02/09/2026
Congratulations, Dad, on achieving your 8th Dan. What an incredible achievement and a lifetime of dedication.
Your journey in karate has never just been about your own achievements or the belts you have earned. It has been about the time, energy and effort you have poured into so many others, helping them grow, achieve their own goals and become better versions of themselves.
As a child, I’ll be honest, I struggled with having to share my dad with karate. I think when you're young, you naturally want your parents to be yours — their time, their attention, their weekends and family holidays. Stacey and I definitely had our moments too… and plenty of eye rolls when yet another family holiday somehow involved karate! 😂
But as I've gotten older, I've come to understand and appreciate something I probably couldn't see back then.
Karate isn't just something you do. It has been your life's passion.
You have dedicated so much. You have given so much. And no matter how much you have achieved, you have always found a way to give back. It hasn't been an easy road, and nothing has ever simply been handed to you. You earned your place through years of dedication, hard work, loyalty and perseverance.
You have never wavered.
Michael and I were only talking the other day about how privileged we were to have the opportunity to join you and train with Tasaki in his dojos. I still remember our first trip to Japan and watching Tasaki make you carry his bags everywhere — you really were his bag lady! 😂
But even that represented something bigger. You had to earn your place. You didn't just walk through the door and expect to train with him. You earned his respect, and through that, became his student.
Today, many people can walk into a dojo without ever knowing or understanding that it wasn't always an open-door policy. They may never truly understand the journey, the sacrifices and the years it took for you to get to where you are today.
I know Tasaki would be incredibly proud of you. He was hard and strong, but through that bond and the years you spent learning from him, you became his student in every sense of the word.
And then, of course, there was South West Rocks.
After a long weekend of karate, late at night, Mum and Dad were confronted by a group of people attempting to steal their car — with Mum still inside.
What followed was obviously terrifying. Dad ended up in hospital with bleeding on the brain, and I think it's fair to say you had all of us absolutely terrified.
But even in the middle of all of that, Dad being Dad, you managed to put a whole heap of them in hospital too. 😂
As frightening as that experience was, I think it probably gave us all a very real reminder that you actually do know what you're doing!
After decades of training, teaching and learning, you have always said that karate isn't about looking tough or proving yourself. It's about having the skill, control and confidence to know what to do when you genuinely need to.
Unfortunately, you got a pretty extreme opportunity to demonstrate that.
And while none of us would ever want to go through something like that again, it certainly showcased something we've always known — you don't just teach karate. You know karate. 🥋
There are plenty of critics in karate. Plenty of people who can point out what someone is doing wrong, question their ability or focus on their shortcomings. But there are far fewer people who have the ability to truly build someone up. To see potential in someone, believe in them when they don't believe in themselves, push them when they need pushing and help them become better — not just in karate, but in life.
That is something you have.
You haven't just taught people how to punch, kick or defend themselves. You have helped build confidence, resilience and belief in people. You have given your time to help others achieve things they may never have thought possible.
Nobody can ever truly walk in your shoes or fully understand where you started, what you have overcome, or everything you have carried along the way. They may see the 8th Dan, but they don't always see the decades behind it. The sacrifices. The loyalty. The pressure. The responsibility. Or the weight of everything you continue to take on.
But I see it.
And now, more than ever, I understand just how much karate has given you — and how much you have given back to karate.
I am incredibly proud to call you my Dad. ❤️
Congratulations on your 8th Dan. You have earned every part of this journey. 🥋🏆
Glenn Stephenson
