FOR Master Edward Brian Scott, TaeKwon-Do has never just been a sport – it’s been a way of life, a shield against adversity, and a tool for healing.
A lifelong resident of Ipswich and a veteran of the Australian Army Reserves, Master Scott has spent nearly five decades immersed in the Korean martial art.
Today, as a 7th Dan Black Belt and head of the not-for-profit organisation Australian TaeKwon-Do Ki-DoKan International, he is helping to transform lives across the community – particularly for children, people living with disability, and returning service personnel.
His journey began in the 1970s as a schoolboy suffering relentless bullying.
Lacking the confidence to stand up for himself, he found solace only in hiding from his tormentors – until his father, a Vietnam veteran, gave him some tough advice: fight back.
“I was paralysed with fear,” he recalled. “When I saw my tormentors, I would run and hide until the bell rang.”
Instead of resorting to violence, his parents enrolled him and his brother in a local ITF TaeKwon-Do class.
“The training was gruelling, the discipline intense – but it was exactly what I needed,” he said. “I gained strength, self-respect, and the courage to finally stand up for myself.”
Now aged in his 60s, he has 15 students that are being taught more than fundamental movements, pre-arranged sparring, and self-defence techniques.
“My students learn about strategies about the psychology of human behaviour and being aware of the surrounding environment at the moment of an assault taking place and how to survive in such situations – training with equipment daily improves reflexes, techniques, timing, coordination, balance and also improves the student’s ability,” he said.
The Ipswich ITF TaeKwon-Do Club is part of the International TaeKwon-Do Federation (ITF) and regularly competes in the International Inclusion TaeKwon-Do Games.
In October-November, two members of the club will travel with Master Edward to Singapore to represent Australia on the world stage.
“It’s not about fighting,” he said. “It’s about confidence, respect, and learning how to manage challenges with calm and strength.”
