Voice of Byron

AFTER MORE THAN 30 years roving the globe, long time local Ric Light has returned to the roost in Byron Bay.

He now plans to reopen his karate school locally. 

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Ric is considering basing his school at the Ewingsdale Community hall.

Unlike his last schools in the Bay, this time Ric will focus more on the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of karate.

“I want to share my knowledge of karate and how to help people of any age develop as people through karate. Unlike my early teaching I will not be focusing on competition but instead on the physical, mental, and spiritual development that is possible through karate,” he said.

Ric has undergone considerable karate training in Japan since he last taught in Byron Bay in 1990.

During that period he also completed 21 years as an academic, studying how people can learn through sport and physical education.

Add to that his 12 years as a professor, Ric is well placed to help a wide range of people learn karate, from the young through to more senior people.

“I have returned to the Bay regularly over the years, but have not lived in my hometown for thirty years with 15 of these years spent overseas,” Ric said.

“My family arrived here in Lighthouse Road in Jan 1966 and I attended Mullum high where I was expelled in year twelve for rocking the science teachers’ roof, but later reinstated. 

“I became a primary teacher but after becoming obsessed with karate, resigned and went to Hong Kong to train and get a black belt. 

“I then came home and started the first martial arts classes in Byron Bay at the old Scout Hall and by teaching grew to have dojos in Mullumbimby and Lismore.” 

Ric later included kung fu and kickboxing in his courses and ran regular tournaments in and around Byron Bay.

He twice represented Australia in karate and three times in Kung Fu and competed successfully across Asia in free fighting and Muay Thai style competition. 

“I became Australian kickboxing champion in 1982 but retired soon after. 

“Some of my most successful local students were Fairly Beckner who was the first women’s Australian karate champion, as well as Peter Blumson and Darren Perris, who both became Australian kickboxing champions.

Ric played rugby for Byron Bay from 1970 and was selected in the Far North Coast rep team. 

He trained the Byron Bay Red Devils for one year when they won the 1981 premiership and was coaching the Byron Bay Rugby 1st grade when his brother Greg was killed on his motorbike in the Simpson Desert in late 1989. 

Greg was an outstanding sportsman for the Bay in a number of sports. To this day there is an Annual Sporting Excellence Award named after Greg at the Rugby Club and another at Byron Bay Public School.

“In 1990 I went to Japan as a professional rugby coach for 6 years and trained intensively in karate. I was graded to 4th dan and then 5th dan by one of the most famous modern masters, the late Soke (founder) Teruo Hayashi 10th dan, Hayashi Ha Shito Ryu karate,” Ric continued.

“In Japan I married my Japanese wife, Chiho, and returned to Australia to do a PhD at the University of Queensland on Japanese and Australian High School Rugby. 

Since graduating in 1999 Ric has worked at three universities in Australia, one in the UK, one in France and one in New Zealand and was promoted to professor only 8 years after his first appointment. 

“I have a pretty decent international profile for my research and development of innovation in athlete-centred coaching, and have conducted workshops across the globe from the USA to Japan, Korea, Singapore, France, and the UK.

“Over my time coaching sport and running sporting events in the Bay I have emphasised the local community and any profits went back into it. This included regional karate competitions (Far North Coast), state and national level kickboxing and the first Cape Byron Triathlons in 1985 and 86 which were true community events.

Ric has recently retired from the University of Canterbury with the prestigious title of Professor Emeritus and will be doing part time work at Southern Cross University where he is an adjunct professor, and also at the University of Sydney.