Goodamate  Oweryah Goin            

  Well it’s about time I  told you about my trip to England. I was invited to the Solent Martial  Arts Academy’s 20^th Anniversary 2008, Black Belt Hall Of Fame and Martial Arts Legends. Organised by Soak Shihan Martin Rodgers

          When I arrived at England Heathrow Airport on Thursday the 4^th  I was  picked up by Shihan and driven to Portsmouth booked into the Anglesey Motel   4^th floor room 14.  That evening trained with Shihan and his students in Solent Martial Arts, combined with Thkdo pressure point training.

                    Next morning went back to Heathrow Airport and picked up Snr Grand Master Dr Braff (USA), Soke Robert Bugh 10th Dan (USA) and 
   Shihan John Doherty 6th Dan (USA).  A highlight of this trip was a surprise detour to Stonehenge, an absolutely incredible site, though it  had a very eerie feeling to it.

                     We then headed back to the Angesey Hotel and had to move from the 4^th floor to the ground floor room no 4 as Docks health wasn’t too good. We went shopping and Soke Martin organised to pick up Dock and I the next day for the Hall of Fame Seminars.

                     The next day we were picked up and taken to the Seminars .What an incredible sight, we were introduced to over 280 students ranging from minors to Police to Interpol and from SAS up to 10^th Dan’s,  I ran through some Muay Thai, and Pressure Points techniques which were enjoyed by the students and teachers.

                     That evening we got dressed up and headed to the Solent Hall of Fame presentation and member’s dinner. The food was delicious and everybody went in for seconds, Pork and salad was on the menu. Dancing and Cavorting till we were thrown out at 1 o’clock. Headed back to the Hotel for a good night sleep.

                     SLEEP  ha  ha ha  By 2oclock Doc Braff and I were hanging our heads over the toilet bowl and competing with each other to see who could sit on the toilet seat without making a mess in the bed or on the floor.

Mind you, the next day we were still very very sick (definitely FOOD POISIONING)

   What we didn’t know was that Soke Martin had organised for some one to pick us up. Not knowing that we had been moved from room 14 to 4 and the           office hadn’t changed their books. We couldn’t be found?!  So due to these circumstances a police and hospital search was employed.

    By  4pm that afternoon we were found, I managed to find the manager of the hotel who was a personal friend of Soke Martin who finally sorted out our predicament.

    Here's a list of some the High Grades that were there and infected.

    Soke Shihan Martin Rodgers               England          

    Soke Hanchi John Hunt                       Australia        

    Snr Grand Master Dr Robert Braff      USA

    Soke Robert Bugh 10th Dan                USA

    Tencho Marcus  Bollai  Sefu               Switzerland

    Shihan Chad Foster                             Denmark

    Soke Norbert Demros 9^th Dan            Germany

    Shihan Martin  Dixon 8^th Dan              UK

    Professor Terry Parker 9^th Dan           UK

    Shihan Janet Parker  6^th Dan               UK

    Shihan Dennis Ward 5^th Dan               UK

    Shihan Patrick  Martin 5^th Dan             UK

    Shihan Ian Arborn 5^th                          UK

    Shihan John Doherty 6^th                       USA

    There are many other names to enter so if I have missed you I apologise

 
    IT was an eventful trip, and I’d like to thank Soke Martin and family and all others who made this trip so memorable . Thanks and thanks again

                                                 Yours  in BUDO,

                                                     Hanchi John