Taoist Tai Chi Society of Australia Inc. A non-profit, volunteer and charitable organisation. A Note from the President. Rhylle Polke. Nancy Fung.

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1 Single Whip Taoist Tai Chi Society of Australia Inc. A non-profit, volunteer and charitable organisation Gregory St Toowoomba Q4350. Ph toowoomba@taoist.org A Note from the President Issue July 2016 H i Everyone, Are you enjoying the winter season? It almost makes you want to do more tai chi to get the blood circulating, warming the body, and keeping joints flexible. There is an opportunity for you to further improve your health with the Donyu Challenge now open for you to participate. Briefly, you need to do some dan yus daily over six weeks to go into the draw for a $100 prize to go toward a workshop fee. You are required to sign on and make a $10 donation. Take your donyu worksheet and note your efforts on the sheet over six weeks. For more details, read the information sheet at your venue. Good luck. Money raised from this National Challenge will add to funds already raised to replace the main hall carpet. The Eastern Region AGM and National Workshop in June attracted 84 participants, with excellent instruction from Premodaya who travelled from Perth. Other senior leaders attended including various members of the Instruction Coordination Committees ensuring individual instruction and corrections for the group. We also enjoyed some chanting on Sunday morning, a new experience for many. A big thanks to all who helped plan and provide various services to accommodate and feed the large group. A recent Set Review of the first 55 moves enabled newer members and others to focus on some of the detail of the set and develop greater confidence in performing some of the moves. The second part of the set will be reviewed Saturday August 6th from 1.30pm. All are welcome to attend and enjoy further practice to promote greater health. New classes commence the last week of August, with Open House scheduled at Gregory Street for the afternoon of Saturday 27th. Your help with greeting our visitors and assisting through the afternoon would be appreciated. Rhylle Polke. and from our Incoming President Each year in May, the Toowoomba local branch council, instructors and interested members get together to make plans for the coming financial year. As newly elected President, I look forward to working closely with council members in implementing these plans. Nancy Fung. The Taoist Tai Chi Society of Australia Inc., Toowoomba Branch, acknowledges with gratitude the assistance of the electoral office of the Hon. Trevor Watts, MLA for Toowoomba North, in printing copies of this Newsletter for members without access to an internet copy. Inside this issue: Toowoomba National Workshop Toowoomba National Workshop (cont.) Awareness Day. News from Bowen! Local Branch Council Results Hats, Hats & More Hats! Editor: Julie Jang Sub-Editor: Pamela Walters P. 2 Please send articles and photos ANYTIME to: <toowoomba@taoist.org> Deadline Date for next Issue: 8th October Date Claimers! 6 Please Note: There will be no more hard copies printed after this Issue. A Hall Copy only will be available at the Main Hall counter!

2 Page 2 Single Whip National Tai Chi Workshop & Eastern Region AGM Toowoomba My First National Workshop On the weekend of 18 and 19 June 2016, I attended the National Tai Chi workshop held in Toowoomba. It was very well attended and ran smoothly, although the meal volunteers were kept on their toes and came through with amazing results for such a monumental undertaking. It was great to learn from our workshop instructor, Prem, from Western Australia. Prem gave clear and concise instruction and explained things in ways that created a number of light bulb moments. He stated from the outset that he planned to focus on three things Intention, Connection and Balance. Prem explained Intention differently to what I have heard before. He said it was where you intend to go, your direction. He gave the entertaining example of a monkey leaping from tree to tree, looking towards its next branch as an analogy of coming up in our danyus. He emphasised the Connection between the top of the head and the tailbone or the back foot so that our different body parts are working together to stretch, contract and rotate. In our kicks, Prem described opening the chest and Connection between the arms to achieve Balance. Prem, and attending members of the National Instructor Committee, provided some individual tuition, correction and tips to workshop participants. This was really beneficial to apply our workshop learning in practice. Prem made some corrections to my toryus that helped me understand them in a new and deeper way. To help us in our tai chi journey, Prem asked us to concentrate on the 3 Ps Practice, Persistence and Patience. I came away from the two days with a number of concepts that will help me in my personal tai chi journey. David Heckscher The Toowoomba Branch members who attended the recent National Workshop. ***

3 Issue Page 3 I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. My learnings for the workshop (and the things I am trying to practice) are: The monkey jumping between trees (donyus). Looking upwards eg. the example of walking up stairs looking upwards and not downwards. Expanding chest and the positive effect on heart. Standing up tall (pulling hair on top of my head) and keeping gaze level. Not looking down. Pushing up before going forward in repulse monkey (Petrina's advice). Better balance by using base of my feet. A key highlight for me was doing the last set positioned just behind Sandra Wilson and Peter Cook. Glenn Practising Repulse Monkey. And more great Comments!! Prem was easy going and made the workshop light and fun. His instructions and explanations were simple and understood by the newest members. The opportunity to receive corrections/assistance from ERICC as well as NICC was well received and welcomed. The demonstrations by the ERICC were very good. It highlighted some slight differences between individual and the level of experience. Also, it demonstrated there are different ways of doing a particular move. 2 days aren t long enough. I now have a better understanding of relaxing when dropping in a donyu. Intention - I understood the simple explanation of looking in the direction of where I m going. I now understand relaxing shoulders mean opening up the chest as opposed to going limp/drooping forward. Some memorable images and thoughts include; Prem pulling at the top of people s heads to encourage the stretch; the image of head and tailbone as the two ends of the spine; the image of the monkey jumping for a branch, missing out on that branch and starting again (continuous movement in the donyu); the image of squeezing the toothpaste from a tube in step up and raise hands....two days aren t long enough! ** Patience, Persistance & Perseverance **

4 Page 4 Single Whip What is Awareness Day? The Longest Dragon in North America!! I t is an annual event in which branches worldwide promote the benefits of the Taoist Tai Chi TM arts of health. We do this by holding special events and activities. It is a day of fun, a day in which we connect with the general public and share our knowledge with others. This year s Awareness Day is Thursday, 11 th August, Major celebrations are held at the Society s Centre at Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, and there are also demonstrations and a parade held in the city centre of Toronto in the Yonge- Dundas Square, approximately 30 klms from Orangeville. More than 1,000 participants from 26 countries take part in this display every year. Can you imagine 900 plus members performing a Set altogether, perfectly synchronised? It would definitely be a sight to be seen,. and also to be one of the participants! Another highlight is the Dragon Dance which features the longest dragon in North America! Branches are encouraged to celebrate this day, and while it would be nice to celebrate on 11 th August as well, it can be at a time and day that better suits a particular branch. The Toowoomba Branch will celebrate Awareness Day on Saturday, 17 th September during the Carnival of Flowers demonstration. Happy Awareness Day to all!

5 Issue Page 5 N ine Bowen members attended the Townsville Intensive on the 15th May. Elisabeth Clevers- Schatten was the workshop leader and we learnt many things. Townsville members made us feel very welcome. Bowen News! Bowen members at the Brisbane Workshop March At a meeting during the workshop, it was confirmed that tai chi classes were to cease in Bowen at the end of the year. Currently we have 41 members in good standing and we are all greatly saddened by this decision. W e celebrated our 7th Birthday on 5th May this year. The very first class was attended by nine people, and of those five are still current members. In 2015 our membership reached 50. Three very successful workshops were supported by over 30 members. Over the years we have raised thousands of dollars which have been distributed throughout Bowen in the name of the Society. As part of the Society, we have always been proud to uphold the vision of Master Moy. %%% TOOWOOMBA BRANCH COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Was held on Tuesday 12 th July 2016 at 10 Gregory Street, Toowoomba. Results of the Election of Office Bearers: PRESIDENT: Nancy Fung VICE-PRESIDENT: Vacant SECRETARY: Raylee Rigney TREASURER: Marie Kajewski COUNCIL MEMBERS: Sacha Dyson-Holland Glenn Knight Julie Jang was elected a Council member last year and still has a year to go in her term. NOMINATION COMMITTEE: Elisabeth Clevers-Schatten (Chair), Nancy Fung Extra Committee member to be decided at next Local Branch Council Meeting. THANKS must go to the Outgoing Council Members for their hard work and dedication! Rhylle Polke Bill Duke John Ferguson

6 Page 6 Aims and Objectives 1. Make Taoist Tai Chi TM arts of health available to all. 2. Promote the health benefits. 3. Promote cultural exchange. 4. Help others. Hats, Hats, and more Hats! ver the past few O weeks I have received a zillion s from every hat company in China trying to sell me all sorts of collapsible straw hats. Yes, I could buy 200,000 for 10c each but I finally narrowed it down to an I received from Lisa, representing Yiwu Evergrowing Headwear who were prepared to sell us 200 at a good price. Negotiations started with Lisa to confirm a deal, organise cheap shipping, colours, etc DATE CLAIMERS July Mon, 25th & Sat, 30th August Sat, 6th Sat, 13th Sun, 14th Mon, 15th Sat, 20th Wed, 24th Wed, 24th Sat, 27th September Sat, 10th Thurs, 15th Sat, 17th Sat, 24th etc. Like many Chinese, in addition to their real Chinese name, they choose an English name, as in Lisa. After another zillion s to try and sort out a deal, I felt we were building up a working relationship. We finally started communicating via SMS by using WhatsApp which made it a lot easier. In my ID photo on WhatsApp, I am in a checked flannelette shirt and jeans sitting on a creek bank. Imagine my surprise - Mah Jong Sessions Gregory St, Harlaxton. Mon from 10.30am. Sat from 11.00am. Bring a plate to share for lunch. Set Review (2nd Half) Gregory St, Harlaxton. 1.30pm 4.30pm. Cost $25. Lunch (optional) $5. Sunshine Coast Intensive/AGBM Beerwah Community Hall. 9.00am 1.00pm. Cost $25. Lunch (optional) $10. Toowoomba Languages & Cultures Festival Queens Park, Toowoomba. Meringandan OPEN HOUSE & 10 Yr Celebrations. Meringandan. 9.ooam 10.30am. Bring a plate to share for morning tea. All Welcome! Mah Jong Session Gregory St, Harlaxton. From 11.00am. OPEN HOUSE, Drayton Hall, Drayton. 9.00am 10.30am. All Welcome! Local Branch Council Meeting, Gregory St, Harlaxton. Starts 6.00pm sharp. OPEN HOUSE, Gregory St, Harlaxton. 2.00pm 4.30pm. Lok Hup Review, Lutwyche, Brisbane. 1.30pm 4.30pm. Cost $33. Mid-Autumn Festival Webb Park, Dudley St, East Toowoomba. 5.00pm 7.30pm (approx.) Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, Demonstrations - Laurel Bank Park, Toowoomba. Second Hand Book Sale, Gregory St, Harlaxton. there is the photo ID on WhatsApp of Lisa proudly dressed in her Uni graduation regalia with a thumbs up! I learnt a lesson. Never assume anything is what it seems. Lisa is a man! I felt deflated. Hats have now arrived and are ready for purchase for just $5 each in assorted colours. Please see your instructor. Proceeds raised will go towards replacing the floor coverings in the main hall. Cheers, John Ferguson. **