Dear students and parents,

After a slow start to Spring, Summer is here!

Thank you very much for the wonderful turn-out at our year-end Aikido Demo & Potluck 2008 on Friday 13 June. Your food contributions were delicious, and your contagious enthusiasm during the students' demonstration certainly made their evening. You made the whole year, and the Demo & Potluck a resounding success! I apologise for not being able to chat with all of you, but I do appreciate your presence, encouragement, interest, and support. Thank you.

During our year-end get together, we remembered our dear Adam Willing, who was called back home at the beginning of March this year. He is greatly missed by all of us who knew him, and who practised with him. We also paid tribute to our students from our very first Aikido class in Victoria in 2004 who are still practicing with us. The beauty of the art unfolds itself gently and gradually over the years of dedicated practice. As was mentioned in our last e-Newsletter, "stick-to-it-iveness" is so important for growth and development, and if we want to achieve what we set our hearts on in life. It is so heartwarming to see the dedication, improvement, and the maturity in the students blossom as the years go by.

It has been an eventful Spring, with my visit to the Aikido World Headquarters in Japan, and a little demonstration successfully performed by our students for the Saanich Active Living Day on Saturday, 24 May. A big thank you to James Mondok, Nicole Oei, Mark Balovnev, Mitchell Gaucher, Andrew Sharon, Sean Oei, and Gamma Willebordse for doing such a fine job at being ambassadors for Aikido. You can now view photos from these and other events, in our updated Photo Gallery linked through our website on www.UeshibaAikido.com.

Thank you, also, for making our Pro-D Day Workshops a success once again. As each step leads us on in our journey, students are slowly introduced to more aspects of Aikido technique and practice, and these Pro-D Day Workshops supplement our regular weekly classes nicely. Workshops allow us to focus and explore particular aspects of technique, philosophy, and weapons. To assist you in your practice, I have included video recordings of the 13 Jo Kata, and my own 31 Jo Kata in the Weapons section of the Glossary webpages; again linked through our website: www.UeshibaAikido.com. I will include video recordings of Happo Giri, Shiho Giri, and bokken etiquette, drawing and re-sheathing of the Katana for your reference soon.

With Summer, we look forward once again to our Aikido Warrior Camps, now in our 4th year. The weeklong summer programme allows aspiring new students to explore the world of Aikido, and our regular students to further fine-tune and enhance their understanding of Aikido technique and philosophy that will enable them to apply the Way to their daily lives too. Details of this, the summer schedule, and a new class beginning in September, can be found below, and in the Notices page of our website.

If you are going away for the Summer, be safe, and we will see you in the Fall. If you will be around in the Summer, note that we will resume classes again from Tuesday 8 July. For School Age students, details are in the Saanich Active Living Guide on page 25.

We have grown to know so many of you over the years. Gratitude and thanks from my family and I to you, for all the cards, wishes and gifts we have received. We appreciate your kindness and sincerity. You remain precious to us.

See you in the Dojo.

In harmony,
Rafael Oei Sensei.
Ueshiba Aikido (Victoria)

Tuesday

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