Warrnambool karate champion Frank McKenzie awarded seventh Dan black belt

It has taken him around the world to places such as New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, England, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, United States and Canada, as well as forged lifelong friendships and connections.

Naturally, the individual accolades are something which have come with a life dedicated to the sport.

On Saturday night at the Flying Horse in Warrnambool, the former dairy research scientist with the department of agriculture was awarded with his seventh Dan black belt in front of a group of 29 senior Funakoshi Karate members.

It was an achievement more than three decades in the making from his humble beginnings in 1987 when he began training in South Africa.

The highly-respected chief Funakoshi Karate International Australia instructor, who moved to Warrnambool in October 1995 from South Africa, told The Standard he was delighted to have received the black belt.

"Its a massive honour, I'm really humbled. It's been a huge sacrifice," he said.

"This was never a specific goal I set out to achieve, it's something that evolved, I guess through my dedication and commitment to teaching, developing the style, judging and referring, all those sorts of things."

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McKenzie, whose major achievements in the sport include opening the first Funakoshi Karate school in Australia and establishing the longest-operating Funakoshi dojo in the world, said the sport was a way of life.

He added while it was humbling to be recognised for his individual achievements, he enjoyed giving back, teaching and meeting new people.

"It's always been a deep-seated passion, something I've simply always enjoyed," he said.

"I've done, as an organisation, seven international karate tours which I'm proud of.

"When you travel overseas you end up interacting with a lot of different people so you build up a huge network and a lot of friendships which is great."

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