Goju Kai Karate Do Sydney
Australia
School
of Yamaguchi I.K.G.A.Founder : PAUL
STARLING Hanshi 範
士 8th Dan
VICE PRESIDENT I.K.G.A Sydney Goju Kan ARCHIVES
VICE PRESIDENT I.K.G.A Sydney Goju Kan ARCHIVES
Paul Starling Hanshi 範士
[photograph
courtesy of Blitz Martial Arts Magazine]
Goju Kai Sydney Goju Kan was
founded in 1970 by World IKGA Vice President
Paul Starling Hanshi who has remained a loyal
and devoted member of Goju Kai Karate do
Australia for over 63 years: he was the first
graduate in 1973 as Shihan Renshi from Gogen
Yamaguchi Kaiso's prestigious Nihon
Karate do Senmon Gakko, and the only
Australian Shihan to Graduate. He has now
retired from teaching daily classes and is a
mentor to his many devoted long time students
who he taught privately after 2005.
Gogen Yamaguchi Hanshi was Saiko Shihan 最高 師範 ( meaning Supreme / Highest Master Teacher.)
Gogen Yamaguchi Hanshi was Saiko Shihan 最高 師範 ( meaning Supreme / Highest Master Teacher.)
Paul Starling commenced training
in the Gogen Yamaguchi school of Goju Kai Karate
do as a teenager over 60 years ago, in the early
1960's, with the founder of Goju Kai in
Australia; Merv Oakley Shihan 錬士. At that time there were very few
Karate Instructors qualified to teach in
Australia, and only a handful were legitimately
graded to any black belt level of proficiency.
Oakley Shihan is a pioneer of Australian Karate,
and had travelled to the Hombu Dojo in Japan to
train with Gogen Yamaguchi Hanshi for extended
periods during the 1960s.
Paul had trained in Judo from a very young age with a very distinguished teacher; Sensei Ron Cox, and for many years continued training in Judo and Goju Kai Karate do concurrently on a daily basis He traveled long distances from his home via public transport in order to achieve his desires to train with the very best teachers in Sydney.
After graduating from Barker College in Waitara Sydney with his Leaving Certificate (equiv. Higher School Certificate), he commenced a career with Unilever Australia and also the Australian Army CMF, due to the influence of his father Lieutenant Colonel Noel George Reid Starling who worked tirelessly in order to promote Sydney Goju Kan using his extensive marketing skills. A career Army man, he was said to have been the longest serving soldier in the Australian Regular Army when he passed away in 1999. (Lieutenant Colonel Starling, born in 1913 had added a number of years to his birth date in order to sign on as a soldier in approx 1926.)
Paul had trained in Judo from a very young age with a very distinguished teacher; Sensei Ron Cox, and for many years continued training in Judo and Goju Kai Karate do concurrently on a daily basis He traveled long distances from his home via public transport in order to achieve his desires to train with the very best teachers in Sydney.
After graduating from Barker College in Waitara Sydney with his Leaving Certificate (equiv. Higher School Certificate), he commenced a career with Unilever Australia and also the Australian Army CMF, due to the influence of his father Lieutenant Colonel Noel George Reid Starling who worked tirelessly in order to promote Sydney Goju Kan using his extensive marketing skills. A career Army man, he was said to have been the longest serving soldier in the Australian Regular Army when he passed away in 1999. (Lieutenant Colonel Starling, born in 1913 had added a number of years to his birth date in order to sign on as a soldier in approx 1926.)
Photo of Paul with his father Lt
Colonel Noel G.R. Starling
discussing his appointment as
Shidoin 1970
-
Paul represented Australia at the WUKO World Karate Federation's very first World Karate Do Championship in Japan in 1970.
- & also again at the second
World Championship in Paris in 1972.
-
Paul Starling was also a founder member of the
Australian Karate Federation.
- Co- Founder member
-The Kokusai Karate do Shihan Kai.
- Founder member -The
New South Wales Karate Federation.
-
Founder- the Goju Kai Macquarie University
Karate Club. 1968
-
Karate Instructor of the Year (Blitz)
-
Chancellor's Lifetime Achievement Award-
Macquarie University
-
First Shihan graduate of Gogen Yamaguchi
Kaiso' Nihon Karate do Senmon Gakko &
- Only Australian to
graduate as Shihan 錬
士 (Master Teacher).
-
Vice President International Karate do Goju Kai
Association IKGA since 1990
-
Director of Oceania IKGA 1990- 2004
- Australian Branch Chief I.K.G.A 1989- 2004
-
Former New South Wales Branch Chief IKGA 1972
-2004
- Paul has also
represented Australia as an International
official at WUKO World Karate do
Championships and the
Australian Karate Federation.
Whilst in Japan at the Karate do
College, Paul had stayed with Gogen
Yamaguchi Hanshi in his home attached tothe dojo
at Suginami while the dojo was being renovated. He
also acted in a secretarial capacity for the IKGA
(International Karate do Gojukai Association). In
this role he had became very closely aligned with
the Yamaguchi family in Japan, and he has since
returned on many occasions with very large groups
of his students to train with both Gogen Yamaguch
Hanshi prior to his death in 1989, and also with
Goshi Yamaguchi Shihan, Gosen Yamaguchi Shihan and
also Wakako Yamaguchi Shihan.
Whilst in Japan in 1970 representing Australia at the First World Karate do Championships, Gogen Yamaguchi suggested the name of Sydney Goju Kan for Paul's own Dojo, and the School has been in operation ever since. Along with the Macquarie University Karate Club (established 1968) The North Sydney branch of Goju Kai Karate do , along with the other foundation Dojo ie: previously in Hornsby, Asquith and West Pymble, Sydney Goju Kai members of Paul Starling Shihan trained with, and competed against their Melbourne Goju Kai colleagues under the tutelage of Constantino Tino Ceberano Shihan in the foundation years and until 1989 when Ceberano Shihan formed a new school apart from the Yamaguchi family. It was at that time that Paul Starling Shihan became the Chief Instructor of Goju Kai Karate do Australia until retiring from that position 15 years later in 2004 due to a sudden illness.
Whilst in Japan in 1970 representing Australia at the First World Karate do Championships, Gogen Yamaguchi suggested the name of Sydney Goju Kan for Paul's own Dojo, and the School has been in operation ever since. Along with the Macquarie University Karate Club (established 1968) The North Sydney branch of Goju Kai Karate do , along with the other foundation Dojo ie: previously in Hornsby, Asquith and West Pymble, Sydney Goju Kai members of Paul Starling Shihan trained with, and competed against their Melbourne Goju Kai colleagues under the tutelage of Constantino Tino Ceberano Shihan in the foundation years and until 1989 when Ceberano Shihan formed a new school apart from the Yamaguchi family. It was at that time that Paul Starling Shihan became the Chief Instructor of Goju Kai Karate do Australia until retiring from that position 15 years later in 2004 due to a sudden illness.
Paul's most senior
students began training with him over 60 years
ago:
Please see the profiles /Instructors section for more information regarding their accomplishments.
Paul refined techniques of Shihan 錬士 Instructors and Black Belts in 'Special Advanced Classes' previously at the Macquarie University Dojo.
Please see the profiles /Instructors section for more information regarding their accomplishments.
Paul refined techniques of Shihan 錬士 Instructors and Black Belts in 'Special Advanced Classes' previously at the Macquarie University Dojo.
- Amongst Paul's
other numerous achievements are voluntary
positions over many years:
- he was a former NSW State Coach for the New South Wales Karate Federation,
- State of New
South Wales "A" Level Referee Australian
Karate Federation
- a former "A"
Level National Australian Referee
for the Australian Karate Federation,
- a former National Secretary for the AKF (FAKO),
- represented
Australia as a Referee/Judge at the
WKF(WUKO)World Karate Championships in
Taiwan in 1982, where his wife and student
(Sandie)Alexandra Starling Shihan became
the very first Australian AKF
representative to win a medal when she won
3rd place bronze in the Female Kata event.
- He was a
lecturer on the very 1st Level One
Coaching Course run by the AKF for the
National Coaching Accreditation Scheme,
- He was on the committee that designed the original Level Two Coaching Scheme for the AKF.
- National Australian University Sports Coordinator for Karate do.
- Organizing
Committe WKF World Karate do Championships
1986 Sydney.
Whilst at the JAPAN KARATE DO COLLEGE (NIHON
KARATE DO SENMON GAKKO) where Paul trained full
time for one year in 1973, he was taught by Grandmaster
Gogen Yamaguchi (Goju Kai), Grandmaster
Hironori Otsuka (Wado Ryu), Grandmaster
Iwata Manzao (Shito Ryu), Grandmaster
Tamae (Rembukan), and Grandmaster
Motokatsu (Gansho) Inoue (Ryukyu Kobujitsu
Hozon Shinko Kai). Also trained by Goshi Yamaguchi
Saiko Shihan, and several other
Japanese Shihans of the time.
Paul played a pivotal role in the 1983 Classic Australian Movie 'The Coolangatta Gold' as a Karate Instructor, accompanied by several of his black belt students who played the part of the Karate class. Paul was approached by the film's director and writer (Igor Auzons and Peter Schreck) in 1982 and asked to train a leading actor, Joss McWilliam, in Karate methods full time over a period of 3 months in order for the actor to fulfill his role in the film. Joss trained diligently as a beginner on a daily basis with Paul and the senior instructors of the Dojo. Joss McWilliam's character in the film was a Black Belt Shodan however in reality Joss was actually a white Belt in Karate. See this link for further details: to be updated shortly
Paul played a pivotal role in the 1983 Classic Australian Movie 'The Coolangatta Gold' as a Karate Instructor, accompanied by several of his black belt students who played the part of the Karate class. Paul was approached by the film's director and writer (Igor Auzons and Peter Schreck) in 1982 and asked to train a leading actor, Joss McWilliam, in Karate methods full time over a period of 3 months in order for the actor to fulfill his role in the film. Joss trained diligently as a beginner on a daily basis with Paul and the senior instructors of the Dojo. Joss McWilliam's character in the film was a Black Belt Shodan however in reality Joss was actually a white Belt in Karate. See this link for further details: to be updated shortly
Many International, National, and State
champions have come from Paul Starling's Dojo
whereby various students have gone on to become
Internationally recognized instructors in their
own right. Amongst Paul's Black Belt Graduates
who have gone on to become Shihan are: Ingo De
Jong 9th Dan HANSHI 範士 (IKGA Vice President, Director of the
European Block, Branch Chief for Scandinavia), Helmut
Moldners 5th Dan Renshi Shihan,
deceased (former NSW North Coast Branch
Chief), and
Alexandra
(Sandie) Starling 5th Dan Renshi Shihan
(former WKF World Championship medalist The most
recent promotion to 5th Dan Shihan by
Grandmaster Goshi Yamaguchi, and now heading the
South Australian Branch is Horden
Wiltshire 5th Dan Renshi Shihan,
with previous graduates including Greg Gunns
Shihan and Dr Burton), including promotion to
Hon. 5th Dan Jokyo for Ray
Beattie OAM
.
Current IKGA Qualifications - Paul was awarded 8th dan (Hachidan) by Grandmaster Goshi Yamaguchi in 2014 then Hanshi 範士 in 2018. He had been graded to KYOSHI 教士 License as 6th dan in Japan during 1988 by Gogen Yamaguchi 範士 - Konomoto Hanshi in Shimizu, and confirmed by Saiko Shihan Goshi Yamaguchi in 1989, & then to 7th Dan in 1995 in Tokyo Japan. He was also graded to 5th Dan in Okinawan weapons with the Ryukyu Kobujitsu Hozon Shinko Kai, also at Shimizu in 1988 by Grandmaster Motokatsu (Gansho) Inoue in Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, then more recently to 6th Dan Shihan 錬士 by Kisho Inoue Hanshi , current leader of the Ryukyu Kobujutsu Hozon Shinkokai. (Traditional Okinawan Weapons)
Current IKGA Qualifications - Paul was awarded 8th dan (Hachidan) by Grandmaster Goshi Yamaguchi in 2014 then Hanshi 範士 in 2018. He had been graded to KYOSHI 教士 License as 6th dan in Japan during 1988 by Gogen Yamaguchi 範士 - Konomoto Hanshi in Shimizu, and confirmed by Saiko Shihan Goshi Yamaguchi in 1989, & then to 7th Dan in 1995 in Tokyo Japan. He was also graded to 5th Dan in Okinawan weapons with the Ryukyu Kobujitsu Hozon Shinko Kai, also at Shimizu in 1988 by Grandmaster Motokatsu (Gansho) Inoue in Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, then more recently to 6th Dan Shihan 錬士 by Kisho Inoue Hanshi , current leader of the Ryukyu Kobujutsu Hozon Shinkokai. (Traditional Okinawan Weapons)
Goju-Kai Karate-Do
2023.
