Shaolin Academy History since 1992

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1962

It started when Sijo Robert Z's brother took him to Judo training 1962. Since then, despite moving over thirty times across four countries, Robert Z kept training martial arts wherever he could find it. In 1970 he came across Karate and despite army, despite several house moves, Robert stayed at the Way of the Open Hand Karate School. In 1974 Robert Z competed in the European Championship open division of full contact and was disqualified due to the use of illegal techniques that he learned in the army. In 1975, her was a runner up but could not defeat Spiro, a Greek champion and mountain of a man. In 1976 he achieved his Black Sash and won the European Full Contact Championship against Spiro, and Sensei Arno died in a car accident in France. There was no going to another Karate school.<

1976

Robert's best friend at the time, Wolfgang, a taxi driver, introduce him to the then, mystical art of Aikido, and to Christine. Sensei Chris was a powerhouse of a teacher and her sessions were limited to five or six people. No matter how tough the Engineering studies were, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday morning were training. He only missed one week of training in February 77 when he married his wife Dagmar. In 1982, Sensei 2nd Dan Christine organized her and his grading. Her grading to the third dan required that the Okinawa head of style come to Germany. Just 2 weeks shy of migrating to Australia Robert graded for his Aikido Black Belt under Sensei Christine under Master Matsimusi.

1982

Two-hundred and fifty seven job applications and Robert had his first job in Australia. Robert and Dagmar joined a gym but it was boring, except that a level above was a martial art class. They tried it out and became members of the Golden Lion Academy. No money, unlimited training membership, Robert trained 6 years training 8 times a week (twice on Saturdays) often in the beginner, intermediate, advanced, and black sash classes. In this way, Dagmar and Robert saved up enough money to put a 30% deposit on the house they still live in. After living in so many places,it is meant to be their last home.

Towards the late 80's, Robert became restless with the Academy. After reaching Black Sash there seemed no where to go so he started cross training, seeking out unusual styles. Ninjitsu, Northern Praying Mantis, Taekwondo, Capoeira, Kick boxing, Savate, Viet Vo Dao, Chin Na, Tong Long, and others. His restlessness and cross training did not go down well, so he stopped with the Academy and focused on Chin Na, Tong Long, and Wing Chung. Robert was also promoted to an Executive position and worked in the city where a Gym rented out space.

1992

Initially, Sijo taught private students but it got too much, and on Wednesday 24 June 1992, Robert and Dagmar ran the first Liang-I Lifestyle Shaolin Kung Fu Academy class; yes, a mouthful. Most just called is Shaolin Kung Fu. As the video shows, on Fridays we shared the space with Kimekai Karate, which made for some good sparing.

In 1993 Robert Z received an invitation to participate in a special events day at the Association for the Blind in Kooyong. The day and the experience for the partially and fully blind participants was quite a success and the Association offered the use of their recreational hall for free, if Association Members, staff and clients could train for a minimal cost. This led to regular classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at this location for about 18 months.

The level of support expected by the Vision Impaired was very high, sometimes as much a one-to-one for activities and many of the participants expected this level of support with any activity. After about a hear and a half the attendance dropped down to only 2 persons from Vision Australia and the 'experiment' was over. There were two non-vision members that transferred to the city location.

Around 1994 a vision impaired person representing Special Interest Group in Frankston called and invited Sijo for a demonstration and class. The class was for a mixed group of people none of which were visually impaired except the organizer. After the demo, a small group of around 6 people wanted to continue training and a small room was found (location 3). This worked well for some months but the location was too small and the Academy moved to the Mechanics hall in Frankston where it remained for several years successfully (location 4). Eventually though, the needs of the council for the venue forced Sijo to find another location. The Take 5 Dance Studio in the center of Frankston on Nepean Highway offered the 1pm time slot (5). This was a great location and a second class day was added on Wednesdays in addition to the regular Saturday Class and occasional Sunday Weaponry training..

This again worked well for a while until the manager of the Take 5 Dance Studio decided to lease the time allocated to us to another martial art club for a higher rent. They did not consult us in any way, but just told us to start 1½ hours later; so instead of 1pm start at 2.30pm. We though this was to accommodate their Dance needs and originally agreed but when it was clear we were displaced we had to move, fairly quickly. But as so often, one door closes, another opens (although at the time it was quite a stress experience).

Around 1995, Sijo invited to share the community hall with the Karate group he initially shared the city venue with. This was initially impossible but when Kooyong was closed Tuesdays & Thursdays were started there (location 6). After two years Sensei moved to a full time venue and Sijo moved with him (location 7) but still in Highett. This went well until the needs of the Karate Studio and Students started impacting on the Kung Fu classes. Around the same time in 1998 the Take 5 Dance Studio was running into financial problems and double booked the location so that it greatly impede with the Kung Fu. This was difficult, trying to relocate two venues. For a period of 3½ months we trained in a park, and lost a lot of members.

1999

With a lot of luck for us (not the Taekwondo club that went broke), the Allan McLean Hall in Mordialloc suddenly had vacancies, we immediately booked Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This proved in the long term (as we still are there) to be the perfect location and so the Alan McLean hall became the 8th (location 8) Shaolin Academy location. At this time we ran with the City on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Mordialloc Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

As a parallel development, one of our instructors was eager to teach. Sijo did not really want to hand off any classes at this time as he enjoyed the training and teaching greatly; and it kept him fit, healthy and alert. The instructor assisted in classes for a year and was prepared for teaching. After he graded his Black Sash, he found a venue close to where he lived, in Craigieburn and started teaching (location 9). Great location, bad timing. The venue remained open for 2 years before it folded.

2001

Sijo always wanted to visit the source of the style and in May 2001 he and 7 students made a 3 week pilgrimage to Shaolin, Henan, China. When the group returned from China and Sijo returned to work, he was told that his project funding was cut and that he no longer had a job; unless he is prepared to relocate to Hong Kong. A great opportunity with only two flaws; he would have to hand off the Academy and his partner and club co-founder had just started a successful T. A. F. E.

Change was abroad and around the same time; the facility owners of the Clubs City location, employed a new manager as the facility was not really growing. This new management was not interested in allowing the martial art to continue and started a process of creative eviction; from inflated invoices to locked doors, rude staff and accidental double bookings. A new location was needed. Sifu Wayne who had been wanting a venue of his own was tasked in finding a replacement and he did, at the Melbourne City Baths (location 10). At the same time Sijo sought a new location, away from the City and was fortunate to come across a venue in Caulfield that had burned down a few year earlier and was now refurbished and ready to take bookings (location 11).

Everything was flowing except, that same year (still 2001), Sifu Wayne, the city instructor, was warming to his task of having 'his own venue' and wanted to manage this his own way. He wanted to manage the curriculum and method of teaching himself rather than being part of the Academy. In Spring 2002, the Shaolin Academy ceased to have a City location after 9 years of operation. Sifu Wayne took the city students and went his own way. We went looking for a new location for Monday, Wednesday and Friday sessions!

Again we were lucky. All venues around the city and suburbs were booked to the hilt; except the Caulfield East Reserve Hall, which had burned down 2 years prior and was just being reopened when we called. Obviously, not many members that came to the city location could make it to Caulfield, some did, many left. We had to start all over again. And again we did reasonably well for quite a few years except for the natural disaster called Monash University Cricket and Football Club.

After a few years they became heavy users of the venue for their 'Social and Gambling' nights. They did not clean up. The council felt they should, they as a University felt it was the councils duty to clean the venue. For around five years until 2011 we were stuck in the middle often training on beer soaked carpets, and cigarette stained chairs. We terminated our relationship with the Caulfield Council and moved to the Anglican Church and School Hall around the corner in Glenhuntly.

2011

A beautiful hall built by the Rudd Stimulus Initiative, it was part of the halls charter to allow community bookings and we were there just at the right time. The Head Master Mark was very good and we got a good deal. We launched the venue on the 4th of April 2011. The first year was good and then the Deputy Headmaster took over and doubled the price for our bookings. I mad her aware of the agreement but it was a take-it-or-leave-it type of offer. For the next year we struggled as we could no longer invest in advertising and we had to reduce our classes. After two years of this we terminated the agreement and we no longer had a second main venue.

The owner of the Camberwell Tiger and Crane Kung Fu club had a heart problem, a quadruple by-pass and could no longer run sessions. Gilbert asked me to take his venue and his classes over. Considering the ill health of Gilbert we did everything for him including paying a hefty sum for his equipment. After the fact we found out that he had only 6 members and that when he opened a new location they all went back to him. he folded later and some of his former members returned including an autistic challenged who transferred over to Mordialloc later. .

Sifu Wayne was not the only one who wanted to Branch out. Sifu Sarah had a Mauy Thai Instructor as a partner and he offered her to start classes in Greensborough (location 12). This was a long way from Sijo's base of operations. Sifu Sarah made a good go of it but her 'partner' problems saw this venue closed after 2 years (although after the birth of her son she restarted a new venue some 5 years later on her own recognizance).

Sifu John was also eager to try children's classes. Sijo was not really interested in Children's Kung Fu but supported Sifu John. We found a location in Bentleigh (location 13) in an ideal location between 3 schools. We rented the facility on Tuesdays and started advertising. As the location started to grow we approached the council to expand our training days and were informed that a large and commercial Taekwondo club rented it on all other week days of the week. This surprised us no end as we were told that the venue would not be made available to any other martial art clubs! It was around the time when the whole scandal with Caulfield (Glen Ira) councilors was occurring so we should not have been surprised. It was impossible for us to expand or do anything as the Taekwondo club 'marked' the facility as theirs and outdid us on advertising. We moved the children's classes to Mordialloc (note - the universe seems to balance itself as we took over a former Taekwondo venue in Mordialloc, although they were doing children's classes and we adults and did not push them out . . . ironic no?).

There was one other attempt at an interdependent but instructor run location in Clayton. It was actually a clever attempt as the location was inexpensive and due to be rebuilt. Sifu Danny speculated that a year would allow him to gauge if the location and he were viable and so Shaolin Academy classes started in Clayton (location 14). Sifu Danny was right but in a different way. He discovered his passion for experimentation and this did not translate well into teaching his students the promoted Shaolin style of Kung Fu. At the end of the lease, the location was abandoned. The building time took longer than expected (as expected!) and only was available 3½ years later. There was nothing to resurrect.

2018

We closed the Camberwell venue and Sijo focused on just Mordialloc, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In a way, with the COVID-19 pandemic, this was a good decision. The following years were quite devastating to club membership, and not only for us. Approaching age 70, Sijo continues with just the Mordialloc venue and hopes that the next few years will be less 'interesting'.

2022

Not every person reaches Black Sash, actually around one-in-a-hundred only. But there are many members that have had great success and achievements in their Kung Fu training. We feel that those who gave us their time and effort in learning Kung Fu well are also the members we are most proud off and refer to as Arhat's or Honored Members. These are often an even better representation of the Academy's spirit than just the venues and location and words. Below are the 18 Arhat's of the Shaolin Academy. Soon, we expect two more members to join this illustrious list.

So, come on in and see if what we do is for you!

We are happy to hear from you and answer you martial art, health and developmental questions. If you wish to train with us, the first 3 sessions are free. It is best to try these before making any commitment. If you have any other questions or would lust like to explore some possibilities, you can;

Call us between 11am and 5pm, Tuesday to Friday & Sunday on 0458 742 654 that is 0458 SHAOLIn
e-mail us at the Shaolin Academy
Drop into any of our venues at least 30 minutes before class start.
Or in a special case, you can also arrange a personal meeting with Master Robert Z. You can call him on 0458 742 654 (0458 SHAOLIn).

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