi Tom Bellamy and Kyoshi Rene Roggeveen.
Photo: Supplied.
BY RENE ROGGEVEEN
Local Martial Arts Instructors from the Sports Karate Australia Dojo in Wynnum were honoured on Saturday the 30th April by Hanshi Tom Bellamy 8th Dan JuJitsu, World Vice President and Australian President of the World Ju Jitsu and Kobudo Organisation.
Hanshi Tom, who will be inducted into the Australian Martial Arts Hall of Fame later this year, presented Kyoshi Rene Roggeveen 7th Dan Karate, and Shihan Ian Jeffs 5th Dan Karate, with their 5th Dan and 2nd Dan respectively in Jujitsu.
Hanshi Tom travels regularly to Europe and the USA presenting seminars to some of the world’s leading Instructors. Based in Redcliffe, Hanshi Tom has been associated with the Sports Karate Dojo since the 1990s, at first presenting monthly seminars and for several years now, weekly classes at the SKA Dojo.
“Kyoshi Rene and Shihan Ian have contributed a lot over the years to Martial Arts in Queensland, their Dojo is known far and wide as one of the best,” explained Hanshi Tom. “It has been my pleasure to help foster their JuJitsu program and help their students prosper.”
Kyoshi Rene has been teaching Karate in Wynnum since 1985, producing a number of world-class athletes over the years. In 1990, he met Hanshi Tom while both giving seminars on the Sunshine Coast. Both had just competed internationally and they established an immediate rapport and saw the value of working together.
“When we met in 1990, we both learnt quickly that we would benefit from working together and learning from each other,” explained Kyoshi Rene.
“It was clear to us that there were three stages of unarmed contact: defending when you have distance (or room to move); close quarters (standing toe to toe), and grappling (wrestling and ending up on the ground).
“To be properly able to defend oneself, you would need to be proficient in all three. So we brought Tom on board as a consultant for the third phase. He has been instructing us and our students since 1991 and I in turn, give seminars at his National Congress and Dojo.”
Kyoshi Rene says the exchange has been very beneficial, and to be granted a 5th Dan in JiJitsu and Ian a 2nd Dan, on top of the other grades over the years, is a huge compliment.
Sports Karate Australia is located on Level 1 at 69 Clara Street, Wynnum Central. To find out more, phone 0412 061 407.
