Sensei Stephen Hol 5th Dan

Sensei Stephen has trained in the Shotokan style of karate all his karate life. He began in the 1980’s training in his home town of Portland Victoria. He moved to Melbourne in the early 1990’s and as he was a keen black belt, he wanted to continue his karate studies which he did with Sensei John Haitidis at his Shotokan Coburg dojo. It was here, in the mid 1990’s, when Sensei Stephen was teaching, that he met a woman who was eventually to become his wife . . . Sensei Shelley.

He and Sensei Shelley moved back to the bustling town of Portland in the late 1990’s and Sensei Stephen set up a dojo and became part of the World Shotokan Karate-do Federation(WSKF). With his wife as assistant instructor, and two sons also training, Sensei Stephen still runs both the the Portland and Warrnambool dojo today.

Sensei Stephen has competed in numerous Australian Karate Federation tournaments over the years in metro and regional Victoria, as well as representing Australia internationally five times at the WSKF World Championships. In 2013 he was awarded a Certificate of Merit at the WSKF World Championships in Tokyo for outstanding support and contribution to karate. He also judges at most World Championships as well in local competitions.

Grading history:
• Shodan (1st Dan Black Belt) 1991 Sensei John McIntosh
• Nidan (2nd Dan Black Belt) 1999 Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya
• Sandan (3rd Dan Black Belt) 2002 Sensei John Haitidis
• Yondan (4th Dan Black Belt) 2006 Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya
• Godan (5th Dan Black Belt) 2010 Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya

Sensei John McIntosh 4th Dan

Sensei John McIntosh began his martial arts training in 1968. The first 2 years he studied judo but due to a relocation, found himself training in a French based style of karate and was actually trained by a French Foreign Legionnaire. Training in this martial art fascinated him because of it’s inherent philosophy and rigorous combative training and discipline.

Sensei McIntosh taught karate for many years and has trained with Sensei Howard Mutton and was graded by Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya.

Sensei McIntosh competed in all-styles competition until the age of 59 when a serious motor cycle accident curtailed his karate activities for almost a year. Having taught as a guest instructor at a number of jiu-jitsu, aikido and goju ryu seminars, Sensei McIntosh has always been proud of his connection with Shotokan Karate and enjoys the style and budo philosophy that is inherent in the World Shotokan Karate-do Federation style of karate.

Sensei McIntosh is the lead instructor at the Hamilton, Victoria dojo and now at close to 70 years of age he believes Karate has become part of his life.

Grading history:
• Shodan (1st Dan Black Belt) 1977 Sensei Paul Guerillot
• Nidan (2nd Dan Black Belt) 1984 Sensei Paul Guerillot
• Sandan (3rd Dan Black Belt) 1993 Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya
• Yondan (4th Dan Black Belt) 2010 Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya

Sensei Shelley Hol 3rd Dan

Sensei Shelley began her karate training in 1997 with the Seido style of karate. She later gravitated to the Shotokan style and trained at a number of dojo around suburban Melbourne and it was during this time that Sensei Shelley met her future husband Sensei Stephen Hol.

The Hols moved to the Victorian country town of Portland in the early 2000’s and Sensei Stephen set up a dojo with Sensei Shelley as an assistant instructor.

Since then the Hols have had two children and Sensei Shelley continues to train and in fact now has her two boys training wth her. She has competed in karate tournaments representing Australia in the WSKF World Championships in 2007 and 2013 as well as numerous regional competitions in country Victoria and remains active in the administration of WSKF Victoria.

Grading history:
• Shodan (1st Dan Black Belt) 2002 Sensei Stephen Hol
• Nidan (2nd Dan Black Belt) 2006 Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya
• Sandan (3rd Dan Black Belt) 2013 Sensei Hitoshi Kasuya

Sensei Steph Granzeria

Sensei Steph started her Karate training at the age of nine at a junior class in Hamilton Victoria instructed by Sensei John McIntosh. She showed great enthusiasm and became part of the senior club where she was  graded to 1st Kyu by Sensei Howard Mutton, and then to Shodan (1st DanBlack Belt) two years later by Sensei Steve Hol.
Steph has studied karate for over eleven years and has competed very successfully in all-style tournaments for several years and now enjoys instructing a junior class at the WSKF Hamilton dojo. She is also supplementing her karate training with the study of ju jitsu under Shodan Steve Jones also from the Hamilton dojo.

Sempai Steve Jones

Assistant instructor Steve Jones has been training under Sensei John McIntosh at Hamilton dojo for over 7 years. Steve actually has a strong background in jiu jitsu, a martial art in which he trained for 10 years and in which he holds the rank of 1st Dan Black Belt.

Steve has also trained in another karate style but found the style and philosophy of WSKF karate under Sensei McIntosh more to his liking. Currently he is assistant karate instructor at the Hamilton dojo and is ranked 2nd kyu brown belt but he also runs regular ju jitsu training for the members and finds the two arts compliment each other nicely.

Sensei Robert Campbell

Sensei Robert Campbell has been training with Sensei Stephen Hol for eight years at the Portland karate club in Victoria.  With a keen interest in cardio and resistance training, Sensei Robert found karate training a perfect addition to his physical exercise regime.

Graded to Shodan (1st Dan Black Belt) in 2014 by Nishimura Sensei 7th Dan of the Japan Karate Association, Sensei Robert assists with teaching at the Portland club and supervises training when Sensei Hol is absent.