Announcing the 2021 AWCF Conference!

The date is set for December 10th – 13th. As you all know we missed having a conference in 2020 due to COVID-19, and it has been hard for the committee to decide when is and is not the time to try organising this next one. Should outbreak or border restrictions interfere with our conference, we have made an agreement with the venue that we can reschedule where it is necessary.

Mylor is a beautiful and historic part of the Adelaide Hills, about an hour and a half south-east of Adelaide city by public bus or 45 mins by car, and only a few minutes outside of the gorgeous Stirling/Aldgate. Mylor was predominantly built up in the 1940s and is surrounded on all sides by conservation parks featuring mountainous forests and the Onkaparinga river. Our particular venue is situated by the historic Mylor Swimming Hole, which we can certainly make use of if December temperatures are high, although that might seem hard to imagine shivering away now in July.

The theme for the conference is “The Wing Chun of Things”. We have all spent a lot of time training in isolation recently, or perhaps struggling to find time to train. However, I was surprised when a student approached me and complained that they had not been training much recently but had instead been doing ballet lessons. I stated that it sounded like fantastic training to me. Like many of us, I have found Wing Chun in many things, splitting wood, heavy lifting at work, starting my mower, or even just standing at a bus stop. This every moment of everyday approach to training is essential to reaching the upper levels of Wing Chun where, “it requires effort to no have my stance on”. In support of this notion, presentations at the conference have often referenced weightlifting, skateboarding, tennis, drawing, and archery.

So I thought this is the perfect theme for discussing where we have managed to find our Wing Chun during our individual isolations, either riding the bus or dancing to improve balance, walk in the hills to inform kicking technique, or kayaking with some long pole principles applied. To support this, we have the opportunity to schedule some activities at the Mylor Adventure Park where we are staying! We will discuss these options further, but they could include a bush walk, some archery, or perhaps kayaking. It’s yet to be established.

If any of our members would like to present at the conference, now is the time to send us a paragraph or so about what you have in mind via our email or the contact page. We are really looking forward to some fresh ideas.

Ticket sales are yet to be priced, but it is looking to come in about the $400-$500 mark for the four days including accommodation. There will be dorm room style and more deluxe accommodation options (and of course there are plenty of gorgeous AirBNB opportunities nearby). Day tickets will also be available for those who can’t devote the whole four days.

Stay tuned for more information!