Dai Sempai Callum began studying martial arts at the age of seven, after a friend recommended the Magill Dojo to him. At this point, in 1997, it was run by Sensei Anthony of Golden Knights Martial Arts – now Renshi Anthony, head instructor of Bushido Martial Arts.

Training once a week on Saturdays, Callum found karate a fun and enjoyable way to keep fit and improve his self confidence. With a younger brother and several friends within Golden Knights he was keen to continue his martial arts education. Upon completing his first grading and receiving his blue belt, Callum felt a great sense of achievement that spurred him to train even harder. He reached the rank of Shodan in 2003 at the age of 13.

In 2008, Callum was promoted to Sempai when Dai Sempai Adrian, then head instructor of the Saturday class, left the club to spend more time with his family. Callum and his brother Cameron, two of Dai Sempai Adrian’s most senior students, underwent an intensive instructor-training period for three months in preparation for running the class. He is the youngest dojo instructor in Bushido Martial Arts.

In 2009 Renshi Anthony and a group of associated instructors – including Sempai Callum – decided to form their own club, Bushido Martial Arts. Their goal was to continue to teach modern martial arts while holding true to traditional Bushido values.

After one and half years of hard work running the class with assistance from Sempai Cameron and Sensei Roger, Callum was promoted to the rank of Dai Sempai.

Since then, Callum has worked hard on running the dojo and improving his own skills in karate. His class includes both children and adults, the two sessions run concurrently. Instructors in the Saturday class have found that many children benefit from the presence of adults in the class (in some cases, even their own parents), as the discipline and dedication of the adults makes a strong impression on young minds.