Lee's Taekwondo Academy

Vale Chuck Norris
(March 10, 1940 – March 19, 2026)

Blog Post> https://leetkd.com.au/1008-2/

Most people these days, especially those born after the 1990's know of US Movie and TV star Chuck Norris mainly as the focus of a series of mimetic jokes centred around his superhuman strength and martial arts prowess.

Those of us who are a bit older remember his tv series Texas, Walker Ranger, and his action movies throughout the 70's and 80's, starting with the classic fight against Bruce Lee in the Colosseum from Way of the Dragon (1972).

What very few people would know though, is that despite his fame in the world of movies (and memes!), he was actually a very accomplished and skilled martial arts practitioner.

As a US Airman in 1958, he was stationed at Osan Air Base, in South Korea, where he learnt Tangsoodo, a precursor to modern Taekwondo, and an family branch of Moodukkwan (which we identify with).

Because of this TSD/MDK link, his Head Instructor (who later emigrated to the US), and Grand Master Lee’s original Head Instructor in Korea, belonged to the same training/learning group under MDK founder Hwang Kee.

Which is how Chuck Norris came to tour his movies to Australia twice in the late 70’s/early 80’s, visiting Lee’s Taekwondo Academy and eating Mrs Lee’s Korean beef BBQ in our Linden Park back garden.



He participated in demonstrations while is Adelaide, and visited our Dojang (training centre) to meet our students.

I remember him being very kind and humble, exactly opposite what you might think movie star might have been.

I know in his later life he may have developed some controversial views, However I can only speak to what I experienced and I this is how I prefer to remember him for now ..

Thank you Chuck Norris for your influence and advancement of Martial Arts to the world.

Vale
The Lee Family
Adelaide, South Australia
19 Mar 2026

The Lee Family would like to extend our condolences to the Whiteway Family on the passing of Alan Whiteway, founder of Whiteway's Taekwondo and first Australian student of Grand Master Choon B**g Lee in Adelaide in 1971.

A big personality within a quiet exterior, Alan was a stalwart ambassador for Taekwondo in Australia and even on the world stage, having competed and medalled in the 1974 Asian championships in Seoul, Korea, coached by Master Lee.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Alan was always a steadfast support and approached everyone with unconditional friendship and camaraderie.

Alan was an important part of the early days of Lee's Taekwondo and with Master Lee's blessings formed his own club, Whiteway's Taekwondo. Today this is run by his son Shane, who continues Alan's legacy in the same spirit and making his own mark in the Australian Taekwondo community.

We extend our love and thoughts to the Whiteway family, and know that he would want us to move through life with quiet strength and find what is truly important in the time we have left.

Vale Alan.

The Lee Family
Lee's Taekwondo Academy
Past, Present, and Future.

Quick clip from yesterday's Gouger St Lunar New Year Demonstration.

Gouger St Chinatown Association Lunar New Year street party 2026 Demo for Lunar New Year St party this year.After not having done a demo for a few years we were asked at short notice if we would liek to take part.I'm very ...

After a few years away from Demonstrations, we were asked at very short notice if we would like to take part again in the Gouger St Chinatown Association Lunar New Year Street Party. We used to take part in this regululary but had stopped since covid for various reasons.

Even though we didn't have much time to practice, the children especially did a great job, for mowt of them this was their first time in front of an audience.

A little shorter than our normal demo, as I had a broken foot from earlier in the week, I am proud of our students and instructors coming together to represent Lee's at such short notice.

Happy New Year .. Let's make the world a better place!

Congratulations Master Jean Kfoury for your recognition for contribution to Australian Taekwondo!

Fighting! 👊

Australian Taekwondo formally acknowledge and extend its highest congratulations to Australian Taekwondo President Grand Master Jean Kfoury on receiving the medal of the order of Australia (OAM) in the 2026 Australia Day Honours In recognition of his service to Taekwondo and his outstanding contribution to the Australian community.

The Medal of the Order of Australia is conferred by the Governor General of Australia on behalf of His Majesty King Charles III, Sovereign Head of the Order of Australia.

President Kfoury has extensive Taekwondo practice, governance, and professional services. Widely respected for his integrity, commitment, and service based leadership and has consistently embraced Australian Taekwondo as “our Taekwondo”, recognising the collective strength, shared responsibility, and future potential of its community.

His engagement with Australian Taekwondo has been defined by a genuine dedication to serving its members and advancing the sport. Those who work closely with President Kfoury recognise the deep sense of responsibility and privilege he attaches to leadership, with a consistent focus on member welfare, athlete development, and the long-term growth and sustainability of Taekwondo in Australia.

With significant global experience, President
Kfoury is highly respected on the international stage. He brings to his role a strong worldwide network and demonstrated influence across multiple regions, supported by a proven track record of delivering meaningful and lasting outcomes for the sport.

His leadership is characterised by strategic insight, disciplined expertise, and the ability to build trusted relationships at both national and international levels.
In addition to his sporting and governance contributions and has also made a broader leadership impact.

His contributions to Taekwondo have been recognised through multiple citations and awards for dedicated service and outstanding contribution to the development of the sport. In 2013, was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of fame.

President Kfoury leadership is defined not by title, but by duty. It is grounded in trust, open communication, inclusive decision making, and ongoing commitment to the long term future of Taekwondo. He firmly believes that leadership positions are temporary, but the impact of leadership how people are treated, respected, and valued creates a lasting legacy rooted in integrity.

On behalf of the Taekwondo community, Australian Taekwondo extends its heartfelt congratulations to President Grand Master Jean Kfoury OAM on this distinguished and well deserved national honour. We are immensely proud to have such a dedicated, and accomplished leader representing Australian Taekwondo and the wider Australian community.

Hi everybody,

Saturday's class 24 jan will be cancelled as per our Heat Policy:

43'C and above on the day in the city as published by the Bureau of Meteorology website, classes will be cancelled.

(Children's classes are cancelled at 41'C and above)

Monday we have no classes due to Public Holiday.

Stay cool and enjoy your break, especially the children back to school next week!

LEETKD

Wednesday 7 Jan Classes cancelled in the City!

Bom.gov.au shows 43'C for Adelaide today, which triggers our Adult heat cancellation policy (41'C for Children's classes).

Stay cool and we should be back Friday!

At the End of the Year again!
It always seems to come up so fast.

Final gradings completed, congratulations to all students who have worked hard throughout the year, especially to those who reached their Cho Dan Bo.

We here at LEETKD wish you a great Christmas and New Year.
We are on break for a few weeks then back first week of January in the city, check with your local instructors for branches.

Lots to think about over the past year for us here at Lee’s, longer article coming soon over the holiday period.

Be safe and see you all next year!

FIGHTING!
LEETKD

Parafield Gardens Primary School After School Program

We've been involved with the After Schools Programme at Parafield Gardens Primary School over the last year, taking students through a basic Introduction to Taekwondo 8 week course.

Stephanie Ryan, teacher and organiser of the programme, was recently nominated for a Public Education Award.
Although she didn't win the category, it was great to see her hard work and support for the students recognised by the wider community.

Parafield Gardens students often don't have the same access to sports and resources, so by providing an option to participate helps to broaden their horizons and experiences.

Congratulations Stephanie!

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LEETKD also have regular classes across the road in the Parafield Gardens High School Gym, every Tuesday and Thursday night 6.30pm. Send us a message!

Parafield Gardens Primary School - Public Education Awards 2025 Finalist: Excellence in Collaborative Partnerships AwardStephanie Ryan, HPE Specialist TeacherParafield Gardens Primary SchoolKaurna CountryUnplug & Play: Co...

Nationals over today. Three long days, 2000+ athletes. Massive event for organizer Australian Taekwondo. Thanks to everyone involved, all the coordinators, volunteers, referees/judges, tech crew, cleaners.

Lee’s only had a small team in this year, thanks to all the students that took the challenge and decided to enter, for many this being their first ever year of competition.
Thanks to the coaches for their energy and experience in getting our students up to speed.

Thanks also to the parents and supporters who help make this all possible!

Today was colour belt sparring, our only entry was Ethan from Parafield Gardens branch, who had great match with a much taller opponent.

After a great start, the height difference and experience was too much to overcome, but Ethan’s growth and tactical understanding was a testament to his and Coach Nischalman’s work together this last six months.

We’ll regroup in a few weeks after a rest, and will review the year and continue iterating and extrapolating future pathways. Information is power, movement is always forward.

Fighting!