We have a lot to be proud of in North Down and Ards, especially through the achievements of students who are members of Carnalea Karate Club. 2005 was another year in which they proved themselves to be one of the most successful karate clubs in Ireland. This year, no less than 8 members of the club represented Northern Ireland at International events.

In February, 35 juniors were awarded merit badges for new karate skills learned. In the same month Neil & Glen Bailie and Kurtis and Levi Kane travelled to Dublin with the Northern Ireland team for the Kenpo International were they picked up gold and two silvers.

In March the same four represented Northern Ireland again at the London International. Glen did fantastically well by claiming a bronze in the individual sparring by beating fighters from across Europe and the USA. The month was rounded off on a high when Sensei David Brashaw was awarded Ards Borough ‘Coach of the Year' for taking the first ever All-Styles Northern Ireland junior team to a world championship.

In the March grading Claire McPeake was awarded a first class pass at orange belt and Glen Bailie become the youngest member of the club to be awarded a senior brown belt.

The same month at the North West Open, both the Bailie brothers and Kurtis and Levi Kane were once again in the medals. There were also gutsy performances from Andrew Wilson and Christopher Munro.

In May the annual club Basho (tournament) was held in Bangor Leisure Centre. Guest of honour Alderman Kieran McCarthy MLA presented trophies to the winners. Glen Bailie won both the senior kata and sparring and was awarded Student of the Year. Claire McPeake collected the Willis Cup and Sarah Brashaw the James Griffin Memorial Shield.

In July, while most of the club took a break, Sensei Brashaw was invited to coach alongside top Japanese instructors at the highly successful Carlow Karate Summer Course in Bundoran.

Sam and Kevin Lewis, Leigh Shields and Laura Ackerman were awarded their First Aid Award in August.

In October the club had a very strong representation at the Carlow International Tournament. They helped the Northern Ireland team to once again claim over 40 medals at the two day tournament. As always the Neil & Glen Bailie and Levi Kane were among the medalists. However in addition, Claire McPeake collected her first international medal, a silver for the NI Under 15 team and Sarah Brashaw collected a silver in the Parent (black belt) and Child Kata category.

The month was completed in stunning fashion by coach Brashaw, who came out of retirement to collect two world senior titles in Serbia becoming the first person from Great Britain and Ireland to accomplish such a feat. He was doubly overjoyed as, through his role as national kata coach, Northern Ireland's leading female kata exponent Cathy McAleer, from the Esporta club, also secured another world gold in the ladies kata event. David added “To win against 34 associations from all across the world is never easy. I am delighted we put Northern Ireland on the map.” Following this success, a DVD of Northern Ireland's World Beaters has been commissioned by the Sports Council and David has been invited by USA national coach, Jim O'Hara to bring a Northern Ireland team to their International Open in Florida 2006.

Outstanding students who were all awarded first class pass in the November grading were: Courtney Majury, Kate Keenan and Neil Bailie.

Later that month everyone in the club helped out at the ‘fundraising day' at Tesco, Springhill and went on to demonstrate their skills at the Family Open Day.

At the North of Ireland International on 27 November there was a host of medals for the club.

Seniors (Messrs Bailie, Kurtis & Levi Kane, Victoria Lindsay, Sarah Brashaw and Claire McPeake) once again led the way. However the juniors (Craig Brashaw, Conor Porter, Rihannon Wells, Courtney Majury, Curtis Shaw, Andrew Wilson, Kate, Sarah and Sean Keenan) showed that there is a lot more potential still to be fulfilled in the club by collecting a whole range of medals against the international opposition.

Sensei Brashaw held the first Northern Ireland multi-association Senior Wado-Ryu Kata Seminar on Donegal on 3 December and was delighted with the turn-out from across the province.

As always the club ended in a fun way at the Christmas party and is now looking forward to another successful year in 2006.