Aikido in Newfoundland
Aikido was introduced to Newfoundland during the mid-sixties by Graham Burt Sensei (1937-1979) shortly after he had received his Shodan from M. Nakazono Sensei in England. Graham Burt Sensei was originally from England but eventually took up permanent residence in Newfoundland.
Initially, Graham Burt Sensei began teaching Aikido in St. John’s at the St. John’s Recreational Center, the Riverdale Tennis Club and at the old Police Barracks (Fort Townshend). By 1966 a permanent core group of aikidoka constituted the St. John’s Aikido Club, although they moved regularly from one from place to another. In 1972 the St. John’s Aikido Club finally found roots in the city at the old YM/YWCA building on New Cove Road. In 1975 the dojo then moved to 22 Flavin Street on the fourth floor of The Old Tobacco Building in downtown St. John’s. It was named Caribou Dojo. However, location was always a problem. In September 1977 the Caribou Dojo moved to a premise on Barnes Road in St. John’s and was renamed St. John’s Aikikai. For another two years Aikido would continue to be instructed under Burt Sensei from that location and, again, in 1979 from a further new location on Terra Nova Road in St. John’s. To the dismay of the entire local martial arts community, Graham Burt Sensei died on August 4, 1979 from a tragic drowning accident on the Salmonier Line just thirty minutes west of St. John’s.
It was in and around this period that Aikido had begun to spread in the St. John’s area. In 1974 there was a dojo founded by Michael Langford in the basement of St. Augustine’s Anglican Church on Westerland Road. This dojo eventually would become Memorial University Aikikai. Derm McDonald had already initiated a dojo at Holy Cross School during 1977 with Bill and Kevin McDonald as a recreational component of the Holy Cross Association. During 1980 Al Skehen continued as Chief Instructor at the St. John’s Aikikai following Graham’s death and moved on eventually to other locations changing his dojo name to Beothuck Dojo and later to the St. John’s Boys’ and Girls’ Club Dojo. It was during the early 1980’s that Dave Tucker founded a youth Aikido Club at the new YM/YWCA. Prior to Burt Sensei’s death Bill McDonald had established a youth Aikido Club at Holy Cross Boys’ School in conjunction with a Judo Club taught by Burt Sensei. That was in 1976. Derm McDonald also had begun a junior club at St. Bonaventure’s Boys’ School in 1977.
During the 1980’s a first club was established outside St. John’s in Lewisporte by Ross Clarke and Rod McLay. There was also some Aikido being taught in the Stephenville area on the West Coast of the island by Tom Gallant and other senior Judo students of Burt Sensei.
Additonal to this, Tom Alteen founded Hydro Aikiaki in 1993 in St. John’s at the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Corporation. Due to an employment change from Hydro to the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information, Tom Alteen left Hydro Aikikai in the hands of Dave Hanames in January 2004 and joined with Tony Cumby, a yukyusha student of Burt Sensei, to establish Fudoshin Aikikai. In 2006 Jim Sinnott and Paul Glavine formed the St. Matthew’s Junior Aikikai in St. John’s.
Summarily, there are four Senior Aikido operations in St. John’s – Fudoshin Aikikai of Newfoundland (Kevin McDonald, Chief Instructor), Aikido Institute of Newfoundland (Derm McDonald, Chief Instructor), Memorial University Aikikai (Shin Chin, Chief Instructor) and Hydro Aikikai (Dave Hanames, Instructor). There is also one junior Aikido Club for primary and elementary school children, St. Matthew’s Aikikai (Jim Sinnott and Paul Glavine).
Fudoshin Aikikai of Newfoundland, Hydro Aikikai and the Aikido Institute are affiliated with the United States Aikido Federation while Memorial University Aikikai is affiliated with the Canadian Aikido Federation. St. Matthew’s Junior Aikikai would be considered a satellite dojo. All of these Aikido dojos are affiliated with Hombu Aikikai, Aikido World Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.
© William M. McDonald 2007 All Rights Reserved