On 23 May 1995 in the Gunnamatta Park pavilion at Cronulla, Taekwondo Cronulla, as we were then known first began teaching fitness, self defence and Martial Arts to boys, girls, men and women from all ages and walks of life.
In 1996 we moved to the Cronulla Girl Guides Hall on the corner of Gunnamatta Park.
After Master Gary Simmosn’s instructor Master Kim Chong Soo passed away in early 1998, Gary was fortunate enough to train under some of the top Korean Masters in Australia in preparing for his 4th Dan.
In early 2000, Caringbah RSL club was undergoing some major redevelopment and they were kind enough to donate an area within their complex, for Gwangjangnim Gary and his Black belts to use as a training facility.
Then, after the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games where Gwangjangnim Gary was the Taekwondo Presentation Supervisor and Presentation Manager, he was invited to travel to Melbourne and grade for his 4th Dan Black belt with Gwangjangnim Martin Hall 7th Dan, who was the Australian Olympic Taekwondo Coach and instructor of Olympic Gold Medallist Lauren Burns.
On 1 July 2001 after passing that gruelling 4th Dan test alongside Olympic athletes Carlo Massimino and Warren Hansen, Shire Martial Arts moved to Caringbah North Primary School where we started the programs that we use today.
In 2003 we grew out of that hall and moved to the auditorium at Woolooware High School. It wasn't long before this venue became too small!
On the 23 May 2005, ten years to the day after starting at Gunnamatta Park, we opened our full time centre on Taren Point Rd.
Unfortunately, in July 2006 it became apparent that the facility on Taren Point Rd had some major structural problems. After we reported our concerns to a structural engineer we were given 10 minutes notice to vacate the building!
Twenty four hours later we moved into the Production Rd site!
When our lease came to an end, we decided to find a place where we could start a whole new and exciting era where Christine and Gwangjangnim Gary could take Martial Arts and Yoga in the Sutherland Shire to the next level.
It was in October 2008 we commenced classes at the Northumberland Drive training centre.
This was a good facility. The main floor had a roller door that opened up onto a bike track and in Summer the training floor was open to the cool sea breeze. In Winter it was protected from the wind and we installed air conditioning for maximum training comfort all year round.
Although Northumberland Drive was a good facility, it was not great. There was no onsite parking and during our class times the traffic on the street out the front was really heavy. Also, with no windows, the super high ceilings and limited natural lighting, this industrial space was quite a stark environment.
We knew we deserved better.
In September 2014 we were told about a brand new commercial facility that had street frontage, more training and facility space as well as ample onsite and street parking. It also had lots of windows and ducted air conditioning. It was immediately available so we had to take a look.
So that’s what we did.
It wasn’t long before we were able to negotiate terms, sign a lease, do a fit out and then move into our current location at unit 30, 3 Box Rd Taren Point. We are now busily creating some brand new ‘good old days’.
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