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Taoist Tai Chi Society of Australia Inc.(A non-profit, volunteer and charitable organization)

Phone: 07 4638 5009 • Email: toowoomba@taoist.org

Toowoomba Branch Newsletter Issue No: 22 June 2013

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Aims and Objectives of the International Tai Chi Society

1. To make Taoist Tai Chi internal arts and methods available to all 2. To promote the health-improving qualities of Taoist Tai Chi internal arts and methods 3. To promote cultural exchange 4. To help others

A Note from the President

In Toowoomba we are enjoying the crisp air and changing landscape of leaves in shades of amber, red and purple as winter embraces us. It’s a time to move faster to keep the blood circulating, and what better way to do that than participating in the Dan yu challenge in July?That will be followed by the National Tai Chi workshop at the end of August at Gregory Street with Heath Greville

visiting us again. Planning is in progress, raffle tickets for a prize of the $100 workshop fee are selling now, and will be drawn 3 August at our Try Tai Chi afternoon.

Bowen Tai Chi are hosting a National workshop this month and a number of Toowoomba members are travelling north to join them. Congratulations to the group in Bowen on the success of their tai chi classes.

Events in the past few months have included a half day accelerated learning course which proved very popular. Comments from participants included: “fabulous half days; more please” and “sore muscles; no pain no gain”. Two set reviews were also well attended by new and current members. Classes at Drayton Hall have seen previous members renew their attendance.

There has been much work on sealing the Gregory Street building and ensuring drainage is functional to make the downstairs area watertight. Other projects, including a new kitchen and the ‘quiet garden’, have been put on hold till this is completed, however fundraising for the kitchen is ongoing and perhaps next year we will enjoy using the new facilities.

The next few months offer opportunities for us to participate in community events including the Language and Cultural Festival and Carnival of Flowers. Look at the list of events in this issue. I hope you can join in the celebrations with us.

Rhylle

HealtH and Knowledge

When we look up at the wall above the mirror at Gregory Street, we see the wonderful qualities developed in people who practise tai chi. Two of them are Health and Knowledge. We gaze at Health and know how much the gentle art of tai Chi has improved our bodies’ wellbeing. Then we look at Knowledge and bring to mind how much we learn every time we attend a class – and even more when we come to a weekend workshop or learn about the shrine and its significance. So much to learn! Such healthy lives to enjoy!

Health Knowledge

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Meringandan tries a swap to keep beginnersfrom Barbara

At the Party Morning Tea to celebrate the conclusion of the beginner cycle in Meringandan at the end of May, all twenty-one participants decided to hold continuing classes at 9:00 am in the months of June and July while there

are no Beginner classes. In this way, continuing folk are joining the beginner folk rather than the other way round so that graduates of the beginning group welcome continuing people. When the new beginning class starts in August, the time for the extended continuing class will revert to 11:00 am.

Down at DraytonIn August 2012 the Toowoomba branch decided to try an out class on the southern side of town at

The Cedar Centre in Baker Street near the University of Southern QLD. By the end of the four months, numbers had out grown that venue and this year we commenced classes at the Memorial Hall in Drayton.

This has proven very successful with up to 25 students attending each class. The end of May saw the final day of that first round of classes - of course we celebrated with food and reflection on the fun we’d had over the last four months. Thirteen new members joined our wonderful group and it has been great watching them gain a grasp of the basics of the tai chi set. A big thank you to the wonderful tea ladies who each week keep us well hydrated while we focus on our tai chi journey.

Nancy’s continuing class is powering on and a very dedicated group now attend at 10:30 each Wednesday, and the group hopes that beginner students will continue to attend Nancy’s class and build on what they have already learned.

So if you haven’t taken a trip to Drayton lately, why not come on over and attend a class, we would love to see you. The next round of classes for beginners at Drayton will commence 4 September in the Memorial Hall.

from Karen Hoskin

“Members celebrate end of beginner classes at the Drayton Hall ve.

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Supreme Ultimate Fist course well-attended in Oakey

Around fifty Oakey residents enjoyed a Supreme Ultimate Fist (Tai Chi) course in the Oakey Community Centre in April and May. The free course was conducted weekly until 6 May by the Taoist Tai Chi Society, enabling participants to learn the first four movements, opening of Tai Chi, left grasp bird’s tail, grasp bird’s

tail and single whip.Health studies of the gentle martial Art of Tai Chi have shown tangible health benefits, for example, balance control,

flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Practising Tai Chi can reduce the risk of falls in both healthy elderly people and those recovering from chronic stroke, heart failure and high blood pressure, and provide benefits to those with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and fibromyalgia. For general fitness, Tai Chi’s gentle, low-impact movements burn more calories than surfing and nearly as many as down-hill skiing.

Written by Andrew Backhouse who attended the course.

AGM Elected Members

The Annual General Meeting of the Toowoomba branch was held 3rd July and elections were held for

positions on the Council and Nominating Committee. The council for 2013-14 include:President: Rhylle Polke Vice President: Nancy Fung Secretary: Gabriela Borgognone Treasurer: Mary PayneCouncillors: Bill Duke, Marie Kajewski,

Robyn NahrungNomination committee members: Barbara Leitch Elisabeth Clevers-Schatten, Sandra JessopDelegates: Rhylle Polke, John FergusonAlternate Delegates: Janita Adams, Sandra Jessop.

Thank you to our outgoing members and welcome to newly elected members of council and committee.

“Rein in the horse at the

edge of the cliff”

Pull oneself back at the

last moment and stop

before plunging over the

precipice.

From “Best Loved Chinese Proverbs” by Theodora Lan.

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ScHeduled local eventS conducted by tHe toowoomba brancH of tHe taoiSt tai cHi Society to September, 2013

Plan your Tai Chi year with these events occurring locally: 1 July, Dan yu Challenge commences. Improve your health with daily dan you practice and feel the

benefits. 3 July, Annual General Meeting, Gregory Street, 6 pm. All welcome. New council members elected. 10 July, Local Branch Council Meeting, Gregory Street, 6:00 – 7:30pm. See how the Branch operates.

Stay on and enjoy Continuing Class with Malcolm, 7.30 – 9pm. August 3, Try Tai Chi afternoon. 2:00 – 4:30pm. Here is an invitation for people who want to learn a

little about Taoist Tai Chi and give it a test run. Please join us and welcome those who attend; your presence will be appreciated. The workshop raffle is drawn.11 August, Toowoomba Languages and Cultural Festival, Queen’s Park – enjoy the entertainment and colour

of this wonderful festival, celebrating the diverse cultures of our Community. Join with other members of the Taoist Tai Chi Society in demonstrating our tai chi, handing out information sheets, and talking to people who are interested. It’s an exciting day; the food, music, dancing and colourful dress are great too!

31 August-1 September - National Tai Chi Workshop, Gregory Street, Toowoomba and Eastern Region Annual General Meeting14 September, Tai Chi Intensive, Toowoomba - Gregory Street, 1:00 – 4:00pm. An opportunity to review and

focus on the foundation exercises and moves in the set. Join us for lunch at 12 noon. 19 September, Moon Festival at Picnic Point. This is one of the most important festivals in the Chinese

calendar celebrated under the fullest, roundest, brightest of moons and toasted with moon cakes and lanterns. Practise tai chi under this special moon with Nancy and other members.

21 September, Carnival of Flowers, Laurel Bank Park. Enjoy the atmosphere of the Carnival and participate in some Tai Chi. You may wish join in the set, to hand out information sheets to interested members of the public, or just be there to enjoy the activities.

28 September, Accelerated Learning Course, Gregory Street, 12.30 – 5:30pm. A half day short course to introduce students to the first 35 moves of the Taoist Tai Chi set.

Taoist Tai Chi™ ventures into regional centres.

Early in 2013, the Toowoomba Regional Council approached the Society to see if we would provide Tai Chi classes at some of the regional centres as we have done before in Toowoomba parks. Greenmount,

Oakey and Crow’s Nest were chosen and classes of one and a half hours, one day each week, started in mid-April. Four weeks were deemed to be long enough to teach the Short Set (the first 17 moves) and give participants a realistic idea of what Taoist Tai Chi is like. These lessons were free and the Regional Council paid us to provide them.

A lot of people were keen to experience our tai chi – over forty in Crow’s Nest before the Council closed the book – and a good number really loved it. Of course, now they want regular classes in their home towns! This cannot happen until we have more instructors accredited to take some of the regular classes already under way in Toowoomba.

Anyone considering becoming an instructor? Barbara.

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warm tHougHtS on tHe pie driveToowoomba winters come with fog and cold – and we have delicious pies and mashed spuds with steamed veggies

and sauce for dinner. Yummie!The pie drive in May offered lots of pies for all tastes: beef with mushroom, bacon, cheese, mushy peas and even the

exotic Thai style chicken version. Sweet-tooth customers chose lamingtons, apple pies, berry pies, choc brownies and cheese cake.

Then the happy delivery chap arrived at 8:00 in the morning, and we were ready for action. He can deliver up to six loads of pie drive orders in a day and was very slick in setting up our order of nearly $2178. Surprisingly, deliveries can take him as far west as Roma, north to Monto and all places in between.

We appreciated his helpful suggestions solving the puzzle of getting the right pies to the customers – and we did it! Thank you, all of our customers.

Eileen Munro and Marie Kajewski.

eaSter raffle proceedS go to aeiouService to our community is an explicit goal of Taoist Tai Chi, and so it is fitting that always some proceeds of our

fund-raising events go to selected local organizations. This raffle raised almost $200 for AEIOU Foundation, a community organization that provides early intervention and learning for children with autism spectrum disorder in Toowoomba as well as in eight other centres across Queensland.

Centre Manager, Sally Yin, welcomed Mary Payne, Janice Becker and Lynne Cain at the home-like centre in Friend Street, introduced them to Speech Therapist, Claire Montague, and showed them the amazing facilities that are helping seventeen children aged 2 ½ to five years old to play, speak and socialize with peers – to adapt to their environment.

The three tai chi-ers went from room to room, closing doors behind them as they admired child-size furniture, pictorial communication methods, sensory areas and outdoor play equipment and gardens.

AEIOU works closely with parents to create individual plans for each child and to ensure that strategies at the centre can be followed consistently at home to achieve learning milestones, manage behavior and bring children to readiness for Prep.

The Taoist Tai Chi Society congratulates AEIOU on their magnificent work. For more information, see the website:

Lynne Cain

Mary Payne presents Centre Manager Sally Yin with a cheque to help in the work of the AEIOU Foundation.The Sensory Garden honours donor Rhonda Greensill whose children attended the centre.

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Set Review reviewReviews of the first and second halves of the Tai Chi set in April and May were enthusiastically

attended by members from Toowoomba, Lockyer and the Sunshine Coast branches. Nancy and Elisabeth conducted the two afternoons and the ‘relaxed and structured format’ was much appreciated by those attending .

Members commented that the best part of attending was reviewing the moves individually, repetition of the moves and repeated practice of the half set at the end. There was a sense of energy and motivation among the group as a whole. It was felt that the set review was a great way to learn and reinforce the tai chi skills with excellent and understanding instructors.

The worst part of attending couldn’t be remembered and was non-existent. All who attended offered praise and thanks for the instructors and volunteers.

One of the eight Virtues – DedicationThe Chinese characters for the virtue of Dedication

depict “Centre your heart”, and to achieve this takes commitment, time, honesty and effort.

In life there are things that appear seamless and easy for some, but for most people these take a lot of grit, determination and belief. However, if it is important to you and those around you, you will dedicate your heart, mind and soul to achieve what is important.

It may be maintaining family and friends in a healthy, happy and secure way; it could be developing a career, hobby or study in a positive and progressive manner. For most of us “Dedication” means the practice of being happy and healthy.Tai Chis participants provide good examples of the

Virtue of Dedication and one may ask why that is?World-wide across 26 countries, some 50 000

people attend classes and volunteer, show willingness to listen, learn and grow in the many aspects of Tai Chi. The physical and spiritual characteristics displayed are honesty, genuine kinship and respect for others, all within the discipline of Tai Chi.

There are many examples of the dedication of people demonstrated by discounting their hardships and committing to classes in spite of pain, sadness, fear and other unhappy feelings.

If one can apply this 3rd virtue then we are adopting the Confucian belief that Dedication encompasses Loyalty, Faithfulness and Commitment as a way of living our life and achieving respect for ourselves and others, and in doing so we receive the gift of respect from others.

This then supports the philosophy of Taoist Tai Chi Society that people are innately good.

Contributed by Larraine Clewett

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The Bowen Workshop

Our second, was held 15 June. Everything went beautifully. Many thanks to all those who

made this happen. Even the weather was fantastic, something not lost on our southern visitors! There were thirty attendees: seven were from Townsville and three from Toowoomba - Nancy, John and Graham. Six Bowen members who have not yet completed the set attended and provided very positive feedback from their experience.

On the Friday evening before the Workshop, guests were welcomed with a “Meet and Greet” dinner of soup and apple pie provided by local members. Then our guest instructor, Corinne Williams from the Sunshine Coast, gave us plenty to work on to improve our Tai Chi. Saturday evening’s dinner was well attended and enjoyed by all. On Sunday morning we were able to give Corinne a guided tour of local beaches and other tourist attractions including morning tea at “360 On The Hill”, a restaurant with, as its name suggests, a 360 degree view inland and out to the islands. I hope Corinne enjoyed her Bowen experience as we certainly enjoyed her visit and benefitted greatly from her expansive knowledge of Taoist Tai Chi.

Dianne Dickinson,Bowen NQ

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