2014 Koryo History - koryotaekwondo.com.au

Koryo Taekwondo Centre History
I established The Koryo Tae Kwon Do Centre in 1976 in an old church hall in the small
country town of Whittlesea which is located in country Victoria. As the founder of the
club it has given me great pleasure watching the club develop and grow.
After the success of the Whittlesea club I opened another 10 clubs in Victoria.
During the early years Taekwondo was an unknown Martial Art in country Victoria,
however, I decided that if we continue to open clubs and teach students Taekwondo it
would become well known in country Victoria.
And some 40 years later Taekwondo is now well known in country Victoria.
Also during those early years I was a member of the Australian
Taekwondo Association which was one of the first National Taekwondo organisation in
Australia.
As a member of this organisation I held various positions which included being the
President, Vice President and Tournament Director with the common goal of developing
Taekwondo in Australia.
I went to Singapore in 1990 on a business venture. During the two years I was staying in
Singapore I was fortunate to be asked to become involved with the Singapore Taekwondo
team. I joined the club and also attained by 5th Dan in July 1992.
I felt privileged yet personally challenged when I was asked to instruct some classes for
them. In reflection the challenge for me was being a Westerner training Singaporeans and
other Asians students a martial which was developed by Koreans. However, the students
appeared to appreciate my teaching of the art. I was then asked to assist training the
Singapore National team for the 1991 Internationals. It was a significant moment in my
Taekwondo experience when the team came second in the international competition.
The club has continued to develop and grow with the support of a number of committed
instructors.
Some of GM Russell Woods achievements over the years.
During the year 2000 Russell received a Sports Medal from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
the 2nd.
2 Gold Medals at the 2008 3rd Oceania Championships in New Zealand.
In 2006 he received a Citation from the WTF for his contribution to Taekwondo .
Won a Gold and Bronze at the Belgium 2009 Open Challenge Cup.
Russell won Gold in the A Grade Poomsae Division in Korea at the 2010 4th World
Taekwondo Expo.
At 2011 New Zealand Open Russell won 5 Gold medals.
Finalist in the 2011 World Poomsae Championships in Russia. (6th Place)
Russell also won the Victorian Sports and Recreation Senior Sports Person Award for
2011.
Received a Citation from the WTF for his contribution to Taekwondo in 2012.
Won 3 Gold Medals at the 2012 New Zealand Open.
At the 2012 World Hanmadang Championships in Korea Russell won 1 Silver & 1
Bronze.
At the Korean 2012 World Hanmadang Championships Russell won 1Silver & 1 Bronze
whilst competing with a broken arm.
In 2012 he also received a WTF Citation for his contribution to Taekwondo.
In 2012 Russell was graded to 8th Dan whilst in Korea.
At 2013 US Open Russell won Silver and Bronze medals.
Won 2 Gold and a Bronze at 2014 New Zealand Taekwondo Open.
Completed the 2014 OTU Poomsae Judges Seminar in Perth.
Completed the WTF Poomsae IR Seminar Taipei June 2014.
Russell won Gold at both the 2014 6th Oceania Championships and the 2014 STA
Australian Selections in Sydney.
Won a position on the Australian team travelling to Mexico for 2014 World Poomsae
Championships.
Refer Instructors Pages for additional information.
Koryo Taekwondo Centre’s Head Instructors
Master Carl Ure 6th Dan Kukkiwon Black Belt.
Carl who is the only original member left from The Koryo Taekwondo Team who trained
in the old Church hall back in the 70’s. He is also the Head Instructor for our Seymour
Club which has now been establish for around 35 years.
In the early days Carl was one of the people you made it possible for the club to move into
the Northern Country areas. Carl has always been very supported of all our activities even
with his very busy Business and Family life.
Joyce Stivala 5th Dan Kukkiwon Black Belt.
Joyce as well as being the Head Instructor for our Whittlesea Club has always been a great
support with regards to running Classes at our Roxburgh Park and Craigieburn Clubs,
Club Gradings, Organising Competitions such as the Bev Walker Trophy, Attending
Seminars, Demonstrations, Social Nights etc for over 20 years.
Lucky Dimoski 5th Dan Kukkiwon Black Belt.
Lucky has been with our club now for over 35 years and is currently the Head Instructor
for our Eltham Club. Lucky was one of the original Instructors at Wallan and Epping until
he move to Eltham. During those early years Lucky put in a considerable effort to ensure
the club would remain strong and continue to grow into the future.
Sammy Rachele 4th Dan Kukkiwon Black Belt.
Sammy has now been with our club for some 14 years and is the Head Instructor for the
Shepparton area. During this period he and his family have gone from strength to strength
as they have build a very large first class training facility in Shepparton which in my
opinion is as good as any in Australia. The Shepparton Club has now grown to be one of
the largest in the Koryo Group and it also has a very impressive record when it comes to
State, National and International competitions.
Refer Instructors Pages for additional information.
All the above Head Instructors have put in a considerable amount of time and effort to
make the club what it is today.