In the Beginning………….

Henry’s Corner May 2011 Issue 2

IN THE BEGINNING ……………

Dear Friends

As winter settles in and the chirping of little feathered creatures in the trees brightens up otherwise gloomy mornings and evenings I reflect upon the swift passage of time and the inevitable changes we constantly experience. In this transient existence we call life I often stop and ponder upon the interconnectivity of our lives’ events and their complex causal relationships.

Every time I pass by the old building in Liverpool Street in the heart of Sydney which used to house the headquarters of the Australian Tae Kwon Do Academy where Master Daher and I began our training in the early seventies, I am touched by the nostalgia of times which left an indelible mark and forever changed our lives. If we are supposed to be the sum total of our experiences, then the years we spent at this Academy shaped our identities permanently. We were in our early teens when we commenced our training and Tae Kwon Do became a part of our self image. We may have come from a variety of cultural and racial backgrounds but we were united by the core values of Tae Kwon Do which had universal appeal. If we can define a culture as a set of values, then we were bonded by the system of belief in this sub-culture known as Tae Kwon Do.

We were members of one of the most successful martial arts organizations in Australia and wore our badges with great pride. Just recently Master Daher reminded me how, when he attained his yellow belt, he was so full of pride that he would carry his belt in his hand on the way and back from the gym so everyone could recognise his achievement. We believed we were training in the best system and convinced of the superiority of our school.

Discipline was strictly enforced during those days and classes were run in a quasi-militaristic manner. Sparring in the early days was conducted without any protective gear so, unfortunately, injuries were more common. Senior members commanded strict obedience and black belts were accorded the respect usually given to military officers. Even outside the gym we treated our senior members with deference. This was an indication of how Tae Kwon Do was not just an activity we engaged in for an hour and a half each day but an art which assumed a centrality in our lives.

We had commenced our training during a time when there was a surge of popularity in martial arts in Australia. Clubs were sprouting up everywhere and many people from all walks of life were eager to learn an art of self defence. There was a fascination for these disciplines and people wanted to explore what appeared so exotic. We did not conduct many tournaments in the early years but provided a multitude of demonstrations for the general public at a variety of venues including the Hordern Pavilion and the Sydney Opera House. The demonstration at the Opera House in the mid-seventies was a memorable occasion which was called “Tae Kwon Do Night” and held in the main concert hall. If my memory serves me correctly, we attracted an audience of about one thousand people that evening. Master Daher and I were the only two non black belts who were invited to participate. We were black tips at the time.

One of the other demonstrations I recall clearly was at the Hordern Pavillion in Sydney. Hush, one of the most popular bands in Australia in the seventies, invited us to put on a fast and furious demonstration on stage before they would jump on and begin their concert in front of thousands of people with their song “Nunchaku Man.” This is another indication of the popularity of martial arts at the time.

The first Australian tournament organized by our Academy was held at the Alexandria Basketball Stadium in Sydney but Master Daher was absent from this event and there was a good reason. Apparently, our instructor, Master Young Ku Yun, would not allow Master Daher to compete for some time because Master Daher was too “enthusiastic” about “punishing” his opponents on the floor. Nevertheless, Master Yun would still put Master Daher on the floor if he needed to prove the superiority of our academy. Master Daher certainly has the martial spirit!

Due to the commercial success of his organization, Master Yun was able to operate a full time training centre which occupied one whole floor of that building in the centre of Sydney. Hence we were fortunate enough to have available to us a large and well equipped facility which we could use seven days a week. There was a main training hall, a second training hall, a private training room for black belts, a large change room, offices, etc. I still recall visiting our gym on the weekends when it would be completely empty with some of my fellow practitioners if we happened to be in the city and venting our youthful energy by going on a rampage against the punching bags, screaming at the top of our voices. It was great stress relief!

Training became an obsession for some of us. We were at the gym six days a week come rain or shine for many years. Some of us were doing supplementary training in private in addition to the formal sessions at the gym. The biggest danger we faced was becoming stale through over training. But not only did we train together, we often socialized with each other. So there was great camaraderie and many friendships were formed. Friendships that were based on mutual respect and shared values.

Out of the original group that trained at the Liverpool Street headquarters, to my knowledge Master Daher is the “last man standing.” He is the only one who never lost his passion for the art and maintained his full time devotion to it. I do not believe there was even a single hiatus in his involvement in the art throughout all these years. I harbour no doubt that he will continue to make significant contributions to the development and propagation of Tae Kwon Do for many more years to come.

Let the journey continue!