As some of you know, I have some significant changes on my horizon over the next few years. I have formally accepted an offer to study Physiotherapy at the Bundaberg campus of CQ University, and will be commencing the degree starting the week of March 5.
What this will mean for me is that I will have to travel to Bundaberg to meet the face-to-face requirements for the degree. I will be doing so weekly while term is on and most likely be there for three days per week for at least this year and next before being able to finish the remainder of the degree “remotely” while having a practicum placement (with the plan to do that here in Toowoomba).
The most immediate effect for the Club will be that I will have to hand over some of the regular teaching responsibilities to Brady in Jujutsu, Minty in Kendo and for Tracy and Sian to hold the fort for Iaido.
At this stage, it looks like I will be in Toowoomba Saturday through Tuesday, though depending on what time classes start on Wednesday morning, I may have to leave Tuesday afternoon. We will be shifting FlexiFit to a Monday evening from 5 March, and I may offer an chuden/joden intensive session for Jujutsu for an hour before Kendo on the weekend. However, I will not have certainty around this for at least another week, so do stay tuned!
On the up side, there are some opportunities already emerging for the BBRD ethos to spread its wings and involve new folk in Bundaberg and the surrounding district in what we do. I have already been planning with Tamara and Ivan from Gin Gin to begin a kendo class on a Wednesday night, and will see what interest I might be able to generate for teaching Kendo and Jujutsu in Bundaberg on a Thursday night. In addition, we might start to trial the “Virtual Dojo” idea for iaido and set up a videoconference style session to link the BBRD diaspora in at least one or two sessions a month on a Thursday night.
I am confident that this will be a great opportunity to both grow BBRD as an organisation. I’m looking forward to the new challenges, and to seeing how everyone continues to progress throughout the year ahead.