Training for the next fortnight

Semester is rapidly drawing to a close, and for me personally this will mean an extended time away from Toowoomba. I will be heading up to Bundaberg as usual for this week, but will be staying there over the weekend and travelling on to Rockhampton for residential school and a practical exam.  

This will mean that after tonight, I am unable to physically be in the Toowoomba dojo till Saturday 2 June, nor will be able to run training in Gin Gin on Wednesday 30 May. I will try to run some virtual dojo supervision’s in that time, especially for Iaido and Kendo, though this will be partially dependent on my level of internet connectivity while in Rockhampton. 

We will also chat in Gin Gin this week as to the possibility of a Saturday session this week, hopefully in sync with the usual Toowoomba training so we can video link the sessions. Watch this space!

Systema Tuesday night (7.30–9 pm)

I would like to thank Michael C for running his first Systema class back after injuring his AC Joint in training— a small but useful class with Dylan, working on movement and structure.

It would be great to hear that more of you are able to make the 7.30–9 pm session on Tuesday, and build numbers from there.  

Vale Russell Wilson

On a sad note, I regret to inform the Club community that Russell Wilson, a founding member of BBRD had died.  

Russell passed away on Friday while in the ICU of the Toowoomba Base Hospital, and understandably his wife Sharron and son Douglas are distraught. His funeral is being organised by Heritage Funerals, Toowoomba and I understand is scheduled 10.30 am this Thursday (17 May). Notices in the Toowoomba Chronicle and the Heritage web site are due to be published tomorrow.

Russell was the Club’s Treasurer, an enthusiastic participant in Jujutsu, Kendo and Systema, a volunteer with the Queensland Rural Bushfire Service, and had worked for many years at USQ in the ICT section. He was a first responder in the aftermath of the 2011 floods that affected Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley, and a good friend to many. 

I will post on the Club Facebook page any updates I receive regarding arrangements. Unfortunately, I will be in Bundaberg for Thursday, but I am sure we can organise some type of memorial on behalf of the Club.  

Vale Russell! 

Systema update: Michael C on the mend

I received word from Michael Conroy that his shoulder injury sustained a few weeks ago is progressing well, and will not need surgery to rectify. Definitely the benefits of being your own physiotherapist!

Michael is intending to start running Systema classes from Tuesday May 8th 7:30-9:00pm, following up on Saturday 3:30 - 5:00pm. He cannot run classes for Saturday May 19th or June 2nd at this stage, and he will be off to Canada from July 2nd till mid August. 

So lock the dates into your training calendar, and we will look forward to seeing a few more bodies to play with!

Quick reminder: Tozando order

A quick thank you to those who have already responded to the call out for orders to be placed with Tozando, and a reminder for anyone yet to place an expression of interest to do so by Wednesday. 

If you want to add something to the order, could you please: 

  • Go to http://www.tozandoshop.com and copy the URL of the specific items you are interested in
  • Send an e-mail to enquiries@bbrd.org.au copying in the URLs of the items and any options you need to specify (eg. size). If uncertain, request some advice and I will take you through your most likely options

Once all orders are in, I will give you your final cost/balance for the orders, which then will need to be transferred to the Club bank account. I will then place the order Wednesday next week (1 May). 

 

Systema update

Hi all Dylan Green filling in for Michael Conroy, as he is recovering from a training injury sustained a couple of weeks ago. Systema has transitioned into the new timetable changes and will be training Monday night 6 pm - 7 pm and Saturday afternoon 3.30 pm - 4.30 pm. Systema has been really quiet with  absence from our usual regulars we have not had anyone attend for weeks now, so I would like to inform everyone that I will be taking over Systema instruction in Michael Conroys absence, and feel free to come and train.

Hope to see some bodies soon sincerely Dylan Green.     

Arnis update

Hi all, Arnis has been going well with the new timetable changes to Monday 5 pm - 6 pm, and Saturday afternoons from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm. We have had Travis and Stuart as our regulars and have been missing Jack for a while and hope to see him soon. We have been working through the basics and trying to solidify a good foundation for potential grading around October-November, still waiting for Don and kurt for grading requirements as they have been busy with work commitments, to finalize and send them through so we can start checking off skills for grading. Thanks, sincerely Dylan Green.       

All quiet on the Western Front ...

Not much to report this week in the land of BBRD. Most everyone is back to school/uni this week, and I will be back to Bundaberg this Tuesday afternoon. It was great however to have a few more sessions down here in Toowoomba this week past.  

Just a couple of house keeping matters. First, can I please ask everyone to ensure that you bring adequate foot ware to the dojo so that you are not walking into the toilets bare foot and then training on the mats. While the will most likely be clean tonight give the pupil free day at HNCPS, we can be pretty certain that they will not stay that way.  

Secon, could you please ensure that you are getting to class sufficiently early so that you can assist with the set up and so that classes can run to time. With school back, we are back to setting up and packing away each night, and part of your responsibilities are to assist with that process. 

Have a great week everyone, and I will hope to catch you over the next few days at the Dojo! 

New training fee structure to commence 1 May

One of the important things ratified at the AGM was the new training fee structure for classes. Fees have been static for some years now, and we have been forced to reevaluate what we change for classes due to rising costs for both rental of the MEAC and other administrative costs. As a result, we have had to take the step to make a modest increase in our training charges.

From May 1 , casual training will be $10 per session, for every session that you attend. This means that if you are on a night with three session and you attend all three, the cost for that night is $30 (rather than $15 as it has previously been). 

Monthly fees will also be increasing. Full time students (regardless of institution) or those with a current concession card will be required to make a $75 contribution while general community members will be required to contribute $80 per month. This is still a significant discount from other similar activities, and you are able to earn “Dojo Dollars” to offset these costs. 

We will be tracking your payments via Martialytics, and next week we will be providing a comprehensive list of your options and instructions for making payments to the Club.  

Thanks in advance for making sure that you are on top of your obligations, and your discipline coordinators will be discussing details with you over the coming weeks.