Page 43 - Phonebox Magazine October 2015

John talks about karate, relief missions in Albania, Mother Teresa and MBEs
aid, all donated for free by the British people. In the following years, 85 missions took place. John explains, “British doctors visited Albania to perform vital sight-saving operations on orphaned children. A children’s library network was set up introducing books, computers and English classes to street children. Diana, Princess of Wales, supported ‘Task Force Albania’ (TFA) and prior to her death, planned to visit the country. Our first library was dedicated to her memory and opened by her brother, Earl Spencer. TFA also undertook a joint venture with the charity ‘Children in Crisis,’ directed by The Duchess of York. She supplied hundreds of cots for children and TFA transported them from Bedfordshire to Tirana. Sarah Ferguson is a kind, warm, genuine lady who has done so much to help distressed children. During the war with Serbia, 1 million ethnic Albanians were driven out of their homes by the invading army. A makeshift camp was set up in Macedonia; my job was to supply food and warm clothing to the 45,000 occupants. They were so grateful. Only women, children and old men remained – there were no young men at all. They had all been eliminated.” In 1993, John met Mother Teresa: “There’s so much I could say about this woman – she was a saint. During the following 4 years, I was extremely fortunate to work with her and her Missionaries of Charity sisters until her sad death in 1997. My greatest possession is a small oval piece of silver that she presented to me in Calcutta. It was the ‘Order of Mother Teresa’ and had been bestowed by Albania. No words can describe that moment.”
What did John learn from his time in Albania?
“Overall, it changed my entire conception of just what is important in life. I became grounded more than ever before. To watch a child’s face when giving her a sweet and to see her put the paper-wrapped sweet into her mouth and eat the paper; to meet people with nothing who offered you everything they had; to witness overwhelming gratitude for the most unimportant gift; to be thanked for showing that someone from across the sea cared and came to help.”
“Being taught by a 9-year old karate student was an unexpected learning experience.”
John has influenced many, but one young boy had a big influence on him: “The pupils of Olney Middle School were asked one day to write about their heroes. Some days later a letter arrived at my home. I had no idea where it had come from or who had written it until I saw the boy’s name at the bottom of the page. As I read it, I was moved – considerably! It brought home to me the huge responsibility that teaching karate to children brings, and being privy to a child’s crystallised thoughts was indeed a privilege. Being taught by a 9-year old karate student was an unexpected learning experience and put much into perspective.” The letter read: ‘To Shihan, You are the torch that guides me on the way. You are the book that I learn from. You are as helpful as a map. You are like a farmer, watering his students till they grow to the top. You are as defensive as a Panda for its young. Yet, you are as friendly as my dog!’ Jamie Locke, the writer of the letter, now lives in New Zealand and is a Black Belt.
A proud moment in 1999
So how did John become involved in Hypnotherapy? “I remember watching my instructor, Hirokazu Kanazawa, performing some advanced moves. From the moment he started, his eyelids flickered; he appeared to enter a trance-like state. After the lesson, I questioned him about this and he had no idea what I was talking about. Determined to find out more, I enrolled on various courses in Hypnosis. It complimented my physical training and helped me understand my students’ thought processes.”
John also speaks of appearing on ‘This is Your Life.’ Many individuals spoke about him including celebrities, charity workers, friends and family. He says, “Earl Spencer and Sir Norman Wisdom had made special films. Bill Hamilton burst onto the stage in his exuberant style, followed by John McGough, the helicopter pilot who flew in Vietnam. My 3 children, Tanya, Haydn and Mansel, all contributed before the show’s final guest appeared - he had flown from Albania for the show. I was polaxed as Dr. Sali Berisha, President of the Republic of Albania, walked onto the stage. A very emotional moment indeed.”
Finally, John describes being awarded his MBE: “I was thrilled with the citation which read ‘For services to the children of Albania.’ I accepted the award on behalf of all the team in TFA and all karate students in Britain. As we celebrated that night, I couldn’t help but think of little Jessica Nexhipi who was the catalyst for everything that had taken place over the years. She died – but not in vain, for countless others had lived. The medal I was holding in my hands was hers and I was merely the custodian.”
Phonebox Magazine 43