Former Australian Chief Instructor Paul Starling 7th Dan & Kyoshi, joined Goju Kai Karate do in the early 1960's and has remained a member ever since, making him the most senior non Japanese Instructor in the IKGA association, as a World Vice President of the IKGA.

Australia is a continent as large as North America and distances between States have always been prohibitive, yet Goju Kai has continued to flourish here during the past 40 years largely as a result of the combined  efforts of the Shihan instructors located in New South Wales, Victoria & Western Australia. Although each Chief Instructor has their own unique and individual method of teaching and running their Dojo, they are united in a determined stance of loyalty and respect for the Yamaguchi family and for Yamaguchi Goshi Shihan.

Perhaps it could be argued that the strength of Goju Kai Karate do Australia comes from the fact that the most senior Instructors in Australia are of a very high rank, {at least 7th Dan}, and that  of these  Instructors each has been training and teaching for at least 35-40 years. At the same time, training with these Instructors are many other Shihan Instructors of 5th Dan Rank who have also each been training and teaching for approximately 25-30 years.

Instructors of the 4th Dan rank {Jokyo}, and 3rd Dan rank {Shidoin}, work with their Chief Instructor  or Shihan, cohesively, to keep in tact the traditional precepts of Goju Kai Karate do which state that:-

             We are proud to study the way of Goju Ryu.

             We are courteous in manners

             We are humble but strong

             We cultivate the spirit of co-operation

             We respect the Budo spirit of  traditional martial arts.

The Australian branch of Yamaguchi Goju-Kai maintains a strong link with the Japanese Headquarters of IKGA.   Grandmaster Goshi Yamaguchi Saiko Shihan visits our Country on a regular basis (usually every 2 years), and since the 1960's Australia has frequently sent individuals as well as large groups of students and Instructors  to Japan,  ensuring that Australia keeps up to date with the latest methods of teaching and training.

It has been said that outside of Japan and the United States that Australia has the longest history of Goju-Kai Karate-Do associated with the Yamaguchi Family. We are proud of the fact that we have eight Shihan Instructors in the Australian branch of the IKGA, which is explained by our 40 year history.

We hope that you will find time to sign our guestbook; to navigate this site please either view the pages that interest you from the Home Page/Site Map, or otherwise please press the last navigation button at the top & bottom of each page titled 'NEXT'.

As this site is continually being modified, we hope that you will bookmark  the Home Page, and return intermittently, pressing the reload button, to view a regularly updated version of the site. The International Karate do Goju Kai Association, throughout the world  currently have Dojo in 60 different countries, and we hope that you will navigate and explore the various Websites of our worldwide association.

Members may also be interested to attend European, Canadian, Australian, African, South American or Asian Summer and winter camps held regularly and taught by Goshi Yamaguchi Shihan. Sydney members have previously attended Seminars in Sweden , Karlsgogaar,Corfu- Greece & Japan, and Western Australians & Victorians attended Championships & Seminars in Japan, India Malaysia & Brazil.

Explanations regarding the following pages appear on the Home Page, however we will leave you with a light hearted look at life from the pen of the very talented David Lowrie. A Link to his  'Zen ' philosophy Page   ' Dharma the Cat ' can be found on our 'Cool Links' - friends page.