Sensei James Rousseau first started teaching Goju Ryu in Bounemouth on the 3rd July 1978. Myself, and my 2 sisters, Annie and Susie were the amoung the first students to join Sensei James' class.

Craig Nevit also joined on the same day, and 30 years on we are still friends. Annie and I trained 2, sometimes 3 times a week with Sensei James.  We were so dedicated. Annie was quite amazing as she was only 10 years old at the time. Our sister Susie trained for 2 years, but in karate not many people stay on and train for the rest of their lives.

People who take karate as a way of life do carry on as long as they can into old age. Annie always trained with adults, that's why she was so good. I was told by Sensei Higohona that she was very good when she took one of her black belts with him. We both took our 1st dan black belts in June 1985.  It was very hard but you felt good about getting a black belt that was very hard to get nothing was made easy and that's the way it should be.

We would not have wanted it any other way.

When sensei James left England to go back to south Africa for a while he brought Sensei Ernie Molyneux down from Liverpool to take over our dojo. We were all very sad to see Sensei James go. It was very hard for all of us. Craig Nevitt didn't just loose his Sensei he also lost a father figure.

Sensei James always invited some of the worlds best instructors to come and teach us, Sensei Morio Higaonna often came to our dojo also Sensei Chinen would teach us. I knew very little about karate But I know when I saw Sensei James, Sensei Higohona and Sensei Chinen I saw 3 very special people. My family and I will always have a high regard for all 3 of them.  It must have been hard for sensei Ernie to have taken over a Dojo from some one like Sensei James but if it was hard for him it didn't show.  Like the good instructor that he is he just did what comes so natural to him he taught his class well.

Sensei James always used to say by teaching you learn when ever I would show any new students the basics for him I always felt I had bettered my own karate.

When Sensei Ernie started teaching children I took my 2 sons to his dojo. I never pushed my sons into karate, they had grown up with karate my son Joe was only a few months old when I started karate my second son John was born 2 years after I started, so they often came with Annie and I.

So as I was taking the boys I used to stay and help sensei Ernie teach his children's class. It was in July 1986 Annie and I started teaching our own class in Corfe Mullen. Its not easy having your own dojo, you have to think of so many things, safety for the children being number one. You have to be so careful no one gets hurt.

But I know we had good grounding that takes you a long way; if your taught right you can only do the same. We always used to be out of pocket paying rent on the hall and such like. Both Joe and John still trained with sensei Ernie, Joe was 12 when he got is black belt in London.  12 was the age you had to be before you was allowed to take a black belt.

My younger son John also took his black when he was 12. Both my sons helped teach. My Nephew Brian is now a brown belt we hope he will also go on to gain his black belt, he helps us teach as well. Annie and I took our 2nd dan grade in 1988. We started teaching our adults class in 1986. One of our most senior students who came to us as a young boy now takes an adult class Andy Wood never missed a lesson with us.

We are both very happy with the way he runs his adult class, we know he will carry on in the same way we teach. Andy as been with us for over 15 years. Annie and I are very proud of Joe, John and Brian and we are also very proud of Andy.

Both Annie's 2 little girls have taken up karate now Caroline who is 16 now and Abigial who is 13 both the girls are naturals; they are just as keen as their mum was when she was a little girl. We hope they to will go on and teach karate, But that will be their choice. In the past ten years or so, we have had the honour of training with sensei Dave Morris and sensei Mike Clark. They are always willing to help any one who wants to learn more about go jo ryu. They will always be welcome at any of our do jo any time in the future, Annie and I have learned so much from them. We now think of sensei Dave as a family friend. In the past 30 years we have loved our karate, but when you teach its so different,  you not only have to take care of the safety side of things you have to take care of peoples feelings as well.  its very hard to fail some one, on a grading, that's whey Annie and I never let our students take a grade if we don't think they are ready.

We now have 12 black belts that we have brought on. They are all good people, if they had big egos they would not have their black belts today. When you have been taught by the best instructors in the world, who do not have big egos at all you cant take the big ego thing. Karate is not about big egos it's a way of life. People with big egos should not be practising karate and they most definitely should not be teaching it. Annie and I have had some great instructors teach us over these past 30 years sensei's like sensei George Andrews sensei Len Sim, and every one ells I have mentioned , but I think every one of us should never forget Sensei James Rousseau was the man who brought go jo ryu to this country as far back as the 60s along with his brother Peter. I know my family and I will always be grateful to sensei James for the good grounding he gave us in go ju ryu. Annie and I had one small dojo for many years, but now we teach adults and children in big numbers. All our students will be taught in just the same way we were taught by the great man himself sensei James Rousseau.

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