NEWS DESK
No go for GoPro cams on helmets
Soke it to him: Tony Ball, right, shows off one of the many expert karate moves that have led him to being honoured in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Picture: Yanni
Karate king joins the greats SEAFORD dojo martial arts instructor Soke, Tony Ball, has been honoured with an induction into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame last month. Ball has been training and has trained many others in martial arts called Fudoshin Ryu Bujutsu, a blend of aikido, kung fu, judo, jujutsu, weaponry and karate, with a focus on the unity of the mind, body and spirit. Dojo black belt Senpai, Sean Hosking, said the Australian Martial Arts Hall of Fame is “very selective” when it comes to choosing hall of fame inductees. Soke Ball was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame at a ceremonial dinner event in Hobart on 22 August for in the lifetime achievement category. “This has been a long time coming. Soke Tony Ball has
been involved in community work for many years including the ground work for the martial arts therapy program taught in many Victorian schools now,” Senpai Hosking said. Soke Ball joins other Australian inductees such as Richard Norton (actor in Mad Max: Fury Road and several Jackie Chan movies) and world heavyweight Kyokushin Karate champion Bruce Haynes. Soke Tony Ball is a martial arts teacher at the not-forprofit Yamagawa-ha Fudoshin Ryu at Seaford Community Centre, corner of Station and Broughton St, Seaford. The school plans to open a second dojo in Aspendale soon. See fudoshinmartialarts.net or call 9539 3836 for further information.
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MODERN technology was on trial in Frankston Magistrates’ Court last week in a judgement with implications for motorcycle riders across Victoria. A magistrate fined motorcyclist Max Lichtenbaum $150 for wearing two small GoPro-type cameras on his helmet and dismissed an appeal by the Frankston rider to have an infringement notice issued by police thrown out. Mr Lichtenbaum had originally been fined $289 and three demerit points after he was stopped by police on 22 March in Plowman Place, Frankston while wearing the helmet-cam. Police said the 55-year-old had broken safety standards by adding extensions to his motorcycle helmet. Mr Lichtenbaum’s lawyer said last week’s court decision “is a disappointing outcome for riders and for motorcycle safety”. “Riders tell us they wear helmet cameras to improve their safety while on the roads, and that drivers and other road users show more care when there is a camera in use,” Maurice Blackburn principal Malcolm Cumming said. “And if there is a road accident or collision, helmet camera footage is among the best evidence you can get.” Mr Cumming said riders should not be punished for trying to improve road safety. He slammed helmet laws across Australia as “a dog’s breakfast”. “We continue to call for urgent re-
form in the law to fix the ambiguity around compliance of helmets with Australian Standards.” Australian Motorcycle Council helmets committee chair Guy Stanford said motorcycle helmet safety standards vary from state to state so riders crossing state borders could find themselves unwittingly pinged by police due to differing safety rules. In South Australia and Queensland, for example, road rules state a helmet only needs to comply with Australian Standards at the time of manufacture. Mr Stanford said Victorian authorities’ insistence that any helmet protrusion of more than 5 millimetres could cause injuries in an accident “has been discounted internationally”. “The whole set up for how this is being managed for Victoria is appallingly bad,” he said. Mr Stanford said crash test results globally have shown helmet cameras do not cause further injury to riders unless a hole has been drilled to bolt a camera to a helmet. He urged all state governments to implement a nationwide set of safety standards to include the right to affix a small camera to helmets. Mr Cumming said an appeal against Mr Lichtenbaum’s fine may be lodged with the Supreme Court. “We will continue to push for standardised national helmet laws that embrace new technology and rider safety.” Neil Walker
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OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Frankston Times 28 September 2015
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