Dave Berry / Second ever issue of Blitz

Hello Nick

I have just finished reading about this chap called Dave Berry (BJC) in one of my old Aussie Blitz magazines - surprising and astounding to say the least, especially the level of ferocity displayed by this chap !!

Did you ever train with this guy and what was he like ??

Cheers
JongleurWA

Welcome to the forum mate...

Yes, I trained with Dave a couple of times when I was in Melbourne for a year but his school was out in the suburbs and I was Chief Instructor for the main school so it was only on occasions like summer camps, gradings and fight nights etc.

I first saw him in action at the Melbourne summer camp sparring during one of the gradings...he punched someone through a window in the grading hall. What was amazing about it though was that by the time Bob turned round to see who or what had broken the glass Dave was across the room sitting in the audience as if he was a spectator. Bob couldn't figure out who'd sent the poor fooker through the glass.

When I was staying with Bob I got the inside scoop on all the first wave (of which Dave was one). He apparently turned up for a job with Bob's company (the Troubleshooters) aged sixteen. Bob was short a spot that night so sent him out and the place they were securing turned into a bloodbath. When they turned up to get paid Bob was going to tell Dave he wouldn't need him again...until the two old hard arses who worked with him told Bob if you let him go, we'll walk out of here with him. Apparently he had the heart of a lion and stood side by side with these two guys during this hellaceous scrap.

When Bill Cheung turned up to fight night one night with two ringers (Fijian boxing champs who'd been taught to front kick and were claiming to be Cheung's Wing Chun students) it was Dave and I who volunteered to go in and get them. Bob was concerned because Dave was getting on, and I'd never kick boxed officially. Dave smashed the shite out of his guy so bad Cheung literally threw the towel into the ring (which up until then I'd thought was only a figure of speech) as Dave was trying to go through the ropes and get the guy some more.

Very very tough guy

Nick

Found a site with some interesting early ZDK stuff on it the other day at www.bobjones.com.au. Worth a visit.

Hey Nick

Big cheers for your reply mate. I appreciate it.

I was also very impressed with your article on : Discipline : what kind ? in one of the older issues of Fighting arts international.

Do you know how that student ended up getting on ? (Mr E. Rowe) the lad that lost his arm ?

Cheers

Eddy went on to train in Kyokushin (I believe under the tutelage of Cameron Quinn but not sure)...I'll ask my little brother next time I shoot him an email...he and Cam are mates so I should be able to track it down.

N

lol that's funny, this chap and I share the same name

Nick wrote:Eddy went on to train in Kyokushin (I believe under the tutelage of Cameron Quinn but not sure)...I'll ask my little brother next time I shoot him an email...he and Cam are mates so I should be able to track it down.

N

I know this is an old post but that's okay. Eddie trained with me all the way through, did his 40 man kumite for shodan (knocked out his last guy in the 39th round), fought a couple of national championships (the confusion on the faces of the opponents was always priceless, until, that is, he planted one right on target and the colour drained from their faces).

He traveled to Japan with me in 1991 for a training camp which included a 22km run, 11km down a mountain then back up again. Eddie came third of 120+ in a very quick field. His attitude and calm courage saw all the guys at Honbu really embrace him.

We trained together until 1996. He married and moved out of town but we did catch up again midway through this year. I am opening up again in Brisbane in 2010 and Eddie plans on coming back to train with us.

That's awesome...tell him I said hi...and that he needs to get his butt over here at some point.

Nick