More like PensHURTS
Right now you’re feeling as excited as I was to stumble upon this sign. B-B-B-B-BAM! Damn! It’s like a FIVE HIT COMBO to your GROIN!
WHACK – Alan Williams!
SOCK – Alan Williams’ name in its original katakana!
BIFF – He has a KARATE centre!
THWACK – Tae Kwon Do too!
OOF – the official Alan Williams dojo logo featuring the official fist of ALAN WILLIAMS.
Now you’re stumbling around, numb from the waist down, and all you can think about is HOW DO I GET DOWN THOSE STAIRS AND SIGN UP?
Well sadly, there are no stairs. At all. There is no dojo, nor is there an Alan Williams. Maybe there never was. The only people who would ever see this sign are those heading to the TAB at the end of this bizarre corridor, so maybe downstairs is some kind of veiled reference to hell.
Past/Lives of the Near Future 
Not sure where your facts come from but the stairs to the club are on your right just before the TAB. Alan Williams did exist I knew him well but weather he still owns the club I don’t know. Yes the dojo is there, I trained in it for many years.
He certainly did exist. He must have been in his late 30s when I started training there as a kid in 1985. We only used the stairs when you first signed up and didn’t know better. Everyone used to enter via the back door downstairs near the car park. Alan Williams would be pushing 70 now so doubt he’s still on the scene.
I used to train here in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Alan Williams did indeed exist, and was my instructor.
The centre was never accessed via the top stairs; rather, there was an entry from within the carpark.
The last I knew, Anthony Sobb was running boxing and martial arts classes there; but I haven’t visited in quite a few years now.
I did talk to Master William on the phone in 1993, before I officially studied ITF Taekwondo. I did ask him about the difference between Taekwondo and Tangsoodo. I now meet a student of Master William at work in hospital.
I trained here for many, many years, so i can state it did exist in all its glory.
Alan was and not only is a legend, he methods of teaching students was excellent, with an end result in Alan himself creating a number of legendary trainers and students too.
Many, many, many years have past since the days I trained here and now at 50 years old myself, I reflect upon this sign with the very fondest of memories to all of those that I trained with and taught.
Just to confirm, the main entry for Allan’s Dojo was out the back from the car park.
Alan Williams was the best. I trained there at Penshurst from 1987 to the late 1990’s. I do remember taking my young boys there for a few sessions in the mid 2000s. Anthony Sobb and Paul can’t remember his surname were running it. In the 1980’s that gym was hot there was so many cool people I was luckily enough to meet, in privileged. A very special part of my life. Does anyone ever here from Stewart Dunn who made 2nd Dan I believe.
Yes, I remember Stewart. He was one of the first people I encountered, and he was a first dan black belt when I trained there. I cannot recall if he achieved his second dan while I was still there; if so, it would have been in the early 1990s.
I just stumbled across this article after finding out my grandson is starting karate much to my excitement. Seeing that Moo Duk Kwan sign brought some very fond memories of those training sessions with Alan in the early 70’s.
After leaving Sydney and trying a couple of other styles, NOTHING compared to Alan’s training methods, such a humble man. I’ll never forget those one on one gradings with Alan sitting at that big desk. Thanks Alan👍
I was here on Sunday – as a martial artist myself, I was very intrigued as to the mysteriousness of the sign, centre & empty TAB.
Nice to read this and see the joy and happiness this martial arts centre bought to those in the area.
This gym was an excellent martial arts centre, watched Stewart Dunn’s bleack belt grading, they were very hard things to get, Alan did not grade very many to this level. Picked up 2 broken ribs from participating in one.
Oh yeah many days and nights training here in the mid to later 70s. Alan was a tough but modest man who I would not want to pick a fight with in a dark ally. Myself and Steve had a key to the gym, I thinks a privilege at the time. I mad black tip and Steve got his black belt. I remember giving up on the art for personal reasons at the time but have many fond memories. That was a different world back then.