Join Nam Yangs 70th Anniversary in London

Now is YOUR chance to help write the next chapter of our story.

70 years of unbroken history in an unbroken tradition is a lot more than most martial arts clubs can boast! And there is absolutely no doubt about our history; the records are crystal clear!

The story begins in the Geylang district of Singapore as long ago as 1954. Singapore Kung Fu associations hold anniversary celebrations every year with demonstrations and a Chinese banquet. This acts as a fundraiser for the group as well as an opportunity to showcase its achievements. And Nam Yang has been holding these demonstrations since its beginning.

The pictures above are from the souvenir magazine of Nam Yang’s 3rd anniversary celebration in 1957 and show the club as it then was, a picture from a previous demonstration - maybe the 2nd anniversary - shows our Great Grand Master Ang Lian Huat looking very young and fit at roughly the age of 33.

What is the big deal with Nam Yang anniversaries?

The anniversary demonstrations were an annual focal point for the community. Students practised their routines and honed their skills for the biggest stage show of the year. The Masters of many other clubs would be invited so it was very important for everyone to do their best.

Starting in 1987, Master Tan began inviting members from the UK to demonstrate. Having students fly in from overseas to take part was a great point of pride and identified the association as an international entity - not just a local club. Master Iain was at the 1987 demonstration and has attended every one from then on and as years passed he began taking more and more students with him.

These trips were opportunities to live and train at the club in Singapore with the famous Masters there and all of the senior students from the UK tried their hardest to attend. Having trained in Singapore and demonstrated at one of the anniversaries would single someone out as a truly senior student. The videos of the anniversaries, photographs and souvenir magazines acted as records of the events and the ongoing progress of the association, and were viewed countless times.

The UK team demonstrating in Singapore.

What is happening for the 70th Anniversary?

Since this is a major occasion in our shared history, we are making a supreme effort to stage a worthy event. It will take place in London and we are hoping that many of the people who performed in Singapore in the 1990s will be attending. Master Iain and Master Dougal have already confirmed.

We will be organising demonstrations and presenting certificates to our present instructors and to those who have contributed to our association over the years. It will be a great time to socialise and meet many of the people you may as yet only have seen in pictures and videos. While there will not be a formal banquette afterwords, we would like to try organizing a group dinner in town afterwords for anyone interested.

Oz Thakkar, who has already done a great deal of professional video work for us, has volunteered to organise the filming of the event free of charge and we hope to publish some top-quality video online.

This event is open to all Nam Yang members past and present and to all of our friends in the world of Kung Fu - especially those who trace their lineage back to Master Ang Lian Huat. Master Iain will be inviting a number of other Kung Fu Masters to join the celebration.

Whilst this is not going to be the same as the old anniversary demonstrations in Singapore it will have a more international flavour - we already have people booked to fly in from overseas. It will not be an annual event and may end up being one of a kind. It will definitely be a significant piece of Nam Yang history, something to feel proud to be part of and something to remember!