Brett Fenton is a Sifu in Kung Fu Sifu Brett Fenton’s interest in martial arts started as a child in the 70's when he was enthralled by the skills of Bruce Lee and the interesting story of Monkey. From that point on his dreams were to join the Army and to train in Martial Arts. Due to living in a small country town, he was unable to train in Kung Fu and had to choose the other disciplines of Taekwondo, Boxing and Kickboxing. Eventually in the late 80's after joining the Australian Infantry, he started training in the styles of Wing Chun, Jow Ga, Lion Dance, Dragon Dance and Wy Style Tai Chi under Grandmaster Tom Lo (Blitz Magazine Instructors Hall of Fame Winner). In 1994 he opened his first branch for Grandmaster Lo. In 1997 his current school was opened. In 1998 and 1999 the school won the Quest Business Achievers Award for Fitness & Sport. In 2000 he was bestowed the honour of becoming a Sifu by Grandmaster Lo. In 2006 he was awarded once again for his business achievements by winning the Quest Business Achiever Award. In the past 15 years he has trained with BJJ expert John B Will, Jow Ga expert Sifu Randy Sullivan Bennett, American Top Team Head Coach Master Ricardo Liborio, Australian Martial Arts Acting Legend Richard Norton, World Kickboxing Legend Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Edged weapons expert Ray Floro, Extreme Martial Arts World Champion Mike Chat, Hyper Martial Arts creator Roland Osbourne and world renowned Lion Dance Sifu H.P. Siow. as well as continuing to train under Grandmaster Lo. Sifu travels internationally regularly to train and improve the standard of Martial Arts taught at Red Dragon. He was awarded the 2010 Australian Martial Arts Professional of the Year for his efforts and contributions to the Martial Arts in Australia. Later in 2010, Red Dragon was awarded Australian Top Martial Arts School by EFC in Washington DC.
Mark Davies is a mixed martial arts coach Mark Davies has been cross training in martial arts since 1986. His experience extends into Karate, Boxing, Kick Boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Arnis and MMA. Marks experience includes state and national titles in Karate, boxing, and kickboxing. In 2000 he opened his mixed martial arts facility in Grafton NSW, and soon after opened his second location in Maclean NSW. Mark believes in the many benefits that a martial arts training can bring individuals both young and old. He is committed to providing first class training to his community and contribute to the development, both physical and mental to his students and the local community. Mark Davies can be contacted at MD Freestyle, Grafton and Maclean.
Rod Purcell is a 4th Dan Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate. Sensei Rod Purcell comes from a strong lineage of quality instructors within the Kyokushinkaikan (Organisation) such as Brian Ellison and Gary Viccars. Sensei Rod is a proud Kyokushin practitioner who believes in the life changing power that comes from hard training in the style. As the senior instructor of Geelong Karate INC, Sensei Rod operates the Norlane Dojo in Geelong ate the Waterworld complex and has developed a strong following over the many years of leading students. Kyokushin Karate has a reputation for being a hard style, and is well respected for its effictiveness in a real life self defence situation. Sensei Rod is true to the art and dedicated to providing all students with the opportunity to be the best they can be. Sensei Rod's longevity in the martial arts is testiment to his committment to deliver the best program around.
James Harris is a 3rd Dan in Teshinkai Karate Inspired by the great 70's/80's martial artists, James started his journey with Nippon Karate (a combination of Karate and Thai Boxing) at the age of 14. By 17, James had achieved Shodan (black Belt) and at the age of 18 was running the dojo, both junior and senior classes at the local YMCA. Competing in both Kata and Point Scoring kumite tournaments. James' early highlight was winning a Victorian Open Black Belt kumite tournament. Having to further his working career, he ceased martial arts training at the age of 22. In 2007 at the age of 35, James began full contact training with Kyokushinkaikan and in 2010 switched across to Te Shin Kai Karate where he trains and now teaches. James enjoys the spiritual and health aspects of karate as he says "it never stops challenging me to be the best I can be. Being somewhat a perfectionist, I continually look for smarter more efficient ways to implement effective powerful technique with the least effort required." James has a strong passion to train those around him to be the best that they can be also, so that they can enjoy and be at peace with their life.
Hanshi Terry Wingrove is a 9th Dan Black belt in Karate (Jutsu,) 9th Dan Jujutsu, 3rd Dan Judo and 3rd Dan Aikido. Terry Wingrove was born in London on 8th May 1941, his first serious contact with martial arts was practicing Judo as an 11 year old at the Budokwai in London. By the time he was 15 he came under the influence and teaching of the late Vernon Bell. By the time he was 17 he had enrolled in Vernon Bell's Jujitsu and Karate classes, the first classes in Karate anywhere in UK. Terry's drive to improve his knowledge meant he studied with all the Oriental instructors that Vernon Bell invited to the UK including Huang Nam, Tetsugi Murakami both of whom were teaching Yoseikan style Karate. Terry attended the first Aikido course ever held in the UK in 1960 under Tadashi Abe. By late 1960 Terry was travelling to Paris to study with Murakami in Henry Plee's Dojo. Also Terry attended classes at Jim Alcheiks - the great French Karate teacher who studied martial arts in Japan in the 1950's and subsequently was killed in Algeria by anti-terrorist police in 1962. By 1963 Terry was an assistant instructor in Karate and Judo in UK. In December 1963 Terry captained the first ever British Karate team in Paris where he and Jimmy Neal were the highest grades in the UK team at 1st Kyu with Vernon Bell as the national coach. Other members of the team included B Hammond, A. Sherry, A. Smith. In 1965 Vernon Bell invited the JKA to UK and Sensei Kase, Kanazawa, Enoeda and Shirai arrived in the summer of '65. Terry was now 24 and motivated to go to Japan to see for himself and train in Karate, Aikido and Jujitsu. He married in 1965 and went to Cape Town, South Africa following Shirai Sensei who was teaching at Hugh St John Thompson's Dojo. Eventually in 1967 he obtained the necessary work visas and arrived in Japan in August '67. He was employed as a physical education teacher at the Marist International School in Kobe and joined the biggest Karate Dojo in the area which was the Shito-Ryu Dojo of Chojiro Tani and became secretary of the internationl Shukokai organisation training with Kimura and Tani. Tani Sensei was a school and university teacher and very articulate in English and greatly respected as an original student of Mabuni, the founder of Shitoryu. During the mid 60's there was a major and sincere effort to unite all the styles of Karate under the patronage and sponsorship of Japan's richest man Ryoichi Sasakawa. Tani Sensei introduced and recommended Terry to Sasakawa and Terry was appointed to the secretariat of Federation All Japan Karate Organisations (FAJKO) and the World Union of Karate Organisations (WUKO) as the only foreigner working in the organisation of FAJKO and WUKO. Terry held the position of Chief of the Information Dept. Terry helped organise the first World Karate Championships in Japan in 1970 and subsequently travelled the world many times as a WUKO staff member. This was the so-called “golden years” of united Karate with the great Masters such as Nakayama, Yamaguchi, Ohtsuka, Iwata, Tani, Mabuni and many others teaching and grading in unison on instructor courses. Terry attended the first and famous all-styles course in 1972 in Chiba, near Tokyo where he was awarded his 5th Dan. Terry also studied Jujitsu and Aikido and was invited as a Karate instructor to many countries. Terry's position in the secretariat of FAJKO and WUKO opened many doors for him to study with great Masters in martial arts during his 21 year stay in Japan. Terry was awarded his 7th Dan Kyoshi in Goju-ryu Karate-Do in 1989, by Masafumi Suzuki 10th Dan and founder of the Seibukan in Kyoto. Terry received his 8th Dan Hanshi Karate Do in Tokyo in April 2007and his 9th Dan Karate Jutsu with Shihan Menjo in March 2011. Most importantly for Terry in 1972 he started training seriously in Jutsu after a 5 year constant search in Japan for a Jutsu teacher. Jutsu has become the core of all Terry’s teaching and the motto of “Feeling is Believing” has been spread throughout the world by Terry and his students. Terry's passion is teaching a martial art NOT sporting Karate. His research and specialist study of Karate & Jutsu has taken him all over Japan, Okinawa and China. This again was possible as Terry combined his study of martial arts with his business as an Oriental art dealer. Terry enjoys teaching and is in constant demand all over the world, where he has built up a strong following amongst serious students of martial arts. Terry is non-political regarding martial arts and truly enjoys imparting his extensive knowledge to students and teachers of all ages and grades from ALL martial arts irrespective of their styles and/or their affiliation.
Mark ‘The Hammer’ Castagnini is Founder and Head Instructor of Hammer’s Gym and is one of the most highly respected names in Australian Muay Thai Kickboxing. Mark began his martial arts training under Shihan Emin in Kyokushin Karate. His competitive nature lead him to kickboxing and then Muay Thai kickboxing. Castagnini’s fight career peaked in 1995 when he won the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) Australian Cruiserweight Muay Thai title against Romolo Pio. In the same year Mark won the National All Styles Victorian Black-Belt Championship, which he won again in 1998. Mark has been appointed the VAMAA (Victorian Amateur Martial Arts Association) Vice President, which is a Victorian Government recognised association. Castagnini regularly travels to Thailand under the umbrella of the World Muay Thai Council (WMC). His trips allow him to keep up to date with the latest training methods and bring back the improvements to share with Hammer’s Gym’s students. In 2006 Mark received an award from the president of the WMC for his dedicated promotion of Muay Thai in Australia. As well as this he also was given the award for the development and popularization of Muay Thai in Australia. Mark has been an ongoing ambassador for the sport and continues to receive recognition from the WMC. Mark has many years experience working in the martial arts industry. He was previously general manager for Blitz Publications which produces the “International Kickboxer”, which was named the best fight magazine in the Oceania by the WMC. As well as this Mark hosted his own show on Fox Sports called “Hammer Time”