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Bonnie Roberts: A lifetime with karate-do
By Russell C. Chitty
The oft quoted lines of a war-time barrack song, ‘Old soldiers never die, they just fade away’, is common to many well-known sportsmen who bloom and blossom for a time and just as suddenly are heard of no more. But in the case of the Grandmaster and Father of Sri Lankan karate-do, sensei Bonnie Roberts, even with some 50 years in the martial arts, shows no signs of fading away nor is he ready to pack up his gi and call it a day.

As if a lifetimes involvement with karate-do, which he loves and lives for, is not enough, Roberts will soon be travelling to Bangalore to follow an in-depth course in the wonderful Chinese art of Tai Chi.

Roberts says that age the unstoppable phenomenon is slowly creeping up on him and his body is not as supple nor his reflexes as quick as it used to be. “This is quite normal and a biological reality. That is why I have adapted my karate to the needs of my body and believe Tai chi will help and benefit me,” the sensei said.

His day begins with time given for meditation followed by his training regimen of stretching exercises and calisthenics. Resilient has ever he then trains in the karate basics of kihon and kumite and finishes up with his quota of katas.
Sensei’s knuckles and elbows show scars of repeated contact with the makiwara – the padded striking post found in any dojo.

Bonnie one of six children born to Constantine John and Elizabeth of Kalmunai was educated at Fatima College and St. Michael’s College in Batticaloa where as a schoolboy he excelled in such sports as soccer, volleyball, cricket and athletics. The story of Bonnie Roberts’ long journey into the heart of karate-do began when his grandfather initiated him into the indigenous art of self-defence known as ‘Angampora or Cheena adi’. Later master R.A. Vairamuttu who systemized the art in his book titled ‘Scientific Unarmed Combat’ taught young Bonnie its finer points.

After his migration to Colombo, Bonnie Roberts joined the YMCA -- the epicenter of many a sport and the cradle of many a sportsmen. At the ‘Y’ he assiduously nurtured his love for sports as he continued to train in bodybuilding and Judo. The sports he dabbled in failed to quench Bonnie’s thirst in his search for the ultimate fighting art till he came to hear and read about the Japanese martial art of karate-do.

The revered O-sensei Gichin Funakoshi who later founded the Japan Karate Association first introduced this wonderful art of ‘empty hand fighting’ into mainland Japan. Karate-do is now known and practiced the world-over due to the untiring efforts of O-sensei and the dedicated band of instructors, he trained at the JKA.

For young Bonnie this was it. He had the gut feeling that at long last he had found the kind of martial art he was searching for. Having learnt the basics of Shotokan karate-do in Sri Lanka, Bonnie Roberts left for Malaysia hoping to deepen his knowledge and sharpen his skills in the art.

After a long period of intensive training under Japanese and Chinese teachers he returned to Sri Lanka with his second Dan black belt and after years of further hard training is now an eighth Dan black belt in Shotokan karate-do.
Ever willing to delve deeper into the art, sensei Roberts travelled regularly to Germany and Japan and mastered the esoteric and exoteric secrets of karate-do. Not somebody to rest on his laurels or his achievements, the unassuming and soft spoken sensei Roberts was instrumental in forming the Ceylon Karate Association with E.R. Jacobs as its first president and himself as its general secretary.

With the enactment of the Sports Law by the then Sports Minister K.B. Ratnayake the CKA was registered as the approved National Body for Karate in Sri Lanka. The name was later changed to Sri Lanka Karate-do Federation to accommodate Karate schools of other styles too under one broad umbrella.
With missionary zeal sensei Roberts spread the message of karate-do to all parts of Sri Lanka and not satisfied with confining his classes to Sri Lanka he took karate-do across the ocean and conducted well-attended classes in India, Pakistan Bangladesh and the Philippines. “I have taught the art to many thousands of students and hope to teach it to many more and will do so till what little life is left in me,” Roberts said.

During one of his visits to India, the car he was travelling in was involved in a nasty accident when it collided head-on with a vehicle coming in the opposite direction before rolling down a 30-foot precipice, killing the driver and a friend seated beside him.

“Though I suffered concussion and a momentary loss of consciousness, I escaped without major injury. I attribute my narrow escape to my karate training and my top physical condition at the time,” sensei Roberts recounted.
In his long and colourful career as an exponent of karate-do, beginning as a student he went on to be a competitor, teacher, coach and referee. Very often using his own savings, sensei Roberts brought down karate experts from Germany and Japan for seminars and workshops in advanced training. These sessions undoubtedly benefited his numerous students.

Roberts was invited to teach karate and self-defence to members of the Air Force, the Police, CID and the Customs and his work was highly commended by the Officers-in-Charge. “I taught law enforcement personnel the art of karate and self defence. It was a time when Sri Lankans were beginning to understand the all-round benefits of karate,” the sensei said. He said it was essential for young karatekas to be loyal to their teacher and to the art; to be committed to the correct practise of the karate-do basics; to make sure one learns from competent teachers.

“Just as the alphabet is the foundation for a good vocabulary. A proper grounding in the karate building-blocks -- posture, footwork, blocks, punches, strikes and kicks -- are a must for a student to become a competent karate-ka,” sensei Roberts said.

“Martial arts training is never easy; if you believe in yourself strongly enough, you can achieve anything. The proper study of karate-do will help develop a student’s highest potential – mentally, spiritually, and physically. Its essence is to learn how to live correctly and to be a positive and beneficial influence to those who rely on your guidance,” sensei said with much feeling.

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