Australian White Crane

[Yum Cha]

In the early 90's there was a White Crane Sifu in Sydney. I can't remember his name, but he flew with General Cheunalt (sp) in the famous "Flying Tigers" in the early part of WWII, defending China.

Does anybody out there know his name? I trained with a "monk" that was supposed to be his son, and is pictured in this group shot, second from left.

http://www.aaron.net.au/pak_mei/images/grouptemple.jpg

[extrajoseph]

That is Sifu Chan Hak-Fu's son and the photo was taken in the Glebe Kwan Gong Temple. Sifu Chan passed away in Macau quite a few years ago now. He made his name by fighting the Wu style Tai Chi master back in the 60? Where is his crazy son of a "Monk" now? If he is still around, please tell him we all missed his "presence" in the temple.

[friday]

Hi Joseph,

Hi just to let you know I believe your statement about Sifu Chan (sigong to me) having passed away a few years ago is incorrect. I visited him and had yum cha with him earlier this year when I paid him a visit in Macau. He is doing well and healthy. Still has an iron grip too :).

regards,

888

[Yum Cha]

Joseph, do I know you perhaps? I'm in the pic. We trained at the temple on Saturdays.

You obviously know young Sifu Chan as well... ;) . Since we stopped training at the Temple, about 5 years ago, we haven't seen much of him. Last time I saw him was in China town couple of years back when we were Lion Dancing. He was in fine style....

The reason for my post was two-fold, to verify that his Father was indeed who I thought he was, and to find out a bit more about him.

And to find out if anybody has seen (young) Sifu Chan around.

Montreal? Small world....

[extrajoseph]

Friday,

That is great to know that Sifu Chan Hak-Fu is still alive and going strong. Next time you see him please tell him there are still people down-under remembered him with fondness.

Yum Cha,

I was with the CLF crowd before moving to Canada. I know at least one of the people in the photo is a CLF man. We used to have great fun fighting the White Crane and the Yau Kung Mun guys in the tournaments. Please give my regards to young sifu Chan. Tell him I was the guy who caught him ****ing out of a first floor window of a derelict house in Glebe!

Joseph

[friday]

Hi Joseph,

Will do, I will be in contact with my sifu early next year and he will pass that on to Sigong Chan Hak Fu.

888

[Yum Cha]

Are you talking about the guy in the middle? He and Sifu Chan are the only non Pak Mei guys in the pic.

Sifu, second from right, is friends with the Choi Lee Fut sifu in Sydney, the little, kinda skinny guy that's the grandson or heir or whatever. He used to socialise in their Kwoon quite a bit back then... Were you in town when CLF hosted the Grand Master at that Dinner when all the Schools came and did demos? Big Night...

Yes, (here come the glory days...) I fought in the 87 tournament as a Novice Yau Kung Mun student. My Tae Kwon Do and a year of Yau Kung Mun got me to the Finals, then a Pacific Islander from Choy Lee Fut took me out.

I had a great bout with a White Crane guy, first time I ever came up against that stuff, lucky I had 3 rounds to sort it out... Fortunately, I think he was a bit of a rookie as well...

Back then Yau Kung Mun and Choi Lee Fut used to be pretty dominant, eh? Those were great tournaments, kept the peace so to speak...

In the early '90s the gaming commission put their finger in it and made the rules change, big gloves, rings, doctors, etc, etc, and that was the end of it...

Did you ever see young Sifu Chan's hand technique? You know, he walked the circle... He was crazy, sure, but he was deadly as well...

[extrajoseph]

The skinny little guy from CLF you mentioned is Chen Yong-Fa and he still has a school in Chinatown. He and your sifu are good friends, I think they went way back to the Kwangchow days. Yes, Bak Hok, Yau Kung Mun and Choy Lee Fut were all in Chinatown at one stage and those were the days. I was there when they had these big celebrations for Chan Heung's birthdays. The guy you fought was Eddie and he is now a born-again Christian and gave up fighting. You were right, Young Sifu Chan was a crazy s.o.b. but he was good and he was fearless. He used to carry a screw driver everywhere. He said this way he won't get screwed!

Gee, I missed the sunshine in Sydney, it is bloody freezing cold here!

Joseph

[friday]

I haven't had the opportunity to meet Mr Chan - the 'monk' but some of the things you are both saying ring a bell. I have heard some stories about him and the things you say are similar.
Never thought I would ever see a picture of him.

Might I verify something? Did he ever get involved in a fight against multiple opponents in a bar?

888

[Fish of Fury]

i remember those tournamenats in the 80's.
CLF did dominate...i always thought of them as the Cobra Kai :D

__________________________________________________ _________________________ "I'm just trying to lull you into a genuine sense of security!"

[Yum Cha]

Hey, no disrespect intended...

Chen Yong-Fa is a legend, I met him several times, but never knew who he was, perhaps due to his unassuming stature, but Sifu filled me in years ago. Sifu's grandfather and great grandfather were big in CLF. I got to know them after I moved from Yau Kung Mun to Pak Mei.

I felt honoured to be invited to the CLF celebrations, it was something to see someone do the 3 section staff under a 9 foot ceiling... :D

Those days there were at least half a dozen old Chinese Masters in town, it was the end of an era... CLF, Pak Hok, YKM, Wing Chun, Dragon, Jow Gar, and more I can't remember.

I heard the "big guy" Eddie was a good man, spent time helping homeless and destitute up at Kings Cross. Had a fist like a mallett.

Yes, that's him, big assed screwdriver, 60cm long heavy duty. Like a short sword. He even had a pattern he did with it...no sh1t...its under that orange cloth on his left side...

He spent some time in South America as a Mercenary and I think that had an effect on him. He looked after us well, and was our "spiritual" advisor...

I know he got into some trouble with the police after he left the temple, but there's no need to go into detail here.

He was indeed fearless and as truly deadly as any man alive.

[Yum Cha]

I think it would be fairer to say YKM and CLF were the clubs to beat. YKM in the early 80's, CLF came on in the late 80's. Every school had a win here and there.

Perhaps we'll hear from some more of the old boys... ;)

[extrajoseph]

I remember the NSW CLF boys went down to Melbourne one year and met up with the Lacey Brothers from WA and we beat the **** out of the Victorian boys. The organizer, William Cheung (Wing Chun) tried to change the rules half way and ban the spinning back fist. We threatened to walk out and he had to change it back. The CLF boys dominated the finals and we had a great time. That was before legalised casinos and William Cheung being beatened up. Those were the days...

[Yum Cha]

Yea, that backfist is a serious pain, especially if you move in and catch the elbow....

Most the stone cold knockouts came from that little beauty...

A little warning to all the uninitiated... ;)

Rules? Were there any rules? All they ever told us was no elbows, no knees, not that it stopped anybody... I don't recall ever seeing a head butt, but then, I only went to a few... :D

I was wondering where the Lacy brothers fit into the Australian puzzle...

[This message was edited by Yum Cha on 11-15-01 at 11:50 PM.]

[This message was edited by Yum Cha on 11-15-01 at 11:51 PM.]

[extrajoseph]

If you are listening and if you are not not too busy with Chin Woo, please tell us some of your stories from the 80s as well. Aussie John was a lengend too folks, he specializes in head butts and skin heads...

[extrajoseph]

The Lacy boys were really good fighters but they never got as far east as Sydney. Vince and David Lacy are now in the States and they are doing well. I think some of his boys are still around in Victoria and WA but I am not sure. I would say they are as colourful as young sifu Chan, but in a different kind of way.

As for rules, it was those thin gloves wrapped with miles and miles of bandages that I was worrying about....

[fiercest tiger]

well said, ykm in the early 80's where the wons to beat, then in the mid and late 80's clf, pak hok, luk hup batt futt, usually the tein shao tao i think that was the style was bagua and never one a fight if i recall! yum cha maybe able to confirm that?

not to mention ng jo kuen 5 ancestors had a couple of fighters also i think. abandit you would know?

:D

come & visit us!
http://home.iprimus.com.au/ykm
yaukungmun@hotmail.com

[extrajoseph]

Dean Rainer and Tong Shou Do. Wow, that is a blast from the past! No they didn't do too well in the tournaments but they sure can talk philosophy. Dean brought Prof. Wong Lun out from Taiwan or Hong Kong and he is now doing very well in Melbourne as a self taught acupucturist. Wonder what happened to Dean and TSD these days.

I find it amazing Sifu Leung Cheung becoming a Ching Chung Gwoon Daoist priest. He was doing ghost busting the last time I saw him and now...

No disrespect, but it kinda make you feel old, doesn't it?

[fiercest tiger]

my sifu passed away 2 years ago!

ghost buster hahaha lol yeah he was high up in the temple, i was the temples 1st white daosit hahaha that was 10 years ago **** time flys ahh?

take care mate :D

come & visit us!
http://home.iprimus.com.au/ykm
yaukungmun@hotmail.com