Keep your comments polite, on topic and succinct. Play nice and everyone benefits!.
I want too start by acknowledging that it has been a very long while since the last Budo Bulletin came out in August, and we are now rapidly heading towards the end of the year that was.
There has been a lot that has occurred since the last post in August, so I will probably send out a more fulsome “year in review” post before New Year. In this edition, I’d like to focus on a few of the end of year tidy ups, so lets get to it!
Just a quick reminder that the next few weeks will involve a bit of a disruption from normal programming.
First, I am off to Gin Gin next weekend to help prepare folk for Kendo, Iaido and Jodo gradings coming up, and to conduct a BBRD Jujutsu grading.
The following weekend, I am in Brisbane for some Physiotherapy related professional development, so will be unavailable Saturday. We will confirm the availability of people to cover Saturday classes.
Two weeks after that (Saturday 17 September), the Club is hosting the QKR SEQ regional grading opportunity. At this stage grading opportunities for Kendo and Iaido are guaranteed, and we are awaiting confirmation on Jodo.
Unfortunately, as QKR members will be aware, the proposed QKR North Queensland has had to be cancelled, but this will mean that I will actually be in town that Saturday for regular training. In addition, Sunday 25 September there will be the first post-COVID IBF training day in Brisbane for those interested in participating.
1 October I’m hoping to make a day of it and get some training in with Tom Johnson sensei for iaido and jodo in the morning and with Takashi Itakura sensei in the afternoon for kendo
Finally, the Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival will be held on Saturday 15 October, and once again the Club will be there providing demonstrations in support. This year will be a little different in format, with the activities happening over the afternoon and evening (3–8pm) in the theme of a street festival.
So plenty to look forward to and sink your teeth into over the coming months!
It’s been a while since our last Budo Bulletin. The past few months have been a bit of a blur personally, in between work commitments, hosting events here in Toowoomba, a family trip away, and being unwell the past few weeks.
As a result of all this, it has felt like it has been difficult to build the momentum necessary to front up to train and teach, and to keep on top of the behind the scenes activities for the Club and QKR Treasurer’s role.
This feeling of burn out is fairly common at this time of year. Short hours of daylight and cold weather can make it much harder to feel like you have the energy to go into the dark and cold to go and train something that will challenge your physicality and your focus. As a result, class numbers wildly fluctuate and people who were once regular stalwarts become absent friends.
I would like to put out a rallying call to our community. A call to reconnect, restart and refocus our own individual journeys in a way that will help all of us to do the same. This is because our training always happens in the context of someone else’s contribution of their time and physical presence. We don’t progress by throwing our effort into the void.
In saying this, I acknowledge how hard all three can be to address when restarting after an absence.: The re-familiarisation with the reason you wanted to start in the first place; the decision to make sure that you actively choose to walk into the dojo.; and, of course, reflecting on the “what now” to guide what you want your training to achieve. These all time mental energy and time that can seem scant, especially before the Equinox.
I want to help by restating my own commitment to reconnect, restart and refocus my martial arts journey. This includes some grading goals in the short to medium term and a reorganising of my own training schedule to facilitate this. And of course that cannot be done without the help and support of the Club community.
So I ask everyone to step back into the breach. Reach out and let us know how you have been. Just turn up. And think on what you want to achieve from your training. Together, all things are possible.
私たちが頑張れば、それは可能です
Watashitachi ga ganbareba, sore wa kanōdesu
If we do our best, it can be done
We have been refining the way that we fulfil Club orders over the past year or so, and are wanting to bed down some regular protocols to avoid some of the difficulties that we have encountered over the past few months.
In particular, when putting in our Tozando orders, we have often been caught out by the slow pace that wooden weapons are currently being manufactured in Japan. This is down to a range of factors including fewer artisans working in the industry post-COVID, problems with securing supply of raw materials, especially Japanese white oak, and global supply chain issues that have slowed the shipping of orders once ready.
In response we will be putting in a “recommended guide to purchasing from Tozando” page in the members section of the website, which will put our recommendations and experience with specific items. Next, we will be separating orders into “fast ship items”, which are those that are usually to hand and will ship quickly” and “slow ship items” such as wooden weapons and custom items that may take weeks or months to made before they are ready to ship.
Third, we will be posting a step-by-step guide to placing your order through the Club so that this can be done as smoothly as possible. This will be your go-to information source, and hopefully avoid having to resend the same information out each time.
I will try to have both guides up ASAP, but certainly in the next week.
I’m hoping that we can make our next order within the fortnight — uniforms and shinai, so that they can make it in time for upcoming events. Remember that ordering through the Club allows us to pass on savings, and the larger the order, the bigger the saving as a percentage overall.
There are still quite a few items coming up on the Club calendar over the next few months. First is a trip to Gin Gin in support of those attempting Kendo gradings in September and December, and to conduct a jujutsu grading. The date for this is still to be set, but likely on 27–28 August, with a Toowoomba jujutsu grading opportunity the following week.
I am also wanting to put into the calendar a once a month Saturday trip down the hill to train with Tom Johnson sensei in the morning (Iaido and Jodo) and then Takashi Itakura sensei for Kendo. We are pencilling in the first Saturday of each month for the regular training trip.
Next are the QKR regional gradings in September, the first being hosted by us on Saturday 17 September, the second in Townsville on Sunday 25 September, which I will be heading up to support.
And to round out the big Toowoomba QKR year, we are scheduled to host the December seminar and grading, with a date to be confirmed, but likely the first weekend of December.
As always, we will put notice of any class changes prompted by these commitments via our discussion channels and through the Budo Blog, and if in doubt, please talk with your instructor or discipline coordinator.
I want to take this opportunity to welcome Bob Watson to the Club.
Bob has been enthusiastically promoting Go on UniSQ Toowoomba campus this year and has agreed to bring his efforts under the umbrella of the Club to become the official coordinator for Go.
Bob has grabbed the Club’s boards, stones and banner, and is looking to set up in the Refectory a couple of times a week, and has taken responsibility for the our links with the Queensland Go Society.
I will continue to look forward to playing the odd game and love to see the new faces that Bob brings into the Club!
It is with sadness I report that Jim Stackpoole shihan lost his fight against lymphoma on Thursday.
Jim was a giant in the Queensland Jujutsu and Judo communities, with his influence and instruction touching many in this State and beyond. He was for many years the Queensland State representative for the Australian Jujitsu Federation, a frequent officiator at Judo Queensland events and central to the running of nationally-recognised jujutsu instructor accreditation courses.
Stackpoole shihan was critical to the foundation of our Club. He provided support to me when I first attempted to start jujutsu classes in Toowoomba, giving me a fair hearing against the false accusations made by the head of the previous organisation I had been a member of. He was the first to reach out to me from the jujutsu community in Queensland and to invite me to his School’s open events. He always encouraged me to continue practising, teaching and promoting jujutsu and the other martial arts I have been involved with.
Jim is survived by his wife Meladee, his children Steffi-Louise, Chris, Randal, and Amanda, and grandchildren Katie and Brody. His funeral will be held at 11:00 am Wednesday 17th August at Victory Centre, 32 Carseldine Road Bridgeman Downs.
This weekend marks the first of the Club’s major hosting commitments for the year of special events and seminars, with the Australian Jodo Championship and Seminar kicking off 8:30 am on Saturday 30 April.
We will be mostly on Court 1 of the Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre for the long weekend, hosting senior jodo practitioners and teachers from interstate. Dan gradings will be held on Saturday morning, and if there are sufficient numbers/interest there will be a number of grade-relevant competitions held as well.
Participation is limited to current QKR members, and the cost is $80 per person. Tickets can be booked through the Jodo Board’s EventBright site at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/akr-national-jodo-seminar-grading-tickets-310193435917
I would like to invite anyone interested to see what Jodo looks like to come and join us over the weekend, as spectators are free. And do consider coming along of a Thursday night from 6:30 to train if what you see tickles your fancy!
As noted, Saturday kicks off the start of a very busy schedule for the Club hosting special events. The current calendar is:
Australian Jodo Seminar and Championship 30 April–2 May
Queensland Kendo Renmei State Seminar 2–3 July
Australian Iaido Seminar and Championship 30 July – 1 August
Toowoomba Tsubaki Taikai (kendo) and SEQ regional grading 17–18 September
Additionally, I am scheduled to head up to Gin Gin 17–19 June to run a jujutsu grading opportunity and get some polish on practice for grading opportunities at the State seminar.
I am hoping that we will be able to kick off some more community awareness of what we are doing at the Club, and start a renewed enthusiasm in those that, for a variety of reasons, have found it difficult to come in and train over the past few months.
The Club’s Annual General Meeting was held Saturday early evening to meet our or constitutional obligations and set out the key personnel who will be carrying the Club forward over the next 12 months.
Three of the four core executive positions have been filled by vote of those attending the meeting. Re-elected are:
Michael Baczynski; President
Brady Albrand: Secretary
Grant Vickery: Treasurer
Minutes from the AGM, and the President’s and Treasurer’s reports will be put on the Club website in due course
The Position of General member has been left vacant at this time as the sentiment of the meeting was that the person preferred for the role was not able to attend the meeting, and we would like them to have the opportunity to accept the nomination.
The extended Executive team will all be announced in the next fortnight once we sort out some of the particulars of the year going ahead.
Thank you to everyone who could participate on Saturday! I will look forward to continuing to work with everyone over the coming 12 months to continue doing the good work we have delivered over the past 14 years!
Keep your comments polite, on topic and succinct. Play nice and everyone benefits!.