New contactless sign-in procedure

With community transmission of COVID still rattling around south of the border, it is important that we remain vigilant with our established protocols. While it can seem like a chore, particularly when there have been no community cases in Queensland, we all need to continue to do our part to keep both us and the community safe.

Government regulations for registering attendance at all venues changed just before Christmas. Specifically, the paper version we have been using since July is no longer adequate to meet our obligations. In response to this, I have created a QR-code-linked database that you will be able to access from your smart phone and and input all of your relevant details.

You need register your details using the QR code regardless of whether you are training or simply being a spectator.

I will be providing an update to our COVID planning (and other policy documents) in the next fortnight to fully reflect some of the recent changes that have taken place in the past few months. However, it would still be worthwhile having a look at our existing policy documents regarding COVID precautions and indeed other aspects of the training environment too.

Remember, if you are unwell you must stay away from the dojo. If you are experiencing any COVID symptoms, even mildly, you must get a test for COVID and remain away from the dojo till you have returned a negative test.

Happy Solstice! Be well, be safe and be back in the New Year

Today is a final Budo Blog for the year. We had our last official class yesterday, with our online Flexifitters gathering for a final formal stretch, and last drinks for Kendo, Iaido and Jujutsu on Saturday afternoon. It seems fitting that today is the summer solstice, which for me always marks the beginning of the transition into a new year, and signals an opportunity for a pause from the usual hubbub of life.

We now go on a formal break for a fortnight, returning for keiko hajime on Tuesday 5 January. We are hoping that this year we will be able to beam in the wider Club diaspora on the 5th to participate in our formal start to the year. We would love to have friends and supporters join the event, and you can do so by using Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88519597219?pwd=MXgyU09kMEpYNnFteDBEUDBKaXhxQT09
Meeting ID: 885 1959 7219
Passcode: 339468

We will be kicking things off shortly after 6 pm Toowoomba time, starting with some formalities and then demonstrations of a number of the arts that the Club supports. Join from the start, or if you like, pull up with some of your own sushi, mochi, tea and/or sake and share a light meal at the end of the demonstration sessions (which ought be around 8.45 pm Toowoomba time).

I hope that everyone finds the time to rest and recharge over the next two weeks. 2020 has been a year of change, resilience, and adaption as we have all been forced to deal with the random hand presented us. The year coming will not be with out this own challenges, but i think that the enduring lesson from this year past is that individually, and with the collective support of our community, we are certainly more than capable of rising to meet it.

Take care everyone, keep up your own individual practice over the next fortnight, and I will look forward to seeing everyone in the new year!

Wrapping things up for the year

The promise of December rain has arrived with some conviction in South East Queensland, and we are looking at some big totals today and over the coming days. I would like to wish everyone a safe week when venturing outside, even if it is as short a distance as to the dojo, or longer trips around our corner of the world.

This week is going to be the last in the dojo for 2020, with Saturday 19th December the last opportunity to make it in for the year. We will also be running our last online FlexiFit class on Sunday 20th at 5 pm Toowoomba time, for those wanting to have a good stretch.

We will be restarting things on Tuesday 5 January for keiko hajime/kagami biraki to kick off our fresh new year.

I will post my usual end of year message next week, but just a a preemptive, I wanted to thank everyone for their efforts this year and forbearance in what has been both a very challenging and rewarding time.

One final thing that I will be doing tomorrow is (with Brady’s assistance) going through a thorough tidy and audit of the Club’s equipment currently stored at the CBRC. Anyone who is free and interested in giving us a hand with the task will be most welcome to lend a hand or two, so that we can properly update the Club’s asset register and assist with our strategic planning for next year. We will be having a thorough update of the Club’s policies and procedures over the summer break, and some refresh of the Club’s website and social media accounts, so do continue to watch this space!

I hope to see you in the dojo this week, but completely understand if you don’t make it in. Take care everyone!

And we are back to regular programming …

I’m sitting at my kitchen table this morning with fifteen weeks of clinical placement on the go now done for me with, as regular readers will know, the last 10 based in Brisbane. That, along with the weekend QKR seminar just passed and the heat of the past week has left me feeling a touch tired. However, the cool of this morning and the significant successes of the past weeks (and weekend) are sitting with me quite well right now, and I’m happy to look forward to the next few months where we can reestablish some regular rhythms to the dojo and more generally too.

I think that Sean’s rap up of the weekend captures them most important elements of the experience, save for a brief report on the Iaido side of things. We had five of us challenge grades this weekend, all successful. Both Sean and Lachlan blasted through their sankyu examination. Sian provided once again an excellent performance of standing kata for her Nidan exam and I was successful in my Sandan examination.

I wanted to make special mention of Tracy’s long overdue Shodan grade. To my mind she had been performing at this level for some time now, and she displays a thorough knowledge of the art. She has been taking the load in weeknight Iaido classes while I have been away, Both she and Sean ought be proud of the successes they have had in preparing students for their first grades, and of their own performances over the weekend. It has been very satisfying to see both of them step up to the plate, and I hope that this weekend builds the foundation of confidence they will need to continue to extend their practice and to contribute to teaching at the Club.

I’d also like to congratulate both Justine and Joe for their participation in the Iaido sessions over the weekend. If can be quite daunting to participate in an event like this, but they both acquitted themselves remarkably well. All of the senior sensei teaching Iaido mentioned to me that they were very impressed with all the Toowoomba practitioners.

So in a way we are now back to regular programming for the remainder of this year. I will now be able to make all weeknight classes and I’m looking forward to seeing folk train who I’ve missed over the past 10 weeks I’ve been out of town. We are of course going to break over Christmas/New Year. But for now, as always, I’ll look forward to seeing you in the dojo!

What a rush. QKR Summer Seminar seminar wrap up.

Well, what can i say? As i sit on my bed in the sweltering heat, half dazed from the energy output of the past weekend hitting all at once. This was going to be a long post in the group chat but i though “why not make it a Budo Blog?”

Needless to say the past 10 weeks have been challanging on all fronts, with COVID restrictions and Sensei being away from the Dojo leaving a hole that I don’t personally think could be entirely bridged by Zoom meeting feedback. I take my role as Kendo Coordinator seriously to almost an obsessive degree based on a shear love for the art, and as a result i really enjoy the QKR weekend seminars as a highlight in my yearly calendar Catching up with everyone from around the State, enjoying the company of those who stay with us over the weekend, the food, the drink, and the laughter.

These Seminar weekends bond those who attend them, making us not only a bunch of people who “play”with bamboo swords twice a week, but a unit, a team if you will. And I really think this particular weekend is a prime example, I think we all came together this weekend.

We had two people from Toowoomba grading in Kendo, but the few that didn’t found a passion to make sure they do next time. Our two Kenshi to grade were Lachlan and John, both double grading to 5 kyu, and as the one running classes mid week for the last 10 weeks i couldn’t be more proud.

The rest of the kendo contingent for this seminar (Kateena and Mitch) both impressed the sensei with their intensity — Mitch having not practiced much in the past few months, has returned ready to hook in.

I will admit feeling guilty being preoccupied with Iaido commitments. However Kateena did a brilliant job keeping everything together on the Kendo side.

There is not really much more that i can really say other than the whole weekend being a great success, and I feel confident in the incoming year that we can make more great weekends like this happen.

Cheers

Sean T

Special Pine Mountain training: QKR Seminar Prep

Most of the Iaido folk at the Club will be aware, but just in case not, we have organised a special training session with Tom Johnson sensei this Monday (16th November) night at the Pine Mountain Dojo to evaluate how we are tracking towards our grading challenges in a little under three weeks.

I will be heading in from Brisbane, and Tracy will be organising transport from the Toowoomba end. Training starts at 6.30 pm sharp, so in order to get there in time you will need to be leaving from Toowoomba no later than 5.15 pm. If you are coming, make sure that you bring sufficient water down with you as it will no doubt be a very warm evening.

One last reminder. If you intend to challenge for an Iaido grade at the seminar, you will need to get your paperwork signed by myself or Tom sensei and lodged no later than Friday. Your best bet it to either e-mail a copy with your signature to Tracy before she heads down the hill so that she can pass them on to Tom in person (and obviously, if you have passed on the paperwork at Saturday’s training, then all is good!)

The likewise applies for Kendo gradings as well. If you send through an electronic copy to me with your signature on it by Friday, I will make sure that it is signed by me and forwarded on. You will also need to deposit your grading fee(s) into the QKR account before Friday

We will be finalising accommodation very shortly, and will require you to deposit directly into the Club’s transactions account so that we can pay the AirBnB. We will be contacting folk directly vis-a-vis details for this. If you have not indicated that you would like to stay with us and intend to, please urgently contact myself, Sean or Tracy so that you can be included in our calculation of beds.

Kendo and order news

Hi everyone.

I’ve finally been organised enough to write something on budo blog. It’s 4 more weeks left of Michael’s clinical which means only 4 more weeks of my best attempts at holding practice on Thursday nights. so for the next few weeks, we should be looking more at grading requirements. Those who are looking to attempt grading, please download forms and fill them out asap if you haven’t already done so.

As for the order:

The order is in, and being managed by Tozando. We’ve organised with the supplier to send the more easy to get items (uniforms and protectors etc) to be shipped asap and items that will take longer, shipped after. The best-case scenario is a clean ship and most of the new equipment arrives before the December seminar and the rest comes later, worst case it arrives after that date.

If you are attending the Seminar on the 5th and 6th of December, please try your best to make it to every practice you can and let us know if you will need accommodation so we can organise enough room. Trust me that it is very worth staying with the group. Again if you are not yet a QKR member, please ensure that you have put in membership forms and paid the fee ( the account info is on the form). Also, the cost of the seminar itself is $40 for one day $70 for two.Also another reminder grading forms are due 22nd of november and will probably not be accepted after that date. Remember to get Michael to sign them before emailing them off.

Thanks all.

Sean T

QKR seminar admin

Just a quick touch base for the QKR seminar this morning. We are wanting to finalise our accomodation this week , so for those attending, you could please reconfirm which nights you will be staying down with us. Please let Tracy or Sean know ASAP so you can definitely be accounted for when we are booking, rather than having to grab a swag/couch for the weekend.

Also remember that deadlines for grading applications are rapidly approaching. For Kendo, you need me to sign off on the paperwork before sending it through to the QKR. For Iaido Tom sensei will be signing off on this. At this stage, kendo and Iaido gradings will be available up to 3DAN, with Jodo still to be announced.

Have a great week everyone!

Next phase: November

We have hit the end of Semester 2 this week, and I would like to wish the best of luck to everyone who has final exams this week. For some Club members, it is the cap to a long term of study. For others, it is the final exam of their degree. I hope that everyone rises to their challenges and reaps the rewards of the hard work and effort put in over the weeks and months.

Tomorrow marks the last phase of my clinical education for the year as I embark on a five week stint at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. I’m leaving at a particularly uncivilised time tomorrow morning, so I’m instead taking the opportunity to write before I settle for the evening.

With a placement in a large metropolitan hospital, I’m expecting things to be pretty hectic. However, with earlier starts and earlier finishes than my previous placement, I’m hoping to make some opportunities in the evening to get some training in, starting with some Iaido and jodo hopefully this week. .

Back up the hill, we are slowly returning to a kind of normal. Taiko has been able to move back to the Hear and Say Centre of a Thursday night, with the group back to playing on the proper wadaiko. Daen has taken the opportunity to grab the second slot of a Tuesday night to teach KJR syllabus jujutsu. And numbers continue to remain at record levels for Iaido and Kendo. Additionally, many were quite excited about starting Jodo after Tom Johnson, sensei’s visit last weekend. Over the coming weeks the Club’s discipline coordinators will be writing in more details about these things, so do watch this space!

We are also planning for our end of year and the start of 2021. Keiko hajime is basically just around the corner. But before that we have gradings, and end of year social function and awards night, and of course the Christmas-New Year week where the dojo takes a well deserved break. Keep you eyes out for details over the new two weeks.

As always, I’ll look forward to seeing everyone either in the dojo on Saturday or over the camera this week. Take care, be safe and have fun!

Reminder: COVID protocols

I just want to put in a quick reminder that we are still needing to follow COVID protocols when we are in the dojo. Some of the most important things that you need to do are:

1. Turning up on time ready to start. This means coming to the dojo dressed ready to go. If you are too late, you will not be permitted to train. If in doubt, make use you message the coordinator or instructor to let them know when you will be in.

2. Making sure that you bring a towel. You need to help maintain the cleanliness of the space we are training in and minimise the time we are hanging about in the dojo.

3. Wipe down equipment after use. Again this keeps things sanitary between sessions, minimising the risks.

4. Help to keep the store room tidy. While not ideal at the moment, and most likely to be given a thorough reorganisation in December when I have time, try to keep the store room as tidy as possible. If you take something from there, please put it back neatly.

5. Try and maintain your social distance with you gear.

Together we can continue to keep each other safe.