Shihan Wendy Carroll began training in Judo and Jujutsu in 1978 at the YMCA in Macleod (Victoria) on a Saturday morning. This was at the same dojo where Kevin and Leanne Walsh were training.

Wendy was a fast learner who seemed to absorb and understand concepts faster and more completely than most other students. As a result she climbed the ranks quicker than most others, male or female. This caused some issues within the club but Wendy didn’t care. It wasn’t the colour of the belt around her waist that interested her, it was the knowledge.

Over time Wendy, Leanne and Kevin became good friends. Wendy married Ramon Aperia (Sensei Ramon Aperia) and had two children Kim and Thomas.

Wendy, along with Kevin, Leanne, Phillip and Frank formed Bushido Instructors Association in 1999.

On New Year’s Eve 1999 Wendy said to Kevin “You have to go overseas to Germany and meet the people of Idokan International.” This was the genesis of the formation of Idokan Australia.

Wendy, Leanne, Kevin and Ramon would spend many a night discussing techniques. How and why they work or not work. These were the formative years of Rishin Kan Jujutsu.

Over the following 12 years Wendy, Ramon, Leanne and Kevin traveled to Japan, Germany, France, Hungary, Portugal and Belgium teaching and attending seminars.

A quote from Kevin at Wendy’s funeral that was the result of a conversation Kevin had with Wendy a few months before her death:

“Life is like a pebble that gets thrown into a still pond. When you throw the pebble into the middle, you create a ripple. That ripple spreads out across the entire pond. The ripple may lessen as it gets further from its centre but it is still there. It is the same with life. We are the pebble, as we interact with people we have an impact upon them and their life. They are no longer the same as they were before meeting us. They then pass the ripple to others and their children who in turn pass it on. No-one may remember who started the ripple or what the ripple was BUT IT IS THERE”

Wendy was not just a pebble splashing into the pond, she was a boulder. Her ripple, a tsunami.

“Wendy is sadly missed by those lives she touched.”