A Sad But Avoidable Story…
News . ProfilesFrom Hastings, New Zealand… A 47 year old Black Belt dies during sparring match with a 10 year old Girl…
Around 100 friends and acquaintances of Hastings security guard Tony Caldwell turned out for his funeral last week. But one of his biggest admirers was not there to bid farewell to him. The 10-year-old girl, a student in his karate classes, was kept home by her father.
Mr Caldwell, 47, died last week after a sparring session with the girl, who was being graded for a black belt in Kyokushin, a form of karate. Although coroner Peter Dennehy ruled that the martial arts instructor died of a heart attack, the girl’s father says she is still deeply traumatized by the death. “She had no sleep at all that night; nightmares all the next night and a few every night since then,” the girl’s father said. “When she was punching him and then he went down like that, clutching his chest … she’s connected it.” She had wanted to go to Mr Caldwell’s funeral last Wednesday, but her father thought the sight of an open casket would have been too upsetting. He said his daughter had gone to stay with her grandmother and had been off school for a few days. He wasn’t sure whether she would now return to the sport she loved. “She’s now getting private counseling because she’s really not dealing with it,” he said, adding the family was trying to keep her mind occupied with other things. The girl’s father said that although Mr Caldwell had looked very tired during the sparring session, the instructor had urged the girl: “hit me harder, hit me harder”. “That’s when he sort of … as he went down he was grabbing his chest with one arm. [My daughter] started freaking out.” The father bundled the shocked juniors from the room as two nurses and three first aid-trained corrections officers tried in vain to resuscitate Mr Caldwell.
Mr Caldwell’s friends say he had dangerously high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and flushed so badly when exercising that he was nicknamed “Pinky”. His best friend, fellow Kyokushin fighter Tom Kupa, had encouraged him to resume instructing a few months ago. Mr Caldwell began training in his late teens at the Hastings International Kyokushin Karate Club. He won two national titles and was a member of the “thin white line” of Kyokushin fighters who, in the 1980s, fought the best in New Zealand. He ran his own karate club in Hastings until five years ago, when he retired to concentrate on his job as a store security guard. His death was attributed to a heart attack. The coroner said Mr Caldwell had been “a fool to himself” for continuing to fight. “We didn’t have a postmortem because he had a medical history [high blood pressure and cholesterol],” said Mr Dennehy. He had wanted to sit the girl down and explain that her punches did not kill her instructor. She was not to blame, “apart from forcing the fellow to do the exercise. He entered the fight. He was basically the author of his own misfortune”. On the day of his death, Mr Caldwell fought about 20 90-second bouts against black belts. Overseer Solomon Purcell said he had been knocked down a few times, but performed with “competency and professionalism”.
Mr Caldwell spent the past 13 years as a security guard at Hastings Pak’N Save but had never told his bosses about his medical problems. “He used to eat a jumbo sausage every day for breakfast, tomato sauce, everything – that was his ritual,” said store owner David Smith. “If I’d known he had health problems I would have had him up about it.” Mr Smith had never seen Mr Caldwell use his martial arts skills but said having him around made staff feel safe.
The funeral was packed, with Pak’N Save staff dressed in green-and-gold on one side and karate club members in black-and-gold on the other. Mr Caldwell was cremated last Wednesday, and sisters Glenis and Kerry buried his ashes in Hastings Cemetery last Friday, alongside their parents and another sister. “We’re struggling a bit,” Kerry said. “We’re trying to put the family back together.” The sisters said they had given Mr Caldwell’s newly-earned Yondan (fourth-degree black belt) and certificate to the Kupa International Martial Arts Club, to hang on the wall in the TV room they had dedicated to him.
To anyone who knows Mr. Caldwell, please post a comment here in his memory…
[ Source ]
7 comments
Leave a Reply to Justin Lindsay Cancel reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Awareness (52) Beliefs (22) Celebrity (38) Christmas (10) Confidence (13) critical thought (18) Diet (17) Entertainment (28) Exercise (16) Failure (13) Fitness (46) Freedom (21) Fun (50) Funny (41) Gun Control (16) Guns (20) Health (26) History (31) Holiday (49) Jokes (12) Karate (38) Kyokushin (28) Liberty (18) Mas Oyama (27) Meditation (21) News (66) Patriotic (17) Perspective (82) Politics (19) Questions (13) Quotes (39) Recruitment (13) Religion (24) Self-Control (11) Self-Defense (48) Site News (10) Sparring (19) State of Mind (29) Style (17) Success (18) Technique (28) Training (111) Video (49) Weapons (13) Zen (26)
I trained under Tony when I was 15 through to 18 years old (I am now 43). He gave me the confidence to stand up for myself. I have just found out he past away when I searched for his name last night. I have a geat deal of respect for him and I appreciated his friendship as a teenager struggling through some very troubled years.
I would greatly appreciate a recent photo of him, in fact any photo at all, if anyone has one…
Please email:
seniorterry@hotmail.com
Rest in Peace Tony
A body of steel.
A mind as sharp as a knife.
A heart of pure gold.
A truly great man.
Such a great loss for so many.
May you rest in peace Sensei.
A body of steel.
A mind as sharp as a knife.
A heart of pure gold.
A truly great man.
Such a great loss for so many.
May you rest in peace Sensei.
I just found this info today… thank you so much to whoever posted it… Tony was very dear to me and I would really value a photo if anyone could email me one… my email is drdavid@hiddlestone.org
Dear Family,
Mike’s and my first martial arts teacher, Tony Caldwell Sensei, died of a heart attack while sparring, 3 years ago.
I will be forever grateful to Tony for what he taught me, no least of which how to focus my attention and how to complete goals.
I feel he was very significant in my development and I weep a little as I write this…
I was just now looking for his telephone number on google so that i could call him and see how he’s doing and perhaps arrange some money to him (a grateful
now I’m weeping rather a lot π
a grateful student to him for making it possible by only charging $2 per lessen… to a poor family…
I’ll always be so grateful to Tony for the 3 years I studied with him…
his transmission was so significant to my mental and energetic growth… I stopped biting my nails for the first time in my life while under Tony’s care and training; I stopped mucking around at school and started maintaining high grades; I heard of tai chi from him and he advised me to pursue it (tai chi has been one of the most significant practices in my adult life); he taught me how to hold multiple perspectives on a given topic; he taught me the importance on sensitivity when involved in conflict and communication in general; he taught me how to live within my means and maintain a simple, stress free life; he taught me how to achieve my goals…
Please join me in a minute of silence for this remarkable man who meant so much to me.
In appreciation,
David
I just found this info today… thank you so much to whoever posted it… Tony was very dear to me and I would really value a photo if anyone could email me one… my email is drdavid@hiddlestone.org
Dear Family,
Mike’s and my first martial arts teacher, Tony Caldwell Sensei, died of a heart attack while sparring, 3 years ago.
I will be forever grateful to Tony for what he taught me, no least of which how to focus my attention and how to complete goals.
I feel he was very significant in my development and I weep a little as I write this…
I was just now looking for his telephone number on google so that i could call him and see how he’s doing and perhaps arrange some money to him (a grateful
now I’m weeping rather a lot π
a grateful student to him for making it possible by only charging $2 per lessen… to a poor family…
I’ll always be so grateful to Tony for the 3 years I studied with him…
his transmission was so significant to my mental and energetic growth… I stopped biting my nails for the first time in my life while under Tony’s care and training; I stopped mucking around at school and started maintaining high grades; I heard of tai chi from him and he advised me to pursue it (tai chi has been one of the most significant practices in my adult life); he taught me how to hold multiple perspectives on a given topic; he taught me the importance on sensitivity when involved in conflict and communication in general; he taught me how to live within my means and maintain a simple, stress free life; he taught me how to achieve my goals…
Please join me in a minute of silence for this remarkable man who meant so much to me.
In appreciation,
David
Who is the 10 year old girl?? I might know her…
I read this story 2years after the event. I left NZ in 1994 and only get back occasionally – so I was shocked to hear of Tony’s death.
I was the first student that Tony trained through to Black Belt. I’ll never forget how proud he was of me that day (23 years ago now – wow!) I haven’t practiced in 15 years or so and have no intention of returning to the sport (fabulous sport that it is). Ironically I live in Japan now and prefer to play rugby instead.
Tony was a bit of a loner – and as such Karate was his life when younger. He treated young students like they were his equals (outside of the class at least). And was a true mentorin a sport that has its share of thugs.
Can’t believe that I won’t get a chance to talk with again – when I return home to NZ for good next year.