JKA Brisbane South Dojos

History Sensei Mike Connolly started training in 1966 in Ipswich Queensland under two instructors: Doug Lee of Shotokan and Graham Johnson of Kyokushin. Due to the two styles there was a conflict of ideas, which lead Doug Lee to establish a Shotokan club in West End, Brisbane. Sensei Mike, being a Brisbane resident followed Doug Lee to this club and became the senior grade and assistant instructor to Mr Lee. Due to work commitments, Mr Lee was not able to run the club so he offered it to Sensei Mike who was a strong 5th kyu at the time. Feeling the need for a higher level of instruction, Mike wrote to Japan with the desire to affiliate with the Japan Karate Association and secure the services of a qualified international instructor. This action turned out to be complicated and Japan directed Sensei Mike to liase and unite with another group in NSW. Fortunately for Mike his cousins wife Yoriko Connolly was a native born Japanese who spoke and communicated extremely well Japanese and she assisted in arranging and finalizing arrangements to bring Sensei Takahashi to Australia. Yoriko also assisted in interpreting for Sensei Mike when Sensei Takahashi resided in Brisbane. This whole process of bringing Sensei Takahashi to Australia and securing our JKA affiliation took a few years approximately from 1970-1973. In August 1973 Sensei Takahashi arrived in Brisbane and began teaching in Australia at the West End and Inala dojos. There was another dojo that Sensei Mike established at Moorooka. Due to Sensei Takahashi's full time dojo, Moorooka was forced to close. As Sensei Mike needed to maintain his own training and to support Sensei Takahashi's full time dojo it was advised that West End was to be closed as well. Sensei Mike retained the Inala dojo teaching twice a week but putting most of his efforts in to Sensei Takahashi's new dojo in Fortitude Valley. When Sensei Takahashi left Australia Sensei Mike increased the training sessions at Inala to 3 times a week for many years. This club was developed into one of the strongest dojos in Australia having many successes in the tournament circuit. Although Inala was going wel,l Sensei Mike decided to look at the possibility of opening another club outside of the Inala area. An opportunity presented itself at Annerley, an inner suburb of Brisbane South, at the Annerley Primary School. This was a small club of about 15 members who had been training in the Budokan style, which is similar to the Shotokan style, and the instructor had invited Sensei Mike to take over the teaching of this club and to affiliate it with JKA. However the training facilities at the school were inadequate and Sensei Mike relocated the dojo to the Yeronga School and established the name of Brisbane South Dojo in 1992. Some of those original students continued on to achieve their first dan. The dojo's became known as the Inala/Brisbane South dojo's and in an endeavour to not confine our dojo to a particular suburb the Inala name was dropped and our club is now known as Brisbane South Dojo, which also includes a new location at the Acacia Ridge State School in 2004. To better enhance our training, Sensei Mike's wife, Sensei Nga Connolly who is a well known and a successful competitor in JKA and AKF was appointed as assistant instructor and her expertise and experiences have been utilized to further develop and enhance our junior members who are the life blood of our future. All three locations developed well and the opportunity is there for all students to train 4 times a week. Sadly Sensei Mike passed away on October 1st 2013. He had fought a recurring battle with cancer and complications associated with that illness. He will be remembered as a kind, caring person, a world class instructor and a pioneering historic figure in Australian karate. Sensei Nga now leads our dojos. She is assisted by her sons Grant and Sean who are themselves elite karate practitioners with national and international experience.