Paul Gillrie

Paul Gillrie

Paul Gillrie joined the Don Warrener Eastern Karate Club at Saltfleet High School in 1968. He trained at Ottawa Street Dojo that summer, then the Kiwanis Boys Club in 1969, and Delta in 1971.

�He entered McMaster University in fall 1971 and taught at Saltfleet in 1971–72. When the dojo at 1109 Main Street East opened, he earned Shodan in 1972. He then partnered with Don Warrener, opening and teaching at the Wellington Street and Main Street dojo’s. In a joint venture with Benny Allen and Bill Hind, the Toronto and Mountain clubs were added. In November 1974 the partners went their separate ways.

�In 1975, along with Vince Castellano, he bought the Fairholt and King Street building from Frank Wishart and Tim Collingwood, along with the Ontario Open Karate Championships (O.O.K.C.). They opened the Kitchener Eastern Karate Club, took over Guelph Karate Club, and partnered with the Brantford Eastern KarateClub and McMaster Eastern Karate clubs. After the O.O.K.C., he ended the partnership in March 1975 and returned to McMaster University where he graduated in 1976. He kept teaching at Guelph until 1978, and earned his Nidan from Don Warrener.

�Paul married Janis Hilfman in 1977. They moved to Edmonton in 1978; three years and two children later, they relocated to British Columbia, where he opened the Langley Karate Club and welcomed three more children. In 1987 he sold the club; the family moved to Tampa, Florida, where their sixth child was born.