September Trip to Wollongong

[Newbie]

Heya, will be in Sydney for the last weekend in September and hoping to come down to Wollongong on the Sunday for some jodo seitei. Bob's already given me the times and stuff. I must be back in Sydney by six at the latest. So, where do I catch the train down from, how much is it, what are the times or where do I go to get this info (and is it legible? Interstate timetables often aren't).

Ta.

I'm counting down the days :D

[Aden]

Hi Newbie

Good to see a new thread, especially one with Wollongong in the title.

Unfortunately I will be missing that weekend, fly out to Tokyo again the night before for a couple of weeks (made booking yesterday yay!) - I am hoping to get a fair few hours in with my SMR Sensei (if my wife doesnt have too many other plans for us) to follow up some things from the May Gasshuku.

Since Bob is my senior in seitei anyway, my absence should ensure more than the usual amount of seitei happens while I am away....

With regards the timetable, we are modern here in NSW... the Cityrail South Coast line is your man.... North Wollongong Station is the uni's station (or Wollongong if the train is one of the odd few that doesn't stop there.

Weekend schedule from Sydeny Central To Wollongong

http://www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au/timetable/ttable.jsp?line=sc&dir=dn&day=we

And back from Wollongong To Sydney

http://www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au/timetable/ttable.jsp?line=sc&dir=up&day=we

Aden
University of Wollongong Kendo Club
http://www.uow.edu.au/~aden

[Newbie]

Ta bananas :) There's a train that leaves around quarter past four that gets me into Central just on six.

[Marcus_P]

Not going to seminar in WA newb?

[Newbie]

I'm not allowed to do iaido anymore. So I may as well go to Sydney and alternate between roleplaying and drinking for four days. I weighed up the costs of going to WA and couldn't justify it for, at best, half the training.

On the upside, at Nationals I'll get plenty of time to enjoy the sun and surrounds of the Gold Coast! Hmm.. should prolly take some iai notes I suppose ;)

Does anyone know if there's a website or anything for next year's Nationals yet? I mean, it's almost September.

[Aden]

Hi Newbie

http://iaidojodo2008.googlepages.com/home

is up - the new policy on Zekken being drafted by the technical committees isnt on yet (blame me I haven't finalised the jodo version).

Some of the pages like the visiting sensei page are really just place holders until the ZNKR gets back with the list but the venue / how to get there etc pages are all there.

Aden

[Newbie]

Umm.. I think there's a bit of a mistake on the timetable. You've got 6-4 kyu individual jodo comps.... is there something someone's not telling me...? ;)

[Marcus_P]

Not allowed to do Iai anymore period? Or for the time being?

[Newbie]

For the same amount of time as I'm not alowed to do kendo. Or in other words, till my knee is better which could be over a year. It's been about a month and I already miss my sword. Anyone tries to take my staff away and they'll have to fight me for it!

[Aden]

Hi Newbie

Just checking if your visit happened (and if any of our beginners had returned from uni break).

Aden

[Newbie]

Yup, yup. Wollongong is truly beautiful! To be honest I wasn't expecting it to be so pretty and the scenery on the train down there made the long journey so worth it :) Best of all, we saw the Satin Bower Bird and his bower just outside the back door of the dojo. Heh, the blue pegs he collected were great.

Unfortunately, being a long weekend only Kristian and myself turned up for jodo but a guy turned up who wanted to try jodo, iaido and kendo! He's a biologist working at the uni. Can't remember where he's from though.. working on little dragons (lizards for those of you not familiar with Australian wildlife, some pretty interesting stuff on maternal and paternal.. hormones, I think? being transferred to the young or something. Naturally he and Kristian had a good chat) Even though we weren't there for very long, we learnt an awful lot and both Kristian and I have been given much food for thought as well as some good refinements. My knee held up reasonably well but I did have some problems but I almost think Bob didn't notice ;) mainly with the kuritsuke, kuri hanashi and tai atari. Very briefly went through number four kata which I hadn't even seen before so that was really awesome.

When it came to iaido, cos I'm not allowed to do it I showed the new guy how to put on his obi and using a bokken with saya went through nukitsuke, stance, hand position on the tsuka (which was very good for someone who's never held a sword!) some footwork, a bit of reiho and dojo ettiquette, chudan no kamae and bits and pieces like that.

Then we went and looked at the fort and got icecream before meeting Gene and Caitlyn (sps?) at the train station. We were running a little overtime else we would have gone to the top of the mountain or out to the temple but had to be on the quarter past four train and didn't really finish training till about quarter past three.

It was a great way to spend the day, and it was a beautiful day! I'd definitely do it again if I ever find myself up Sydney way again.

Oh yeah - one person turned up for iaido but I'm not sure who it was..

[Aden]

Hi Newbie

Glad you enjoyed our fair city. The shortage of people was possibly partly my fault, quite apart from it being the long weekend at the end of the un break I emailed the jo students saying I was off to Japan for a couple of weeks and asking did they have any equipment requests. But mostly it was probably just holiday laziness :smiley:.

Aden
(who is now carrying 2 jo, 2 bokken and 1 shoto bokken more than when he arrived after some shopping)