Fr Dave Takes
Another Title
The Glebe, 5th
February 2009
It’s the fight club with a
difference. There are no superegos played by Hollywood actors and the
setting in a former church in Dulwich Hill is far from
secretive.
Run by Father Dave Smith, the
club meets at the Holy Trinity gym every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
The gym, which used to be the
Holy Trinity Church before it relocated across the road, opened in 1994
and is also a drop-in centre during the week.
Father Dave, as he’s widely
known, invites young people to step into the ring to throw punches in a
controlled environment.
“They want a release but we also
teach the group to control their anger,” the former
professional boxer said. “What
happens invariably is a young guy gets in the ring and soon realises
that fighting isn’t to do with toughness, it’s to do with the brain.”
Father Dave received Marrickvllle
Council’s Citizen of the Year award this year for his work with young
people. He received the same award in 1997.
Teaching young people to “move away from fighting with
anger” is one of the club’s main goals.
“Once they do that, they can do
anything,” he said. “The
club is mainly made up of male members, but there’s a handful of young
Women too."
“It’s
about teaching people to recognise their aggressive instincts and to
control them.”
The club also provides direction
for some young people.
“It’s one of the only places
where you get young boys looking up to older men,” Father
Dave said.
“Whatever
authority we have here is charismatic, not institutionalised".
“It’s
a great equaliser. Once you’re in the ring, it’s just one body against
another."
“It’s very raw. There’s no bat
or ball. You can feel a person’s emotions in the ring, much more than
any other sport.”
After 18 years of working with
young people, Father Dave said he still understands the challenges
faced by those who have fallen outside mainstream schooling and society.
“I
was a young punk myself,” be said. “I’ve never come across someone as
screwed up as I was when I was that young. The guy who fights one more
round, never gets beaten.”
Una Mafu received Marrickville
Council’s Young Citizen of the Year award for her work with young
people, especially in her role as the Pacific Islander community
liaison officer at Marrickville High School.
The Glebe
February
5th, 2009 |
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