Hi everyone

I am one of those people who have been watching the list for a couple of years
but have
never contributed to the discussion. However I recently had an experience that
has
prompted me to ask if any one else has had the same.

I have been training in Aikido for 10 years. My home dojo is an independent dojo
headed
by Catherine Schnell Sensei, with over 25 years experience in Aikido. Sensei has
always
provided a solid base in our style she has encouraged us to train with other
teachers and
experience different styles and training environments. During my training I
have had the
opportunity to train with some wonderful teachers such as Suzuki Yas Sensei,
Endo Sensei,
Ariga Sensei, Patricia Hendrix Sensei, Denis Wheeler Sensei and many others both
interstate and overseas.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I heard the Doshu was coming to
Melbourne
Australia. I was even more excited when I heard that Aiki-kai Australia had a
non-member
fee. Knowing that it would be an extremely popular event we promptly sent in
our
registration forms only to be told that our registrations had been refused
because we did
not hold a Dan grading that was recognized by Hombu Dojo.

You can imagine how disappointed I was that I was denied entry. Having trained
with so
many other groups and teachers I have never experienced such overt
discrimination and
exclusion at any Aikido event. No one has ever asked for proof of my Dan
grading, nor
have I ever practiced Aikido in an unsafe or disrespectful manner.

I feel embarrassed and sad that Aikido in Australia is dominated by an
organization that
excludes and discriminates against fellow Aikido practitioners. From my
experience I have
not found this to be the case in other countries, where I have been told that
everyone
trains with everyone and seminars are open to all.

I can't help thinking that the narrow-minded "powers that be" at Aiki-kai
Australia, I
would argue, have missed the point of O Sensei's teaching.