In his own words: how it all began ...
Sensei Grahame Hunter's life with karate

Part 2 of 6

"You have to stick up for yourself lad ..."
One time I had to run all the way home.  I got through the front gate and there they were behind me: two of them coming down the path after me. My Dad opened the door and I thought “that’s it -  this guy’s going to scare these kids away.”  I was wrong again.  He just said: “you have to stick up for yourself, lad”. 

Now, it’s a good lesson to learn, but a hard way to learn it.  The two boys got a look at him and ran off anyway. Realising that he’s not always going to be there to open the door I turned to my brother.  Carl’s always been quite a rough lad if you annoy him, so he would stick up for me - or so I thought.

Wrong again!  He would stand and watch and if the bullies got the better of me then he would step in and help, which was most of the time. Apart from once.  Carl wasn’t there, and this time the bullies decided that they would give me a real pasting. That day, I didn’t go straight home.  I went to my friends house to get cleaned up first and to borrow a jumper as mine got ripped off my back.

Whilst walking home I saw a poster of a karate club that had opened in town.  I knew straight away what I had to do but as money was a bit short at home, at the age of 13, I got a job as a trainee printer so that I could afford to pay for the lessons myself.

"... getting bullied for the rest of my life isn't on ..."
I would finish school and go straight to work for a couple of hours then I’d walk down into town to find this club.  I remember the first time, looking through the window in the door I saw this big guy shouting commands to everyone.  And I’m thinking, actually this might not be for me, but then I’m thinking that getting bullied for the rest of my life isn’t on either. 

I opened the door and that big monster turned to look straight at me and then the door closed behind me.

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