In 2016, Si Fu Gawain Siu will celebrate 48 years of practising Chinese martial arts and the 30th anniversary of his adaptation of the ancient Chow Gar Tong Long style of Kung Fu.
Born 1965 in Brisbane Australia, Gawain commenced training at the age of three under the watchful eye of his father, Malcolm Sue, and his Grandmaster, Hong Kong-based Dr. Nat Yuen. Some of the amazing achievements of this young Australian-born Chinese boy were his first performance of Sarm Bo Gin (the Tong Long hand drill) in front of thousands at the Brisbane Festival Hall at the age of 8, and successfully grading to Red Belt (the highest Kung Fu belt level) and Instructor at the age of just 14 – before going on to become the youngest instructor to host his own club.
In 1985 at the age of 20, Gawain succeeded his father and began his journey as Dai Si Hing (chief instructor) of the Malcolm Sue Kung Fu School, grading to his 5th Degree the following year at the Chinese headquarters of the school in Guangzhou, China. Gawain recognised that his teachings had evolved and, out of respect for the late Tong Long Grandmaster Ip Shui (Hong Kong), he initiated the movement to rename the style to Ging Mo Kune, translated as “the essence of martial arts” On 26th January 1990, at a traditional ceremony in the hinterlands of Queensland’s Gold Coast, Gawain was inducted as a Yup Sut Da Gee (disciple) to Ging Mo Kune and Si Fu (master) to the School at a traditional ceremony before members, family and friends. In honouring the style that thousands of Australian’s love, Si Fu Gawain renamed the school the Ging Mo Academy in 2005. Si Fu Gawain Siu currently holds an 8th Degree Red Belt and has been acknowledged by international bodies including the World Organisers of Martial Arts (WOMA) (UAE) and the World Kumite Organisation (WKO) (Thailand) with 8th Dan awards.
He currently holds accreditations for coaching with the Australian Sports Commission and judging and refereeing qualifications from Kung Fu WuShu Australia. Many of his students are current State and Australian National champions and silver medalists at International WuShu Federation (IWUF), 2012 & 2014 World Traditional Championships held in China.
Continuing a 15-year commitment, each year Gawain hosts the annual Shaolin Temple Cultural Exchange Programs through the Shaolin WuShu Guan, Mt. Song Henan Province China. Through these programs, he supports his students to reconnect with the origins of Kung Fu and to share his knowledge of Ging Mo Kune with the world-famous Buddhist Warrior monks of Shaolin.
In 2009, Gawain started a Skills For Life (SFL) Program with at-risk and marginalized youth. Operating as a Registered Training Organisation, the SFL Program is now a nationally recognised vocational Certificate. This allowed him and his instructors to share Ging Mo and the discipline of martial arts as a life-changing experience. Gawain believes that martial arts is a universal language.
In 2009, he and his colleagues from Kyokushin Karate and Kenpo, set out to create a full contact fighting championship that supported novice fighters of all martial arts styles. In 2015, the 12th Free Form Fighting Championships were held in Perth. Today over 300 students from 40 different clubs originating from more than 20 different styles of Martial Arts, continue to compete and support the championships.
Gawain supports his students in their personal journeys in both Ging Mo Kung Fu and the Chen Style Tai Chi Practical Method.
Continuing his personal martial arts journey, in 2014 he was accepted as a disciple of Chen Style Tai Chi Practical Method under Master Chen Zhonghua. Gawain won 1st Place, Gold Medal at the 2015 Daqingshan International Taiji Competition, China and was elected as President of Kung Fu Wushu Western Australia, recognised by the West Australian Government as the peak body for Chinese Martial Arts in Australia.