KeriKeri Judo Club -- the Far North Club of JNZ

Whilst traveling the far north in Verne the old camper as you do, I stopped off in Kerikeri to catch up with my old mate Bruce Donovan stalwart of this the most northern club in the AJA. Bruce has been the mainstay of this club for a good 20 years now and with Allan McAdams (passed away 10 years ago) started Judo in Kerikeri in a glorified double garage doubling as the pissup HQ for the local Rugby League club. The league boys used to open the kitchen oven door and turn it onto grill to keep them warm on during their after match pissups. Judo seemed to be an appropriate fit for the facility back then.

Many a cold club night was enjoyed @ Judo as Brucey ground my face into the mat and steadfastly refused to submit to anything in ne waza prepared to pass out than give in. I still recall chasing him around the dojo after a deliberate kick in the nuts. Anyway enough of back in the day, Brucey showed me around his new dojo and it is fantastic.

 

Located in the recently very new Waipapa Sports Facility just north of Kerikeri the Kerikeri Judo Club enjoys a permanent mats down huge area with a sprung floor, yes you heard it right a sprung floor in the far north. These two pictures give you some idea of the size of the place with the old mats in foreground and the competition area in the background.

Brucey has 50+ kids and an adults class. He says the Judo Club has much mana in the community and when you consider Kerikeri is just a village/town Judo is doing pretty well in the far north. As far as the seniors are concerned Steve McNeal (another blast from the past) now senior posting at Ngawha regional correction facility sends his 135 Kg gorilla prison officers over for training. Heaven forbid.

And Brucey adds the facility has a bar, kitchen, changing facilities etc etc etc in fact its like a giant recreational centre that is under utilized. The community got behind the Judo club and support them 100%. Just goes to show what is possible, from a tin shed to this setup, brilliant. Bruce is keen to have more interaction with JNZ and has the facilities to support camps, training you name it. Contact info all on JNZ website.

 Me and the nuggety old Bruce Donovan (right) outside the Kerikeri dojo.

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