This is one of an occasional series of portraits of karate leaders from Aotearoa New Zealand taken from martial arts magazines from the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Robert Francis McCallum
Age: (at time of writing): 48
Height: 5ft 7 in.
Weight: 76.20 kg
Style: Shushikai
Grade: Nidan
Occupation: Warehouse Manager
Club: Victoria University of Wellington
Diet: No Starches
Drinking: Beer .in moderation
Smoking: nil
Favourite Techniques: Uraken, Chudan Tsuki Combination
Tournaments:
Member Champion Wellington Team 1967;
Member Wellington Team NZ Kyokushinkai Championships 1961
INSTRUCTOR PROFILE
Started training at the YMCA Wellington.
When this club went into recess, McCallum transferred with the then instructor Peter Cook to, and became a foundation member of, the University Club. This was in January, 1965.
In 1966 McCallum came under the influence of Holloway Sensei who promoted him to 4th kyu in June of that year. Also during 1966 he made what was to be the first of many trips to the Napier dojo which was then being run by two very good friends Coulter Sensei and David Moyes.
Later in 1966 he was to make the acquaintance of John Jarvis who was then 2nd kyu and on his way from England via New Zealand to Japan. McCallum introduced Jarvis to the University Club where he trained until he left for Japan in early 1967. On his return from Japan the higher grades from the University Cl u b formed the nucleus of the Rembuden Club though most still retained their affiliation with the University. Also in 1967 Holloway Sensei promoted McCallum to 2nd kyu.
In 1968 Jarvis Sensei promoted McCallum to 1st kyu and the following year he gained his Shodan. As part of the grading he had to fight over 40 opponents and this at the age of 41.
Over this same period he continued to train at Rembuden 3 nights a week plus Saturday morning and afternoon, the other two nights he trained at the University.
I n 1971, after a disagreement with Jarvis Sensei, he was suspended from Rembuden for three months for alleged misconduct. He never returned but the University club who were also threatened with suspension decided to stick by him, and they also left the Rembuden Organisation.
During his association with the club he has been able to train alongside many fine karate-ka notably Peter Cook now deceased, George Elllis, Andy Barber and Rick Fowler to name a few and also people outside his dojo such as Toner Sensei, Peter Judge, Renzie Hanham, John Tay , Rod Devlin and many other stylists too numerous to mention. In addition, through his association with the University Club, he came in contact with many students from overseas and from them he has been able to attain a knowledge of many other styles and arts.
One of these Charles Lee who introduced him, over a period of two years, to the intricacies and instruction in the Chinese Martial Arts and also toNorman Naw who had trained in his homeland under a former pupil Tadashi Yamashita, a noted Okinawan weapons master, and from Norman he was able to learn the fundamentals of the Nunchaku and Tonfa.
In February 1974 he was promoted to nidan by the then head of the NZ Oyama Kyokushinkai Karate Association Holloway Sensei, and in December of the same year the NZ Sounki-kyu also awarded him Nidan rank.
At present on the club scene he never trains less than three times a week with the University Club and on Saturday morning with Seishinen, a club made up entirely of junior members.
He is currently a member of the Technical Panel and tan executive of the Shushikai Karate Kan Incorporated and he also acts as technical advisor to the NZ Universities Karate Association.
In all facets of his karate he is ably assisted by all of his family. His wife June acts i n an administrative capacity, his eldest son Tracy who is now a Shodan and also trained in Judo and Nunchaku, his youngest son who has also trained for the last nine years and holds the rank of 2nd kyu and is trained i n tai chi, and finally his daughter Sharon, a 1st kyu, who has trained for 8 years.
His thoughts on karate today: a return to the ethics that prevailed in karate in the early years.
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