Mana Wing Chun

SIFU BEAU BOUZAID
PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTOR


The Path to Mastery - Loyalty & Commitment
"Master Beau is my most senior student having commenced his Wing Chun training with me in Invercargill, New Zealand, circa 1973, and remains loyal and a close friend to this day. In about 1978 circumstance saw him emigrate to Sydney, Australia, from where he wrote: "I cannot locate Sifu Greg Tsoi (Choy Siu Kwong) or a comparable Wing Chun school nearby".
Master Jim Fung
Fortunately Master Jim Fung opened his Sydney headquarters and Beau attended an open-day. "At last I have found a school that teaches practical Wing Chun according to the principles that you taught me", he wrote."
In a letter penned to me in March of 1990 Sifu Jim Fung wrote; "I must congratulate you on bringing up students like Beau. He is a rare find among all the martial art students. He is loyal, respectful, dedicated, and trains very hard. He is a real credit to the attitude of your teaching." - Kevin Earle.
Beau's Current Wing Chun Involvement
♣ Principal Instructor Of his own Wing Chun Academy in Sydney
♣ Technical Advisor, Australasian Ving Chun Kuen Instructors Association
♣ Actively involved in running Wing Chun workshops in Australia & NZ

4 Decades of Wing Chun
Beau Bouzaid has been involved in his practice of Wing Chun Kuen for close to 40 years.He began his Wing Chun in Invercargill during the early 70's under the guidance of Kevin Earle at the Hsiao Loong Kung Fu school (which later became 'Earle's Academy Ving Chun Kuen').
With Kevin's guidance Beau became the Senior Instructor in Invercagill and he had soon opened and established a branch in Gore. During that period he also organised and participated in numerous Wing Chun workshops and demos.
Beau emigrated to Australia in 1977, eventually developing & managing 17 branches of Master Jim Fung's Wing Chun Academy in Sydney, training six days a week, (sometimes seven), all while running his own business and helping his wife Pam raise their family.
Hong Kong Legacy
In 1989 he led a party of 23 students to Hong Kong for daily training sessions with Master Jim Fung's Sifu, Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin, who is most highly regarded as "The King of Sil Nim Tao".
As the NSW Training Manager with Master Jim Fungs academy Beau trained a number of the academy Instructors for the branches he opened, & worked with Karen Armstrong developing their Government Accredited Training Program, (the first Government accredited martial art training program in Australasia). Beau featured as Sifu Jim Fungs main adversary in 'Wing Chun Sil Lum Tao Form And Applications', the 5-star rated video that was written, produced, directed, and commentated by Karen Armstrong.
Practical Experience
Crowd Control employment, 7 years, for Social & Dance Functions in Dunedin & Invercargill.
Other Martial Training
Competitive Amateur Boxer for 2 yearsWrestling, 7 years - attained NZ's South Island Featherweight titleBlack Belt, Arnis Corral system (Sinawalli, Double Baston, Disarming, Daga)Escrima - Eskrido, Cacoy Canetes Doce Pares system, graded to Black Belt 16th December 1996
Other Martial Adventures
As well as having conducted Wing Chun workshops and open days in Australia and New Zealand for various martial art schools including Master Jim Fung's International Wing Chun Academy, Earle's Ving Chun Academy, and the Geoff Booth/Hapkido Australia Group, Beau has also supported visiting martial artists by participating in their workshops.These include the 1984 workshops by Dan Inosanto; workshop seminar & training with Nino Pilla of the Australian Filipino Kali Academy, 1993; Doce Pares Eskrima & Pangamot workshop & seminar 1995
Beau earned his 2nd class Brown Belt rankings in Doces Pares Eskrima and Pangamont, being graded on the 14th of March 1995, before earning his Black Belt in December of the following year. Although he no longer officially trains in Doce Pares, he still practises on a regular basis.
Acknowledgements
"Harry Young (Dunedin) who started me at the YMCA wrestling in my teenage years. I was heading in the wrong direction. Trouble. Harry got me away from all that street fighting stuff."
"Graham Kuerschner, Wing Chun, for his detailed refinements, clear understanding and precise explanations."
"Karen Armstrong, Wing Chun, for her professional guidance and presentation."
"Nigel Brenton, Wing Chun, in learning to understand others especially from a teaching point of view."
"Master Jim Fung for the opportunities he provided."
"Sigung Chu Shong Tin for the most valuable insights into Wing Chun, and for the guidance I received from him during the daily training sessions in Hong Kong in 1989."
"There are so many people to thank and try to remember along the way that have helped me to understand and be more efficient in applying this challenging art of Wing Chun; who have helped me to keep the doors of my mind open. Thanks to all, but thanks most of all to the most important person Master Kevin Earle (my Sifu) who started me on my journey." Beau Bouzaid.