Good afternoon.

 

On Saturday the schools were invited to give demonstration for Founders Day at prestigious public school Dulwich College. Having begun my Wing Tsun career there it was an honour (and indeed rather nostalgic) to be invited back. We were extremely lucky with the weather, what was forecast as heavy rain earlier in the week turned out to be a day of glorious sunshine. It was also rather poignant that the demonstration in fact took place at the very location that I last performed a demonstration, on my last day of school all those years ago. History has a funny way of repeating itself...

 

It was fortunate to spend my school years in such an excellent establishment as Dulwich. I won’t pretend that there were never any problems; with a school of that size (having in excess of 1500 boys) it is inevitable that disputes occur. However the most important is that I always felt that the school was committed to making sure that the students developed and achieved their potential. This is certainly not an easy task, but one which the school unswervingly seeks to achieve.

 

To give a brief overview of the school: it was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn (also instigating the foundation that brought about James Allen's Girls' School and Alleyn’s school). The architecture of the school is interesting; the main buildings were designed by Charles Barry, Junior (1823-1900), who was the eldest son of Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament. It has a rich history of students who have attended the school (known as Old Alleynians), including famous novelists PG Wodehouse and Raymond Chandler, Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, current England Rugby stars and an Ex-Governor of the Bank of England. However, one of the things that Dulwich can be extremely proud of that it is the most ethnically diverse public school in the country; it has spend a huge amount of effort ensuring that equality is obtained, not least through granting assisted places for capable students who are not able to afford the school fees. I am absolutely sure this is crucial to a well functioning society and similarly helps develop an appreciation of different cultures and nationalities. If you would read more about the school I suggest that you visit their website.

 

The demonstration itself was well received, having been designated a space in the programme. I would like to thank all the organisers for the invitation. A special thank you should go to the deputy master for taking the time to meet me and talk through the exact arrangements. It was also lovely to meet with some of my old tutors and colleagues; I would like pass on my greetings to those I did not get the chance to see.

 

There will be more introductions on Chinese Wing Tsun in the next few weeks for new students in Dulwich, so those wishing to attend should contact the school for more information.

 

Sifu

 

 

Ps. There was an excellent turn out for the commencement of the Summer Seminar last night.  If you are wishing to attend and have not yet spoke to one of the teachers please contact them asap.