A group of junior Aquinas students has been learning Kung Fu at school thanks to the lunchtime tutorials of Year 8 teacher Kevin Elder.

Each Tuesday Mr Elder holds free lessons in the Drama room, consistently drawing at least five eager Y7 and Y8 students. There they learn the style of Chen Wu Kuan, which is based on traditional martial arts and teaches the system of Wuzuquan and the Five Ancestors style.

For the last two terms, students have been working toward their first belt grading which is scheduled to take place at the end of this term. They have focused on developing fundamental movements and learning the first pattern (form) in the Chen Wu Kuan style. Students recently met with Grandmaster Ray Smith (9th Degree Black Belt) who founded the Chen Wu Kuan style in 1977. 

Our students are incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to learn from Mr Elder, who is no martial arts slouch. He has been studying a number of martial arts for almost 18 years, and recently won gold at the 2022 Taekwon-Do nationals in a mens’ 85kg-plus heavyweight sparring bout. He offers free lessons as a way to give back to the school. A fantastic role model for our young martial artists.