Newsletter - 20th September 2013
News From Fire Dragon Australia
2013 FIRST NEWSLETTER
2013 started as usual with demonstrations in February as part of the National Multicultural Festival, and a proficient Fire Dragon team delighted and amazed the audiences on Saturday 9th, and again on the following Sunday. The second performance was as part of the Chinese New Year Celebrations, welcoming in the Year of the Snake. As usual, students and instructors were greeted as friends by the Chinese Community, and put on an unforgettable show. Challenging and realistic defences, spectacular flying kicks, traditional weapons kept Fire Dragon busy, with the show finishing with Grandmaster Hardy taught the audience some Chi Gung, and then asked the audience to guess how much concrete he would have broken on his chest while lying on a bed of nails. The answer was over 600 kg!
Fire Dragon showing some basics
Working to the Drum!
Steph Boyle making short work of her attacker
Wasu Savage blowing the bottom out of a bottle
Grandmaster Hardy breaks a half-sleeper: hard concrete, thick and short makes a difficult task!
Feeling those nails again
Daniel Cochrane has a go at the first slab - over 600 kg
Sam Wong congratulates the Grandmaster on his feat: Grandmaster Hardy turns to show no blood!
Everyone celebrates the New Year of the Dragon by letting off poppers
And just three hours later, Fire Dragon was on again at University House, with the ANU Students Union asking the Club to help them celebrate Chinese New Year - which the Dragons were happy to do!
Grandmaster Hardy ran a Half Day Course on 19th May, which was attended by more than 20 students, learning new forms (including Pai Lum Spear from Pai Shao Li), techniques, fighting techniques and working with Kung Fu animals.
Participants at the Half Day Course in May
And then on 15th September, Sifu Jamie Scuffell, head of the Shen Zhao Pai Athletic Association, came down to Canberra from Townsville with two of his senior students to teach Fire Dragon some more White Crane. Throughout the weekend, Sifu Scuffell and his seniors helped us understand their approach to combat and life. It has been quite a few years that the Townsville White Crane has been sharing their Way with the Australian Dragons, and they are as pleased with the progress that they have made, as Fire Dragon is to have them put up with Canberra's cooler weather!
White Crane and White Dragon sharing food!
The White Crane Course participants
And just before Grandmaster Hardy left his classes in the capable hands of Sifu Wells, Sifu Bean, Wasu O'Connor and Simon Jordan, a new, feline student appeared!
Simon teaching meditation to a natural student
The new student prowls between other students