Over the last 12 years, I have seen the dojo and GKR go through many changes, and the only student still involved with Melton from those early days is Stacey.
After watching Stacey train for years, I began my own training in April 1997, and in February 2001, I became a Sensei at Melton dojo.
Melton dojo has gone through some rocky times from March 2000, when one of the Sensei's broke away from our dojo, taking most of the students with him. Without the loyalty of students such as Stacey, Emily and Hayden, Dean L, Catrina, Dean F, Erin and Brinie Wilson (The Wilson sisters have since left the dojo), our dojo may have ceased to exist.
With a small group of students, we all worked hard to keep our dojo going, then a recruitment drive in September 2000, & March 2001, saw a new group of students come into the dojo and helped us grow to an average class size of 30 students.
My wife Leanne took over doing all the paper work in May 2001, giving me the chance to get to know the newer students and parents better.
In January 2002, we saw another influx of 150 students, into our dojo. More than half of these new students in 2002, have trained hard, kept at their karate, and are progressing well. Our success is based on a working together philosophy.
I have our higher belts such as Stacey, Hayden, Wayne, Jay and Alex always ready to lend a helping hand.
It pleases me to see what our dojo has achieved over the years, it is great to see the friendships and bonds forming between people who have never met until they entered our dojo.
Even the parents who watch their children train are becoming friends, and some are even deciding to get up and train with their children, which is making it a real family affair.
I like to train the students hard, but always input a little bit of fun also, it is important to keep the students motivated and happy and my reward for being a Sensei is seeing the students achieve their own personal goals.
It is great when you see a student you trained, move onto the next level and become a Sensei in their own dojo, this has happened to Sensei Michael Armstrong, who is now a regional manager in Western Australia, and Sensei Warren Prosser, sensei in Sunbury, who both used to train at Melton.
The smile on a persons face when they grade to their next belt is priceless, as it shows they have been listening to their Sensei, trained hard and shown commitment, it is this that helps build a persons character.
Karate is about discipline, respect for others and yourself, commitment and self control.
I look forward to training and watching our students at Melton continue to grow in their Karate and being a Sensei for many more years to come.
Sensei Kelvin Henaghan.
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