History
WAMA was established in 1994, however our style of Karate has been taught in Ipswich for over 30 years by a variety of instructors including Shihan Graham Keleher.
Originally our club was a branch of the Australian Academy of Martial Arts until 2009 when we became an Australian Karate Federation club in our own right. Shihan Keleher, who has established the AAMA Wishart Hombu Dojo in 1972, started his first branch at Ipswich. This club began at the WPO hall at Brassall then moved to a number of locations before it long association with the Ipswich PCYC.
The West Moreton Academy of Martial Arts grew from this early club, and began at the Goodna Neighbourhood hall in July 1994. We then moved to the CWA hall at Greenwood village then to the Redbank Plains High School before locating to the Redbank School of Arts. We eventually returned to Redbank Plains State High School where we have trained in the Community Centre for the past 3 years.
In 2001 our head instructor Mr Murry Burrows, a high school teacher, began teaching Karate at Laidley State High School. At first it was only lunch time and after school lessons, then in 2002 he established the first senior Karate subject, Karate Theory and Practice. This subject was integrated into recreational studies and was taught to year 11 and 12 students. Karate was then introduced into year 10, and the school has always run after school karate classes which have been very popular among the local Primary School students.