Senpai Peter McAndrew - October 2008

Senpai Peter, 2nd from the right, came for a visit from Wales, where he runs two dojo. He came to visit his fiancée and might well end up moving to Sydney.

January 2009 update - from Senpai Peter himself.

I first started training when i was 19 with the BKK back in 1975 under the watchful eye of our chief instructor Hanshi Steve Arneil (now 9th dan), and spent many years on the kumite circuit. I passed my shodan in 1992 and ran my own dojo back in wales in the uk. I recently came to Sydney to be with my fiancée Debbie. I have since handed my dojo back in Wales over to my son Senpai Richard, 1st dan.

I plan to open up my own dojo here in Sydney, hopefully even this year.

Just want to say a special thankyou to Shihan Doug & Sensei Shah for making me so welcome since I came to Sydney and hope to get to know all the IFK Senpais & students in Sydney very soon.

Ali on Holidays in Thailand - April 2007

This is of course not strictly a kyokushin training situation, except that it seems to be a common theme - Kyokushin karateka posing with tigers. (Hint - Google Rene Gassner).

Ali is also test driving a temporary kyokushin kanji tattoo on his chest, so I suppose it nonetheless fulfils the requirements. Of course, Ali took the opportunity to injure himself again on this holiday, thereby forestalling his shodan grading once again.

After the IKO(3) World Tournament in Sydney - November 2006

Ali took the opportunity to befriend one of the Iranian instructors who came to the tournament. I don' t know if he competed, but he accepted Ali's invitation to train at the Marrickville dojo. He's second from the right.

IFK 3rd World Tournament - 2005

Shihan Doug went to the UK to officiate at the 3rd IFK World Tournament at Crystal Palace. After that, he and his wife Sharon did a bit of travelling, including a visit to Ireland to Sensei Shane Lalor's dojo. This photo was sent to us recently (2007) by Sensei Shane who noticed this section of our website!

NZ IFK Camp - 2006

Shihan and Sensei were invited to the first IFK Camp in NZ, to teach them about the IFK Bo kata, among other things. Shihan Peter Lowl is the head of IFK in NZ, and he's to the right of Sensei Shah.

Diana Marcotrigiano - 2006

Diana, an Australian-Italian living in Italy, came back to visit relatives in 2006 and wanted a place to train. We happened to be the nearest dojo, and we had the pleasure of her company for 6 weeks. She's the blue belt 2nd from the left.

Shihan Hoosain Narker - 2004

Shihan Hoosain Narker is one of the world's leading practitioners of Ashihara Karate, an offshoot of Kyokushin, but in some ways so different you'd never be able to guess that it came from Kyokushin. He came to visit in 2004, and gave us a couple of seminars. More details on his website and in our seminar pages.

Shihan Jeff Whybrow - 2002

Anyone recognise this little fella, shaping up to Shihan Jeff?

Shihan Jeff Whybrow - 2002

Shihan Jeff, one of Hanshi's early successes (5th dan at 32 years of age, world tournemant top 16 - I think- and 50- man kumite) was visiting Australia and he dropped by to say hello and give us a couple of training sessions. He's pictured here in the old Marrickville dojo, with the class of the day!

Kyokushin Malaysia - 2002

Sensei Shah made a visit to his old hometown, and this time managed to meet up and train with the Kyokushin club in Kuala Lumpur. 2nd from left is Senpai Michael Ding, the instructor. Not many students were there that day because they had had a grading the previous session and apparently were too sore to attend!

Kissaki-kai, Malaysia - 2000

Sunshine Coast Kyokushin - 2000

Sensei Shah was visiting his parents in Caloundra, and got itchy feet and needed to train, so he visited the dojo of Senpais Sebastian and Adam Arcidiacono. Adam was apparently the youngest blackbelt in Australia (at the age of 13) when he was awarded it in the early 90s.