1983

In 1983 Master Camille started her Taekwondo journey at the age of 23; a young single mum who needed a change in her direction. Master Camille noticed an ad for ladies self defence class at Havelock North Primary School so she gathered up a couple of buddies and off they went. Master Camille was the one who stayed and completed the course. The instructor, a 4th Dan ITF Master George Follis, was impressed and asked her to stay on and learn the art of ITF Taekwondo. Five years and getting ready for her Black Belt. Master Camille had a lot of changes and another baby on the way. Whilst pregnant Master Camille took on the role of teaching the younger kids and loved it. In the meantime, the club closed and M Follis moved to Auckland.

1989

Master Camille was busy with a new chapter about to unfold. Skip forward to 1989 with 2 daughters (when she met now husband Steve Pruckmuller). Steve encouraged Master Camille to keep up with her dream to open and run her own training centre, so as soon as she could she went back to training in several clubs but none of the same discipline! Master Camille used to train other mums and kids out of her garage after work and weekends. Almost a decade had passed and Master Camille was now ready to resit her Black Belt in a different style of TKD this time with Instructor Scott Cole, but guess what…PREGNANT!! With young Robby, youngest of her 4 children. Instructor Scott left the Bay for Australia, so Master Camille was back to square one

2002

By 2002 Master Camille had found a TKD club in Napier, “Bay City” originally founded by recently deceased Master Barry Hawkins. Finally, able to sit her Black Belt with Instructor and 3rd Dan Max Robb and Master Porter, Instructor Max was leaving for a new job so Master Camille took over the Bay City Club and brought it back to Hastings. In 2004 (now 2nd Dan) they started at Mahora school. Robby now 4 years old, being her youngest student (he had no choice) Master Camille grew the club from 6 students to 86 in a year and so had to move on to bigger full-time premises.

2009

In 2009 Master Camille sat for her 4th Dan missing 3rd and receiving a Silver Plate of Honor from Great Grand Master Lee 9th Dan, for all the good for Taekwondo she had done. In between going for Black Belt in TKD she also started Kyokushin Karate in Hastings for extra fitness, after 5 years of hard work in 2007 graded to a 1st Dan Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate! Master Camille held numerous full contact fighting championship titles in both codes.

2020

In 2020 Camille re-branded the club to Koryo Taekwondo.

WHAT IS TAEKWONDO?

TAEKWONDO is the native South Korean Martial Art which began before the birth of Christ. Today it has a following of some 40 million people, although 189 countries are offi cial members of the WT (World Taekwondo). Taekwondo is an art practiced in more than 200 countries. It is generally regarded as the most popular of the marital arts. It's growing prominence as both a system of self defence and a sports attraction lead to it's inclusion into the Olympic Games in 2000 in Sydney.