Nostalgia
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50 years on the mat
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| Mayor of Devizes and past president George Budd at a course held in the Bear Hotel in 1958 |
The nationally recognised Devizes Budo Club, which has trained youngsters to the top flight of martial arts, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
It was in August 1957 that founder
members John Underwood and John Styles tried out a few practice judo throws in a
garden at Victoria Road.
Fifty years later, the club can look back on a half century of international success,
including one Olympic competitor, Julian Davies, who took part in the Atlanta games of 1996.
To celebrate the occasion, the club has produced a book: The Devizes Budo Club - The First Fifty Years.
It is crammed with photographs of the club's success in judo, karate and aikido. The karate section later went out on its own.
The club was formed in the autumn of 1957 and practice sessions were held in the community centre on the Green, where youngsters were given instruction on worn mattresses by Colin Churchill and later by Cliff Gibbs.
The official seal of approval was placed on the club when the world-famous Japanese Budo master, Sensei Kenshiro Abbe, who was responsible for setting up many clubs around the UK, visited the town the following year.
Richard "Razz" Hopkins was the first chairman and over the next 20 years helped shape the club's future.
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| West of England judo champions pictured with coach Robbie Hayter in 1975 |
When the community centre closed in 1958, the club moved to the Old Crown in New Park Street. The thriving club outgrew its premises at the Old Crown and it bought an old Army hut and erected it behind the Queen's Head on Dunkirk Hill with the permission of local brewers Wadworth & Co.
One of the early members, Robbie Hayter, took over as coach in 1970 and remained in charge until his retirement in 1999.
In 1975 disaster struck when the "dojo", or meeting hut, burned down, destroying all the club's equipment, including an irreplaceable set of Kendo armour. Members rallied round to rebuild the centre and it was reopened in July 1976 by British Olympic squad member Roy Inman.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the club enjoyed tremendous success, members winning medals all over the country.
In particular, 1996 was an annus mirabilis with Julian Davies taking the national men's title, Ben Brundell, 12, winning the first of six successive national titles and club stalwart Richard Hopkins junior, 36, taking the veteran masters and national veterans titles.
Julian Davies's success assured a place in the Great Britain Olympic squad that went to Atlanta that year. Davies performed well but failed to reach the final.
The same year the club won £15,000 lottery funding towards the £24,000 of improvements at the dojo.
The book is on sale at Devizes Books, Sidmouth Street or from the club.
All proceeds will go to the club.
2:16pm Thursday 13th September 2007
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