Instructor Profile Dave Proctor – LaTrobe Valley

PROFILE

NAME: Dave Proctor, 3rd Degree

LOCATION: LaTrobe Valley, VIC

BRIEF HISTORY: 

Early in 1986, aged 9, and after many Bruce Lee movies, I pestered my parents into letting me try martial arts.  After trying a local Karate school in Moe, a family contact reminded Dad that his second cousin was the local Rhee International Taekwondo senior instructor. I can remember the first night and the nervousness I felt, so much so that Dad joined in.  We trained for about  5 years (the memory blurs a bit with time!) at which stage Dad had achieved his First Degree and I was Brown Belt (2^nd Gup).  At which time we decided to take a break.

We returned (along with my sister) to Rhee Taekwondo in (about) 1992. 1993 was VCE for me so, naturally, I trained 4-5 nights a week! Thankfully a sparing accident left me with a couple of badly broken bones in my foot which preserved my university aspirations as I could only train 2 nights a week. I completed VCE and was accepted into Melbourne University – which had a Rhee TKD club.

A month into first semester I attained my First Degree, I also met my future wife that month so it was a busy time. Some time later the instructor left and I was both club secretary and instructor. This was a huge challenge as we had over 150 members; my largest class was 74 students- rather intimidating for a newly promoted First Degree Blackbelt.

Two years later I left Melbourne to pursue other study. Returning to Melbourne, getting married and starting an apprenticeship left little time for Tae Kwon-Do but in 1996 I resumed training with Rhee Tae Kwon-Do with my wife starting as a beginner. Two years later I was again graded by Master Rhee earning a Second Degree.

I then returned to the LaTrobe Valley, in Gippsland Victoria, still training with Rhee TKD. After a time I left Rhee TKD and joined Southern Tae Kwon Do (no relation to Southern ITF). There I was asked to start a club in Morwell, which I subsequently moved to Traralgon. At around this time Dad restarted training in Taekwon-Do. By default I was given a 3^rd degree Blackbelt by the club’s director in late 2006- I thought I was going to the grading to make up the numbers for sparring!

After much soul searching I decided in 2009 to seek out another Taekwon-Do organisation. My criteria were relatively simple, or so I thought:  A professionally managed organisation, consistent standards applied impartially to all students, ITF style and, most importantly, headed by a true Master of Taekwon-Do.

After much searching and discussion with people in the Taekwon-Do community in late 2010 I discovered Il Shim. I asked around and found some people who knew of Il Shim by reputation and spoke highly of the organisation but did not directly know any Il Shim member. I emailed the organisation who put Mr. Paul Harper in touch with me. Mr Harper travelled to Traralgon to meet me and invited some students and I to attend a MasterClass and grading to meet Master Daher.

Finally I’d found what I was searching for, a true Master of Taekwon-Do and a properly managed organisation. I raced to join myself and my students.

Taekwon-Do Highlights.

Watching my father and daughter train together – we regularly have three generations training together.

Seeing students who entered my hall years before as beginners achieve their Black Belt