My Martial Arts Journey spans more than 50 years. I started training in Shepparton in 1969 with Keith Hill, 3rd Dan Goju and continued in Shepparton in 1971 with Sal Ebanez also Goju. In 1972 I moved to Melbourne and trained with Tino Cebrano (Goju) and in about 1982  to coincide with a residential move, I moved to Max Fabris, my current Instructor and founder of the World Goju Ryu Karate- Do Academy(WGKA). The moves to different instructors emanated either from the instructors or myself moving. However they have all contributed to the karateka that I am today. 

The Lalor branch of WGKA trading as Martial House has been operating from the current premises 12B May Rd Lalor for approximately 30 years.

Curriculum content and method of delivery together with the history and knowledge of Goju Ryu is paramount to training at Martial House. 

Students are encouraged to research the art, its forms and applications so that they gain a much better understanding of the Goju Ryu Systems that we have today. 

Training Programs

The training programs at Martial House provide the students and instructors with the tools to:

1. Develop Leadership Skills
2. Develop time management skills
3. Develop success strategies that are transferable to their chosen profession. 
4. Develop good health fitness and well-being to successfully enter into their chosen profession and/or achieve their life goals. 
5. Contribute to the tuition provided by the academy in accordance with the academy’s philosophy set out in the mission statement. 

Martial House Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide quality tuition in a safe environment where students will acquire self-defence skills, high level concentration and discipline to develop success strategies that are transferable to school, home, work, and relationships to achieve their life goals.

What students get out of training at the academy. 

We deliver a curriculum for students to develop skills and strategies that will help them at school, at work and in relationships so that they become successful in life. This means that the method of delivery;

1. Will help young children & young adults get better grades at school and uni.

2. Will help working people lift their performance at work & extend their working life generally. 

How we transfer the success in Martial Arts to Life. 

When we teach we link students’ training on the matts with the students school, work or leisure activities, for example;

1. Maximum effort in training leads to fitness & strength, which will help students to 

perform better;

-in school sports

-look good, feel better and develop confidence

-in work, get the job done quicker

2. Maximum effort in training leads to fitness & strength, which will help students to train 

the mind to think faster;

-to get the school homework completed quicker 

-to think clearly & solve problems

3. The numerous basics, movements, katas & bunkais increase memory capacity and consequently help in higher retention which will help students with their studies.

4. Students constantly get up and perform in front of large groups of people, for example- pre-testing, grading’s, public demonstrations, tournaments. This allows them to develop the skills, strategies and confidence necessary for public speaking at school and public gatherings. 

5. The self defence that students learn in the mock attacks performed after many years of training, allows them to develop strategies and confidence to defend themselves in public and minimise the risk of bullying at school. 

6. The psychological benefits gained from the way students apply themselves to training and the numerous physical movements and the constant stream of new movements keep the mind and body constantly engaged and fresh, to absorb the movements as they progress up the ranks, to allow them to continue to grow until a very old age so that they remain happy & productive members of society until old age.

Respect and Appreciation

Students are taught Martial Arts Etiquette, good manners and that to be respected they must themselves show adults, teachers, friends, family members and important people, the highest level of respect. 

We refer to our memberships as educational training memberships for all ages.  

I will start this profile with a background of my working life and how I started karate because the two are not mutually exclusive in terms of how I have lived my life. I have been involved with a number of law enforcement agencies over the last three decades that has shaped the roles and responsibilities I have had both in my professional and personal life. 

These roles included performing investigations, surveillance and typical law enforcement activities.  I also undertook a role as a defence tactics instructor to name a few. My working life and karate life have definitely intertwined over the years. My responsibilities, especially in the early years of my employment, were to make sure every arrest I undertook were done safely with all the individual’s and my welfare in mind. I achieved this by learning to communicate and ensure that any self-defence techniques were reliable in achieving the desired outcome.

When I accepted the role of defence tactics instructor, I practised my skills regularly and even brought them to karate to ensure that they worked! (That’s code for, I used the students as my own personal test crash dummies). I have undertaken many successful arrests with limited techniques being used, so I can say that when practised and deployed correctly, they work. I realised that to keep up with the challenges that law enforcement presented, that it might be a good idea to further develop my skills in a setting like karate. (Remember they didn’t have MMA back then..I would have been awesome at that!!). 

I started karate in 1989 and what I learned in the world of law enforcement, it is all about communication and action. My life in Karate is no different. Learning new skills, communication and action. As anyone who has been involved in my classes, you would have realised early on that the focus is about communication and using the appropriate techniques in the right circumstances. While I have focussed my karate life on the self-defence and fighting aspects, I know how important it is to be a well-rounded karateka. I started competition fighting early in my career and really enjoyed the challenges that competition presented. I soon developed a deep appreciation of self-defence (especially after being hit a number of times). I have presented a number of self-defence courses over the years with my sole goal to ensure that anyone that I have an interaction with, leaves my class or course with a little more confidence or a few extra skills that they didn’t have when they first arrived. The challenge for all of us is to ensure that we continue to develop and learn new skills as the world around us changes, but remember, most of the skills and techniques we teach have lasted the test of time! I have enjoyed my time at karate and certainly have developed relationships with a number of people I now call personal friends. While I continue my working and karate life, I try to make sure that I add value with anything that I’m involved in. 

I'm a sixty four year old male, that tells you that karate is a pass time, a hobby, a sport or a way of life. However you see it, it's a lifestyle of wellbeing and friendships that last well into your senior years. I'm employed by the Victorian Department of Justice.

My journey with this style of martial arts began way back in 1976, l left in 1978 as l was a serving member of the Australian army. Before leaving l reached green belt, l returned in 1983 after moving closer to the dojo and no longer being in the army. Once again I almost made it to Shodan Ho, the first black belt level but, life changes and l left once again, to finally make contact with as it is now known WGKA, that was in 2000, since then l have progressed through the colour belt level to black belt.

As you may have noticed it has taken 19 years to get to where I am now, so it's possible to move at a pace to suit you and your way of life. The students and instructors come from many different nationalities, there are students and instructors of all ages, business owners and parents to name a few. We are all equal when we enter the school.

Our aim at Lalor is to help you become a success not only here in the school but, in your everyday life. We structure our training to bring out your best, children with children, adults with adults, all within the level of students around you, with senior students and instructors to assist you whenever you need it. Finally, remember a black belt, as you can see by my journey, is a white belt that stays on the journey and does not give up.

A warm welcome awaits you here at WGKA Lalor, we look forward to training with you and to help you to reach your goal.

I started my karate training fairly late in life – I had just turned 30 years old. I was never much into fitness like running or going to the gym because I found these boring and repetitive. Karate gave me both – an activity to keep me mentally and physically active.  I was also working in a maximum security prison at the time so I figured the self-defence aspect wouldn’t hurt either. 

After working in a prison for about 6 years, I got a job working as a Home Detention Officer within a brand new unit at Corrections Victoria.  The program was a pilot and it basically involved managing prisoners (either transitioning from prison to Parole or direct from Court) in their own homes.   I found my karate and self-defence training essential to this role particularly regarding physical safety, awareness of the home environment and communication

In 2012, I enlisted in the Australian Army Reserve within the RACMP (Royal Australian Corps of Military Police).  Having developed a high level of confidence and discipline from training and instructing karate, I found these skills and attributes have impacted on my success in other areas of my life, especially the Army Reserve.  

As soon as I started training at WGKA, I realised I was lucky enough to join not just a karate club, but a community of friendly and welcoming people. The challenging nature of the training and the fact I could regularly catch up with mates at sessions kept me coming back – for 15 years!  I am pleased to say that I consider many members of the club to be lifelong friends.

My Karate journey began from the age of 10 shortly after my brother Jonathan started. At the time I didn’t know it, but Karate soon became one of the greatest passions of my life. As I progressed through the first 3 years I developed a love for practicing Kata and by the age of 13 I became a junior black belt, which is where the journey really began.  I became a member of the Victorian Karate State Team and went to my first National Championships where I placed 4th. I clearly remember the feeling of elation at coming so close to making the podium, but I developed a hunger to be the very best I could be and immersed myself in training for the next 15 years. 

I went on to become multiple time Victorian, Australian and National champion as well as Commonwealth and Oceania Champion over the years. This progressed to representing Australia at numerous international events for over 10 years including the 2017 Junior World Championships in Turkey, the 2014 Senior World Championships in Germany where I placed 9th in the world and finally the 2016 Senior World Championships in Austria which was to be my last competition before retirement. 

Karate opened a platform for me to travel the world representing my country but this would never have been possible if it didn’t first instil in me the confidence and discipline to know what hard work and determination really means. I learnt that with consistent training and perseverance, I could achieve anything I set my mind to. This not only translated into many wins at many tournaments, but also many wins in life. Karate taught me the importance of remaining disciplined at school with my studies which lead to me graduating from Latrobe University with a Bachelor of Health Science/Masters of Podiatric Practice. I now successfully run a clinic where I can help people achieve greatness every day of my life. 

One of my greatest mantras in life is to always give back. That it is unfair to always take and never return. With this in mind, I decided to pass on my years of knowledge through teaching. I became a state coach for Karate Victoria and have also gone on to become a National Kata coach for Australia. Although Karate did not reach the Olympic level in my time as a competitor, it has now. I intend to one day lead a team to the Olympics as a National Coach, always giving back to a practice that gave me so much.  

I first began training at WGKA Lalor when I was 5 years old. I started my karate journey as a white belt in the mighty mite class and I graduated to the pee wee class after 2 years having already received my 9th Kyu red belt. By the age of 10 I received my 1st Dan Shodan Ho and have just recently graded to my 3rd Dan. I have been a member of WGKA community for the past 18 years and have enjoyed constantly being challenged to improve in all aspects of my life. I have been regularly teaching classes for many years and enjoy being able to pass on the knowledge I have gained to the other students.

From a young age I took a noticeable interest in Kumite (point sparring) and began competing in local competitions to further improve my skills. I was then encouraged to try out for the Victorian state team and was successful after competing in the Victorian state championships. This was just the start of my competition career, which allowed me to compete all over Australia and then the World. I have been fortunate enough to travel to many different countries whilst competing in Europe, Asia, North America and even Africa. Throughout this time, I placed 1st in the state, Australian Open, National and Oceania championships multiple times and was fortunate to represent Australia at both the junior and senior world championships, with my best result being a top 5 finish. 

Through my years of practicing Karate I have been able to develop the skills to not only be successful in the competition arena, but also in my studies. I have recently graduated from RMIT University after 4 years, having obtained my Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Infrastructure) with honours and I am currently working as a civil engineer. Karate has instilled in me the ability to set goals for myself and to work hard to achieve them, which I was fortunate enough to learn from a young age. 

I have been taught that failure is not something to be fearful of and this has helped me as I have failed numerous times over the years, but with hard work I was able to learn from and overcome these obstacles.

My earliest martial art memory resonates around a question I posed to my father asking, “how do you do all those cool kicks in the movies”. Of course, my juvenile attitude was founded from the cinematic exposure I had been allowed to watch, but never the less, it sparked an interest that I would not put to rest. After a basic introductory lesson at the Lalor World Goju Ryu Karate Academy, I distinctly remember walking from the mats with sweat dripping down my forehead, sore muscles and a smile across my face. It was at this point my fascination and passion for karate was born. 13 years later I am honoured to hold the title of Sensei, a third degree black belt and martial art instructor. 

Whilst I didn’t know it at the time, karate was the medium that helped instil personal confidence that has translated across many facets of my life. 

Throughout my secondary education, I tried many extra-curricular activities ranging from volunteer work and hospitality through to wood work and debating. I have always had a passion to learn new skills driven by a desire to be the very best version of myself. As such, I was very fortunate to be part of leadership groups such as the junior and senior student council, house sporting captains, athletics captain and college vice-captain over my years at high school. 

Exercise and wellbeing have also been a large part of my personal pursuits. Soccer, track and field, cross country running, football, basketball and swimming are among many physical ventures I have enjoyed at a competitive level. Among these sports, I was also an avid kumite and kata (sparring and forms) competitor fortunate enough to attain numerous placings at Victorian state and Australian national competition. Naturally, my interests in health and fitness continued into my tertiary studies that saw to my scholarship enrolment at La-Trobe university under a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. After two years of majoring in Biochemistry, I transitioned to Monash University to finish a Bachelor of Science majoring in Physiology. My current profession leans towards further research under the scope of an honours year, however, I also have a great fascination with Radiation Science, specifically the interplay of technology and management of cancer patients. A long-term goal would be to complete a post graduate degree in medicine and perhaps one day specialise in the field of Radiation Oncology. I receive much personal reward seeing clients and students achieve their personal goals, be it physical or psychological improvement. One of my favourite sayings would be; “If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” For me, it speaks to the fact that there is great potential for anyone to achieve many things, however, without a good work ethic the probability lowers significantly.

Karate has been a platform for me to realise that consistent hard work and humble respect yields results that are attached to a sense of pride in all that I do. I am and will be forever grateful for the lessons I have learned under the guidance of Kyoshi Joseph.  

I am 40 years of age and I have been involved in Martial Arts since the age of five.  My first journey in Martial Arts began at the age of five in Taekwondo and from the age of seventeen to twenty two, the journey continued in kickboxing. After having a break from training, and once my two older daughters were of a suitable age, my journey continued and the three of us joined the World Goju Karate-Do Academy in Lalor (Lalor WGKA Karate Academy). Approximately two years later my youngest daughter Amber joined and the four of us now train and in fact lead a very active life as a family at the Lalor Academy which now trades as Martial House WGKA.

I have trained at Martial House WGKA for eight years. Training has helped me in my Professional, family and day to day life.  In my professional life it has taught me to always believe in myself and has given me the confidence to take chances and pursue my career ambitions. In my family life it has given me an opportunity to  train  and grow together  with my daughters  and it  has helped me become  a better  father and husband. Karate training has helped me to better understand and appreciate all aspects of life, it has helped me to be more patient, considerate and controlled as I face the many challenges of life.

My training has become a part of everything I do, no matter how small or how big the decision or situation maybe, the respect and honour I have learnt here at the World Goju Ryu Karate Academy, always help me make the right decision. The art of Goju Ryu Karate has allowed me to harness my physical and mental strengths.

Five years ago my daughters started competing in Karate at State and National level. With the guidance of Kyoshi Joseph lelasi, I have been coaching competitors of Martial House WGKA to now become a Kata coach together with Sensei Jonathon (Kumite Coach) and Kyoshi Joseph (Kata and Kumite).

My understanding of Goju Ryu Karate is increasing as my training continues. I look forward to expanding my knowledge and improving my skills so that l too can pass on my knowledge skill and training to future generations of students at Martial House WGKA.

My name is Nikolce Jovanoski 2nd Dan Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate.

For the past 13 years I have been training at Martial House WGKA under Kyoshi Joseph's supervision.

I began my journey in karate when I was 6 years old starting in the Mighty Mite School then moving to the Pee Wee School, Junior School and now continuing the journey in the Senior School. l have been through the whole white to black belt curriculum.

For me, this has meant developing high level concentration and a strong will to learn. Having to learn something new at each rank has allowed me to adapt and overcome new challenges. All strategies that are transferable and applied in everyday life.

Currently I am a Senior 2nd Dan Instructor teaching 4 classes per week in the Mighty Mite, Pee Wee, Junior School and the Black Belt classes.

The things I like doing when I go to training is working on body conditioning and sparring with other students and because everyone has their own method of fighting, this creates new challenges and motivates me to train harder and more efficiently.

From training at Martial House I have developed discipline, respect and confidence. I have learned to solve problems and overcome challenges and I have developed the will power to succeed in anything I want to do. This has helped me in the past few years when I have applied for jobs and sought new friendships.

Karate has helped me grow stronger physically and mentally.