Ave Atque Vale Paul Seaman

Unfortunately, this blog appears to becoming an obituary column.

Many things will be said about Paul Seaman as he was a distinguished high court judge. This post will be unique in that it will attempt to honour a part of Paul's life that is not associated with his contributions to the law.

Reading some of the obituaries, I see reference to the Honourable Paul Seaman QC. It is one of the rare instances when the title - Honourable - fits.

Paul engaged in private lessons with Jan de Jong for many years. He was motivated to undertake these lessons due to threats made against him during his career. He was to remain a friend of De Jong's from that day forward.

Another enduring friendship he made from jujutsu was with Greg Palmer. Greg came to instruct Paul, and Paul returned the favour by regularly beating him at golf. Unfortunately, all three gentleman, and I use that word advisedly, have now passed away.

Paul's training with De Jong forever left an impression on those who would later train with him. Even though he was an older gentleman and was not physically impressive, he had a hard edge to his technique.

I always remember a story he told me about how he came to do his articles to qualify as a lawyer. It must have been in the 1950s as he qualified in Australia in the early 1960s. He studied law after doing a stint in the UK Army. Upon graduation, Paul took out an advertisement in The Times, advertising that if you were not prepared to pay X then don't bother replying. Apparently he was inundated with offers. He chose to do articles with some obscure firm because they had a practitioner that Paul thought he could learn from.

Paul was the first person I ever heard refer to De Jong as 'master.' Neither put any credence to the use of titles, so it made it all the more special. To see a High Court judge addressing a man as 'master' naturally was something to behold, and to learn from. It demonstrated a humility that can only come from self confidence and self awareness.

Paul was the most intelligent person I have ever met. His mind was something to behold. It is a tragic irony that it was his mind that was to betray him and cause his death.

Paul has a reputation as being 'down to earth' and a man of the people. I recall a story about him where a lawyer was pontificating, as they are want to do, when asking a defendant in the dock a question. After a number of attempts at asking the same question, to which the defendant had no idea what the lawyer was trying to ask, Paul leaned down from the bench and explained, 'He's trying to ask, did you do it?'

I also recall in Greg's dojo, when Paul informed me that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons. He was informing me of a horrible death sentence. The grace and dignity with which he informed me is now fully appreciated. There is a lot to admire about Paul.

Ave atque vale, hail and farewell, Paul.

Ian Continues to Teach

Ian's son, Mike, provided a wonderful eulogy at Ian's funeral. He is a credit to his father in every way. Given my current interests, a couple of stories his son regaled the mourning masses with came to mind.

Mike told of the time when he held a party at his father's house and some male guests were throwing bottles at the wall of the house. Ian approached the lads and explained that he hoped that they had had a good time at the party but if they continued with their current actions, damage would ensue on their bodies. The lads decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

Mike also told of the time when his father stopped when being tailgated by some lads. Three lads got out of the car and approached Ian. Without Ian saying a word, the lads decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

How did Ian influence these testosterone fueled, societal motivated aggressive males who outnumbered this older man on each occasion?

Appraisal theory tells us that emotions (and subsequent behaviours) are evoked based on an unconscious, or conscious, assessment of our resources and abilities to deal with a threat. If we assess that our resources and abilities are sufficient to deal with a threat then we are confident and a particular emotion is evoked which is accompanied by a particular behaviour.

Was Ian confident in his resources and abilities to deal with the threat? In my unprofessional opinion, I would say that that was not a consideration.

I suspect that Ian had a resolve. A steely resolve. If this 'thing' was going to happen then he would engage in the process. There would have been no thought of outcome. He didn't weigh, consciously or unconsciously, whether or not he would prevail.

Confidence is a tricky thing. When you compare your resources and abilities to a threat, if the former outweighs the latter, you are confident which influences your actions. If your assessment falls short, you lack confidence and your actions reflect that lack of confidence. During a violent encounter, there is a constant reappraisal of your resources and abilities versus the threat. A steely resolve does not engage in that appraisal process.

There is another senior instructor at the school that was the Jan de Jong Self Defence School. He emphasises the 'warrior spirit' in both word and action. He is very proficient, physically strong and fast, and very aggressive. Who would I prefer to engage with, Ian or the unnamed senior instructor? The latter. Every day of the week. Why? Because I had a chance of defeating the unnamed senior instructor psychologically. That opportunity did not exist with Ian. Ian had a resolve. He didn't think about winning or losing, and therefore did not weigh resources and abilities against threats. He was going to engage to the best of his abilities, if he had to, and that was the end of the assessment process.

I believe this is the lesson you want to instill in your students. Forget confidence. Forget bravado. It's simply a steely resolve. Not to win or lose, but simply to engage with all of your resources and abilities. Let the outcome take care of itself.




... Interestingly enough, writing this post and reflecting on Ian's lesson is giving me the resolve to deal with a very intimidating issue that is currently having a major impact on my life. Thanks Lloydo. You continue to help me.

Ave Atque Vale Ian Lloyd

Ian Lloyd 2 November 1946 - 27 July 2012

Catullus 101

Through many peoples and many seas have I travelled

to thee, brother, and these wretched rites of death

I bring a last gift but can speak only to ashes

Since Fortune has taken you from me

Poor brother! stolen you away from me

leaving me only ancient custom to honour you

as it has been from generation to generation

Take from my hands these sad gifts covered in tears

Now and forever, brother, Hail and farewell (ave atque vale).

I prefer the modern translation of ave atque vale: I salute you ... and goodbye.

Ian first stepped onto the mats of the Jan de Jong Self Defence School in 1965.

He was the third longest serving member of the school. He is only preceded by Hans de Jong (officially 1955) and Paul Connolly (1964).

Ian was one of the first jujutska to be awarded shodan by Shihan Jan de Jong in 1982. He was a very proficient jujutsu practitioner, but that proficiency pales into insignificance when you consider the man.

Ian holds the record, by far, for teaching the same class. He commenced teaching the Wednesday night class in 1979 and continued to do so until the restructuring of the school after Jan de Jong's passing in 2003. The third Wednesday in April, 1983 was my first class of jujutsu, and I was privileged to attend Ian's class for many years.

'I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university' - Albert Einstein. Einstein may as well as have been speaking for Ian. Ian treated one and all, young and old, male and female, from all walks of life in the same manner. Always, always with respect.

'Respect' is a word that is often bandied around these days. It is often demanded but the simple rule expressed by R.G. Risch seems to have been lost by many: 'Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you've got to give it.' Ian gave respect to one and all with no expectation of anything in return. You didn't have to earn Ian's respect, it was freely given. All you could do was lose it through your own demerit. And even then, Ian wouldn't hold it against you.

'Being humble means recognising that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others' - G.B. Hinckley. By definition, Ian was humble. He didn’t teach to gain status or to impress anyone. His teaching was not driven by ego. He didn’t teach for financial reward. He taught because he enjoyed it. He taught for his students, for his love of the art, and for his deep and abiding friendship with Jan de Jong.

'Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend' - A. Camus. Both Ian and Jan de Jong lived this credo. Jan de Jong didn't ask Ian to walk behind him, and Ian probably would not have followed; but they walked together side by side as true friends. No tribute to Ian would be complete without mention of his deep and abiding friendship with Jan de Jong.

Ian asked those he met to just walk beside him and be his friend. Many accepted that invitation. 'Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears' - John Lennon. In this case, Ian was far older than his 66 years and the calculation of his life reaches towards infinity.

Ian, ave atque vale, I salute you ... and goodbye.

The Perfect Storm

Sensei Ross Taylor (right) is a highly respected aikidoka in Perth who has established his own aikido school. Sensei Taylor posted a message on Facebook yesterday commemorating the sixth anniversary of the passing of his instructor, Yoshiaki Unno.

Sensei Taylor's post gave me cause to consider the set of circumstances that had to come together in order for him to develop a passion for aikido which led to his founding of his school. It included colonialism, two wars, the force of nature, climate, language, politics, scarce resources, immigration, a dysfunctional relationship, and a 20 year old man who, in 1940, wanted to become a pilot.

The 20yo man was Jan de Jong and he lived in the Dutch colony of Indonesia pre-1940. In 1940 he travelled to Holland to fulfill his ambition of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately he got caught up in WWII, which fortunately meant he had to turn to teaching jujutsu in order to earn money and survive.

The end of WWII saw nature impose a harsher winter than normal on Holland. This winter came to be known as the 'Hunger Winter' because of the deprivations the occupation and the weather imposed on the Dutch.

In order to escape the deprivations of Holland at that time, De Jong returned to equatorial Indonesia. He returned to a nation which was violently struggling for independence.

After 10 years of war (WWII followed by the Indonesian War of Independence), De Jong decided to relocate to a more peaceful environment. His Hunger Winter experience disinclined him to consider the northern hemisphere, so the options were reduced to Argentina, South Africa, and Australia. Argentina was rejected on language grounds; South Africa was rejected on political grounds (apartheid); so through the process of elimination Australia was chosen. Perth was selected because of its proximity to Indonesia.

In Perth, De Jong started teaching work colleagues jujutsu during their breaks and after work which led to his founding of the Jan de Jong Self Defence School. This would eventually become his full-time occupation.

I have argued throughout this blog that De Jong developed his jujutsu system. He would tell us that the Dutch would think him insane because he would always run to his apartment during an air raid to retrieve his suitcase of martial arts books which he would take with him to the shelter. I now appreciate that this was in no way a collector's idiosyncrasy. These books were the source of his continued professional development. De Jong was the epitome of a life long commitment to continuous improvement.

In Perth, De Jong became involved with Phillipe Boiron who introduced him to Minoru Mochizuki's Yoseikan Budo. In 1969, aged 48, De Jong travelled to Japan to continue his professional development by training under Mochizuki.

Wishing to continue his professional development, De Jong petitioned Mochizuki to send an instructor to Perth to teach in his school. Mochizuki sent Yoshiaki Unno.

Unno teaching for De Jong was always going to end in tears. Unno held the grades of 7th dan aikido, 7th dan karate, 6th dan kobudo (weapons), 4th dan bojutsu and 2nd dan judo. He also taught kenjutsu. At that time, De Jong was only graded 3rd dan jujutsu and 1st dan aikido (in addition to his pencak silat qualification). The inevitable happened and Unno left the employ of De Jong to establish his own school.

One of Unno's many students was Ross Taylor who then went on to found his own school. Quite amazing. But I suppose it is just one amazing story of many associated with people's involvement in the martial arts.

Rokkyu (6th kyu) Kiiro Obi (Yellow Belt)

Sensei Craig Mahar posted the following on YouTube. It is the majority of techniques included in yellow belt of the Jan de Jong jujutsu grading system.

Kudos to

Kudos to Sensei Mahar. Not only for his efforts in publicly sharing the Jan de Jong jujutsu teachings with others, but also in his proficiency. He is a credit to himself, Sensei Hans de Jong, his instructor since the passing of Shihan Jan de Jong, and of course Shihan Jan de Jong.

Sensei Mahar was a student while I was a student at the Jan de Jong Self Defence School. He was always humble, proficient, and very, very fast. He suffered a debilitating injury when his knee was dislocated during a pre-shodan grading, but he obviously persisted. He has had his share of disappointments in life, but he continues to train, grade, and share his jujutsu with others. It is my conviction that he is exactly the sort of instructor that Shihan Jan de Jong would be very proud of.

Sensei Mahar has been graded sandan by Sensei Hans de Jong, the highest technical grade in the Jan de Jong jujutsu grading system. This is a credit to both Sensei Hans de Jong and Sensei Mahar. Sensei Mahar for achieving that grading and Sensei Hans de Jong for continuing to encourage and advance people in the Jan de Jong jujutsu tradition.

Lets hope many more of these posts are made available to the public.

Vale Soke Robert Clark 1946 - 2012

Another influential figure in the Western world of jujutsu has passed away.

Clark founded the World Ju-Jitsu Federation (WJJF) in 1976:

The World Ju-Jitsu Federation (WJJF) is a martial arts organisation based in the north-west of England. The Federation was founded in 1976 in Fazakerley, a suburb of Liverpool, where the Federation's headquarters are still located. It was established with the aim of promoting the study of jujitsu and to help organise, control and develop the art in the United Kingdom and later throughout the world. The WJJF currently operates in 17 countries.

Clark had a lot to do with the internationalisation of Jan de Jong. In 1978, Clark offered and De Jong accepted the position of Australian representative for the WJJF. Four years later, De Jong attended the WJJF conference accompanied by a team of his instructors. The team entered the demonstration competition and if I recall correctly they placed second. They did, however, impress, and De Jong's international reputation was established. This then led to many offers to teach in Europe and to an annual teaching tour of Europe where De Jong would be accompanied by instructors from his own school as well as those from other schools on occasion.

Clark visited Perth, Western Australia in the late 80s I think it was. The purpose of the visit to 'the most isolated capital in the world' was to visit De Jong and his school. I heard he took some of the instructor's classes while he was here. Even though I was instructing at the time, I was not attending the instructors class because I wasn't sufficiently graded (a practice I would now discourage).

Following Clark's visit, De Jong was offered and accepted the position of Vice President of the WJJF.

I recall an article I wrote for the Jan de Jong Self Defence School 1987 year book, entitled Hakusho, concerning the benefits of WJJF membership. I was writing about my experiences when doing the Australian rite of passage that is the backpacking tour of Europe.

Membership in the WJJF enabled me to train in Dojo's all over Europe. It was an excellent reference and provided me with an introduction to many new friends and experiences in the martial art sphere.

Armed with my WJJF membership and association with O Sensei de Jong, I approached various Dojos throughout Europe. A common theme I encountered was unstinting generosity and friendship. A warm welcome was awaiting me at each Dojo and offers of accommodation, meal, drinks, training, etc were always generously given. When I departed I always did so with small mementos from the clubs and more importantly memories of their friendship and hospitality.

Mr Bertolletti in Milan, Italy, president of the WJJF and publisher of Martial Art magazines including Banzai took time out of his busy timetable to welcome me and make me feel at home. The impracticality of his gift of aftershave became apparent when it leaked all through my backpack. For a while I had the best smelling backpack, clothes, shoes, toothbrush, etc. I still believe he was not suggesting anything about my appearance by this gift.

Clark is a very important part of the De Jong story. The WJJF sought to promote and improve jujutsu through an international organisation that operates in 17 countries. In doing so they also promoted De Jong which led to his much loved annual teaching tours of Europe. I'm sure De Jong would be passing on his condolences if he were alive today.

Ju-Jutsu-Kan Profile

I've been going through some of the paperwork that Peter Canavan and Geoff Emery so generously gave me. They were students and instructors for Jan de Jong before my instructors time. I came across this wonderful piece of history written by the club.

Ju-Jutsu-Kan Profile.

The original name of De Jong's school was jujutsu-kan. Kodokan is the name of Jigoro Kano's judo school. Ko meaning to study, do the way, and kan the place - so it translates to the place to study the way. De Jong simply went for jujutsu-kan, presumably meaning the school of jujutsu.

The Ju-Jutsu-Kan was first formed in 1951 with just a handful of students. After some time the club moved to the Swan River Rowing Club, where the membership then rose to approximately 60 members. In 1961 we were fortunate to obtain more central premises in Hay Street, which also had the advantage of being available throughout the week. The number of members increased in three years to 260 and we soon outgrew those clubrooms.

In 1964, we moved to the present building [(996 Hay Street)], where we have about five times the previous area. Of course, with much better training facilities and greater mat-area more and more people were anxious to joining the club, and in July, 1965 the 500 mark was reached.

Jan de Jong: Studied jujutsu under the Saito brothers. Commenced professional teaching in 1941 in Europe. After the war he opened a schools in Djakarta and Semarang. Came to Perth in 1951 and has been teaching here ever since.

George Clarke: Recently appointed full time instructor, he joined the club in the early days. George was also a part time instructor at the Cottesloe Youth Club.

Margaret de Jong: Has been secretary of the club since 1957 and an instructor for some years.

Bob Russell-Browne: First started jujutsu in Sydney. Bob joined the club a few years ago, and has been teaching for some time.

The author of this document is not recorded.

History is important because it builds a strong culture. Culture is about telling stories around the campfire. I only heard about the instructors before my instructors mainly through Greg Palmer. It's important that we remember those who came before and instructed the senior instructors of De Jong who went on to form their own schools. They were also their instructors.

Note the number of students. Very impressive by any standards. The number exceed 1,000 in the 1970s, but that can be partly attributed to being in the right place at the right time. That was when the Bruce Lee/martial arts phenmenon took of in the movies. But 500 hundred pre martial arts boom has to speak volumes for De Jong and his Ju-Jutsu-Kan.