Our colleagues across the Tasman had me back in Wellington to work with them again, to increase their skills and understanding of chi sao, as they move into two-arm training and more random applications. They also asked me to let them have a bit of a go with learning about Wing Chun’s butterfly swords.  All in all, a weekend of fun, trying to develop better coordination, with and without something in one’s hands!

To top it all off, some of them requested a grading, which we held right after the Sunday chi sao workshop. I’m sure those who did so, slept very, very well that evening! But to their credit, our Kiwi brothers and sisters stuck it out and made it another great weekend of good training and good times.

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It is with a sad heart that we announce that Master Kwok Fu of Foshan, China passed away on Wednesday, 26 October 2011, of natural causes. He was 90 years old.

One of two-remaining first generation students of Wing Chun great-grandmaster Ip Man, Kwok Sifu had knowledge quite different from that of “contemporary” Ip Man Wing Chun, generally spread throughout the world through Ip Man’s Hong Kong trained students. Some of it may be considered good; some of it the same, other aspects, different. Regardless, Master Kwok Fu was an integral part of Wing Chun’s development and transmission to the modern era of practitioners of our art. His training with great-grandmaster Ip Man in the late 1930’s – early 1940’s certainly shaped Wing Chun’s development in Foshan, where his school remains one of the largest and most popular of Wing Chun schools in the district.

I was fortunate enough to be accepted as his student in 2007, when I met him for the first time, wanting to research more of Wing Chun’s background. Despite leg injuries and advancing age, his hands were still quite soft and fluid and his mind still sharp as a tack. I’ll remember that glint in his eye and his cheeky, toothless grin as he applied a larp sao counter to one of my attacks, to demonstrate a concept to me.  He will be missed by many around the world, and by the Wing Chun community at large.

Farewell, Kwok Sifu – may you be happy and resting in peace.

Our kung fu classes for children have been a hit with both youngsters and their parents since they began in 2009; many of them saying they enjoy our classes “because they’re different” from the regimentation and strict formality of other arts.  Despite the “lack” of formality and regimentation, our classes provide structure, value, discipline and confidence to the youngsters who have undertaken our Pee Wee Pandas and Peaceful Warriors programs, thanks to the guidance provided by Simo La-Wren Wong, head of our Children’s programs.

Simo La-Wren just finished a series of workshops for children as part of Wyndham’s KAPOW! School Holidays Program recently, doing kung fu workshops at branches of Wyndham’s libraries at Werribee Plaza, Point Cook, Werribee CBD and Wyndham Vale.  It is the second series of children’s workshops we’ve run in conjunction with Wyndham’s Library Services, offering activity programs for the local youth community.

Our Children’s classes run in accordance with the normal school schedule and are offered on Monday or Thursday afternoons at the Crossroads Uniting Church hall on the corner of Duncans Rd & Synnot St in Werribee, for children, aged 5 up to 12/13 years of age.

For more information on our children’s classes, or to book your child in for a FREE trial lesson, click here.

**(Special thanks to Wesh Tobin for his continued assistance and support with the junior classes!)**