Maria Rich is a 5th Dan in Karate and World champion Karate fighter. The first World Champion Australia was to produce. She has been training in Karate since she was eight years old and by the age of twelve was training five nights per week while other children were playing. Even as a child she took her karate seriously, traveling regularly on weeknights as far as Geelong to train from Moonee Ponds where she grew up. As a teenager she often defeated the boys in semi-contact championships and won numerous non-contact divisions until reaching the legal age for full contact fighting. At fifteen years of age she became one of the youngest people to gain a Kyokushin Black Belt completing all of the forty fights at the end of a grueling five-hour grading. Maria debuted into full contact placing second in the South Australian State Championships and followed that with a second place in the National championships. She then went on to win the interstate championships in '92 and fought undefeated through'93 with wins in the Victorian, South Australian and New South Wales championships and finished the year by defeating the National Champion to win the Australian Kyokushin Full Contact Championships. She remains undefeated in Australia having won five National Championships since then plus the New Zealand International Tournament of 1996. In 1996 Maria traveled to New York to compete in the First Women's World Tournament where she was penalized for an alleged face punch and finished in 6th place. The following year she fought in the World weight Category tournament in Tokyo Japan and was crowned World Champion. Maria added to her long list of successes by dropping the weight to win in the middle weight division at the 1999 Nationals. Maria is a founding partner of the Fighting Arts Fitness Centre where she teaches other successful fighters . The Gibilisco name is well known throughout the Martial Arts community with her and her sister both continuously taking the trophies. Maria's teaching ability and knowledge of both Karate and Self Defense techniques has lead her to become a role model to both men and women who are striving to achieve a dream of only half of what Maria has already achieved. As well as being ranked number one in the world after winning the ‘97 world tournament she has been decorated with prestigious awards such as the Blitz hall of fame award '95 and '97. Maria has appeared in magazines and newspapers such as Blitz magazine and Inside Sport, as well as radio, pay TV and television performing feats of strength and technique such as breaking a baseball bat with her shin. A feat she incredibly performs with both lower and upper roundhouse kicks and doubled to break two at a time with a single kick

Frank McKinley is a 7th Dan Black belt in Karate. Shihan Frank has practiced traditional karate for 35 years. In a career that started in the 80's Shihan Frank has studied Goju Karate, Shotokan Karate and Teshinkai (Kyokushinkaikan) Karate, earning black belts in Shotokan and Teshinkai and brown belt in Goju. As an Instructor of more than 30 years, Shihan Frank is a much valued and loved martial arts leader who always leads by example and is well known for his committment to help others achieve their personal best. Shihan Frank believes he is a conduit providing opportunities, particularly to juniors, to make the right choices in life from a home and community perspective. He has the ability to connect with junior students who may be challenged by various internal and external issues in life. He strongly believes in allowing them to feel they are being treated and challenged equally. Shihan Frank has a passion for allowing teenage and adult students to find their own pathway in their journey in Karate. He has a deep understanding that this journey has more significant personal outcomes for many students. Shihan Frank has a Diploma for Sport (Coaching) Specialising in Martial Arts, Diploma of Sports (Development), Level 2 First Aid and holds a current Working With Children Check. Shihan Frank, now retired, worked in the rural water industry for over 40 years and has vast knowledge of water storages management. In his latter years he worked in the Dam Safety Unit developing Australia's most comprehensive suite of operation and maintenance manuals for all major dams in northern Victoria. Shihan Frank has formal qualifications and certificates in Water Operations, Occupational Health and Safety, Supervision, Training Needs Analysis, Assessment and Workplace Training and Contract Administration and Supervision. He has also completed courses in Fraud and Conflict Awareness, Conflict Management Awareness, Co-ordinating Occupation Violence and Aggression, Information Security in the Workplace and Privacy and Data Protection. He has also undertaken study for Applied Science and Conservation Resource Development. Shihan Frank is also fully vaccinated against Coronavirus and has completed online training for training in Covid Infection. Prevention and Control and Covid Safety at Work.

Tracey Aldridge is a martial arts coach, teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Tracey has been involved in the martial arts industry for most of her adult life. Her pragmatic approach to training has encouraged many students of her school to both support and encourage her endeavors, knowing the good it has produced for many students in the North West Coast of Tasmania. Tracey has taken many years to achieve the skills and knowledge required to deliver a sound program and her approachable personality has made her one of Tasmania's most sought-after coaches. Throughout her years in the industry, Tracey has successfully coached and cornered 2 Australian MMA champions, with a perfect coaching record in Australian MMA title bouts.

Jimmy (Hien Quoc) Tieu is a 4th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo Jimmy Tieu started Taekwondo at the age of 10 at a branch of the famous Chin Woo Athletic Association in Vietnam. With his inborn talent for martial arts, Jimmy was hand picked to join the local District’s Sparing Team and later moved on to the Ho Chi Minh City’s Selected Sparring team. During his Taekwondo Career Jimmy reached great achievements by winning gold medals in City and National levels and was selected by the Vietnam National Taekwondo Team. After migrated to Australia with his family, he joined a local ITF Taekwondo club as a young instructor and he helped them transforming to WTF and joined with Taekwondo Australia Association. He had built many successful Taekwondo athletes and instructors who are now running Taekwondo classes across Victoria. Jimmy had 4th Dan black belt in 2007 before he put a temporary stop in Taekwondo to focus on his daytime business, he founded and running a successful software development business and he believes his today’s success is motivated by the Taekwondo’s tenets. White Tigers Taekwondo is Jimmy’s enthusiasm, he would like to pass his passions to the next generations including his own kids because he knows they will gain so much more than just the physical health, they will be equipped with discipline, confidence, self-esteem and patience to help them achieving their life goals with ease.

Ram Maharjan is a 4th Dan Black Belt in Karate. Shihandai Ram is the Nepal Branch Chief of the Teshinkai Karate Organisation Asia. Shihandai Ram is resonsible for training many champions in the region and was selected by the Teshinkai organisation as based on his community values, expertise in the art and understanding of the benefits that budo Karate brings to individuals and communities. Shihandai Ram has worked diligently over many years to bring to the people of Nepal quality martial arts for the benefit of his community. It takes many years of diligent and hard training to reach the point where you can call yourself 4th Dan. Shihandai Ram has shown he has what it takes physically and spiritually, but its the moral qualities of Shihandai Ram that sets him apart from others. We will here much more from Shihan Dai Ram as he expands his Karate style throughout the Napal region. Shihandai Ram Maharjan, Teshinkai Nepal, Godawari Mancipality, Nepal

Shihan Gavin Samin is a 6th Dan in Karate. Shihan Gavin is GKR Karate’s Assistant Chief Instructor and International Vice President. Gavin started his Martial Arts training as a teenager in a Chinese Martial Art known as Hsing-I. After leaving high school he began training in a Shotokan school before finding GKR Karate in 1992. He has been an essential part of the GKR Karate organization ever since. In 2004, Gavin became GKR Karate’s International Vice President, assisting in the continuing development of both karate training and management standards worldwide. He currently holds the rank of 6th Dan black belt and was awarded the title of Shihan in 2018. Over the years, Gavin has been heavily involved in creating GKR’s teaching and refereeing manuals, as well as developing many of the class formats and children’s programs. He has also been the chief co-ordinator and Tournament Director of several GKR Karate World Cups, which attract between 1000 and 1500 competitors. Whether its kata, kumite, kick training, close quarter combat, strikes, defence or attack, he has outstanding knowledge and proficiency in each, and an ability to articulate his knowledge in an entertaining and easily digestible fashion. Gavin now resides in QLD, and continues to travel around Australia, New Zealand and the UK conducting seminars, training camps and Black Belt gradings. Gavin Samin Shihan is a martial artist committed to quality training and attaining the highest possible standards with all students. As a leader, his commitment and dedication to spreading the great benefits of Karate to all people has endeared him to GKR students, as well as many others in the martial arts industry.