Senpai Selina has been a student of Chito-Ryu Karate-Do at Sunshine Coast Karate for more than half her life. Like many people who grow up in the dojo it’s hard for her to imagine what life would be like without karate.

On her karate journey so far there have been a lot of ups and downs and she has had to look deep within to grow herself. She is a great example for those following in her footsteps of what it means to be a black belt, not just in the dojo, but in life too.

Deb has been training for over 15 years as a student at Sunshine Coast Karate. She started her karate own karate journey at the age of 50, after watching her two children training for a few years. She successfully achieved the goal of earning her black belt before her 60th birthday in doing so proving that age is not a barrier.

Karate has become an important part of Deb’s life since she started training and she continues to inspire students of all ages and happily shares her enthusiasm, wisdom and experience with everyone in the dojo.

Mel & her son Euan started their karate journey, training at Sunshine Coast Karate since early 2020. Here’s a short interview about their karate journey so far.

What encouraged you to get started on your karate journey?

My son and I had been through a very traumatic period and I was looking for a safe community and activity to support my son that had deep cultural values I connected with. I have previously lived and travelled in Asia and studied Japanese language and culture as well as Tibetan Buddhism, Tai Chi and Qigong, but not yet any martial arts.