Kendo news — QKR summer seminar and visit by Greg Nicholas sensei

This weekend, Collingwood Park Recreation Centre will be hosting the Queensland Kendo Renmei's summer seminar and grading opportunity in Kendo, Seitei Iaido and Seitei Jodo.

Practitioners from across the State will be coming to receive instruction fromhigh-level senseiin each of those disciplines. It will also serve as an opportunity to continue preparations for the Australian Kendo Championships, which will be held on the Gold Coast over the Easter long weekend. 

I want to wish everyone training and grading the best of luck with their efforts.

A result of this is that there will be a few changes to available training times in other disciplines this week. First, there will be no Jujutsu on Saturday as Michael will be participating down the hill.

Second, Jujutsu will also be cancelled for Thursday, as we have a visit by Greg Nicholas, sensei from the Kenshinkai, who is in Toowoomba this week with work. We will talk more about this in class Tuesday night.

New month in jujutsu — nage waza

With school out and summer in full swing, Jujutsu moves to the ground during December.

The Club is now responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of the MEAC till school goes back at the end of January and I just wanted to remind all Jujutsu practitioners that it is everyone's responsibility to maintain a hygienic training environment. Can everyone please bring to class:

• A set of footwear that can be slipped on every time you walk off the mat. This is particularly important if you are stepping outside or to the toilets.
• An old towel that will be used to give the mats a quick wipe down at the start of class. The dojo does have some spares if you forget, but we would like to share the laundry load around.
• A drink container to be left at the edge of the mat so that you can remain hydrated during training.

Farewell all, from MJER Iaijutsu and Naginatjutsu

Hello All,

After some lengthy consideration, I have decided to take leave of the club to offer training to the current iaidoka at another location, and under a different timetable.  I have not been able to offer regular classes lately, due to the requirements of the degree, and more lately, my casual employment, and so discussed my options with my students, before making a decision.  We have come to a more informal and private arrangement for the foreseeable future.  We will still maintain a relationship with BBRD, however, and will still possibly see you all, here and there. 

I'd like to extend a very sincere and humble thank you to Michael and Sian for all the astounding work they do for BBRD.  Without them, the club would not function. 

It has been a wonderful few years. Thank you.

Our last night of training at MEAC will be on Wednesday 02-12-15.

New addition to the dojo

After prevaricating for some time I finally decided to purchase a Mr Tamashigiri from Tozando.

Mr T will be used to help the Seitei Iaido better visualise teki in a more solid fashion. I am intending to pull out the cutting guide chart and transferring it so that we can evaluate whetherthe blade is travelling on the correct path.

Theoretically we can even practice our cuts on him (and his nine other friends that came in the box) with iaito. One step at a time though!

BBRD Social Media campaign

Over the summer, the Club will be looking at the media channels that we use to communicate with our, members,  friends and supporters. this includes:

• The look and feel of the Budo Bulletin
• What gets posted on the Club's Facebook page
• How the Facebook group page functions
• Other social media channels including You Tube, Pintrest, and Instagram, including how we can best use these to meet the needs of the membership.

To assist us, there are a number of things you can do. First up, make sure that you have "liked" the Facebook page, and make sure that over the next two weeks like the posts that crop up. Of course if you don't actually like them, make sure that you fill out the survey we have set up and let us know what sort of things you would prefer to see up there.

Second, do take some time and fill out the Social Media Survey. We are wanting to make sure that what we are putting effort into is actually what you get value out of, and if we are missing anything that we can provide, that too is identified and addressed.

Call out for volunteers

Club member Sean Crust is currently looking for volunteers to help him complete his requirements for his Cert IV in Fitness.

Sean needs to get some more practice on providing measurements and programs for people, including body composition measurement,and has asked if the call out could be made to interested Club members. If you would like to participate, please let Sean or Michael know this week!

Thoughts for Paris and victims of political violence across the world

The events in Paris on Friday night have touched off a wave of shock, fear and grief across the world. What is clear is that repercussions of this coordinated attack will be felt for some time.

The Club has a particular connection to the City of Lights, with members Lina-May Ramony and Jeanne Séronie-Doutriaux having returned there after both having studied and trained in Toowoomba this year. Both have been reported in safe via Facebook, which we are thankful for.

On behalf of the Club I wish to declare that we stand with all who hold the values of liberté, égalité, and fraternité dear to their hearts. Our thoughts are with the victims of politically sponsored violence across the world— both direct and indirect— as these acts are an utter rejection of the promise that the French national motto provides. Only by holding true to these values can we hope to make a positive difference to the world.

Change to training sessions this week

Just to remind everyone that Michael will be unavailable late this week, so there will be no Jujutsu, Systema or Seitei Iaido training on Thursday evening, nor Jujutsu on Saturday.

For those itching to train on Thursday night, please contact Stuart Shaw to see if Dragon Wrestling will be on!

38th Australian Go Championships

On December 5 and 6, the thirty-eighth Australian Championships for Go will be held at St Leo’s College, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane. A handicap division for kyu players is available so players of all skill levels can compete.

An 8p (8th Dan professional) player from China will also be in attendance at the event, so the Championships could also be a great learning opportunity for anyone interested.

Registration for the Championships is $60. An additional $10 is required if you are not currently a registered member of the Australian Go Association.

It would be wonderful to have Bun Bu Ryo Do represented at the Championships, so if you are interested in competing please contact Jared Greenstreet at jared.greenstreet@usq.edu.au. 

Tony's last (regular) night in town

For those that have not heard yet, Tony Schirmer is about to leave the fair City of Toowoomba to pursue the bright lights and faster broadband speeds offered in Brisbane. As a consequence, his last regular night for training with the Club will be this Thursday. I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that his regular presence will be missed on the mats, except of course for Tracy's feet — they probably won't might the respite.

To celebrate and wish him a bon voyage, Thursday night we will only go through to 8 pm and then head down to the Mort Estate Hotel to share some chip and a quiet drink (so no Systema or Seitei Iaido training this Thursday).

Of course this does not mean we won't expect Tony back semi regularly for Saturday training! But regardless of how often we see you, I want to wish you the best of luck with your future professional direction, and let us know how you are going when you start training down the hill.