Goodbye to an SAS Veteran, Scottish Highlander, Viking and Samurai (Kill Bill)

“So what do you do here?” I asked an old man in a black gi.

“Oh, these are origami classes, you know when you fold paper? Except we fold people.”

This old gentleman and his response instantly intrigued me.

I had come to the gym to do my usual weight training and treadmill routine. I noticed a room where they probably did aerobics classes, and through the window, some young men. Initially, I thought it was Karate classes, so I wasn’t interested. Then I saw they were tumbling around and flipping each other over in what looked like Judo, or JiuJitsu.

“What is this martial art called?” I asked the old man.

“Aiki - Jitsu. How can I explain it? Let me see? Have you watched any Steven Seagal movies?”

“Yes, I have.” I responded eagerly.

(I was a big fan of those movies, not because I thought Steven Seagal was a great actor or anything, but the way he effortlessly dispatched attackers. Yes, I understand movies are all choreographed, but is it not the art of movies to show us what could be possible?)

“Well, we do that sort of stuff. I teach you how to defend yourself out there on the street.” said the old man.

“Looks interesting.” I said.

I noticed he had powerful forearms and ropes of muscle, like steel cables, as he extended his hand to shake mine, His gi running up his forearm. His grip was like a vice. I could feel a strength I couldn’t explain. I recently learned that he would do pull-ups on a tree at 83 years of age. His daughter told me of his strength, even at that age.

“I am Bill. We train every Tuesday and Thursday evening for two-and-a-half hours.”

He turned and went back to his students. No hard sell, no desperation in trying to get me enrolled like I had seen with other martial arts instructors. I watched a little while longer and then joined them for the next session.

I made great friends, but I will focus on Bill and what he meant to me.

Bill was a man who had seen life in the jungles of Asia. He was a practical thinker and, just like a skilled samurai, he would cut through the crap and get to the core in a conversation. He did not waste words on flowery hyperbole, and listened intently, seeking the essence of the person with whom he was conversing. That was the impression I got from him.

His SAS training and experience fed into his ancestry to make him a real soldier. I learned that he had grown up in the Scottish Highlands and was from the clan, Gordon.

Reading up on the Gordon clan intrigued me because Bill was like them. They were a clan that never took a backward step. Even when defeated, which was a rare occurrence, they would regroup and come back stronger.

The Gordon clan had within them Viking blood, and history gives us an account of the fearlessness of the Nordic tribes. The Norsemen that believed that an honorary death was in combat, weapon in hand, surrender was never an option. Valhalla was for the brave.

Bill told us of a Japanese gentleman he met who taught him the art of ‘human origami.’ This Japanese gentleman ‘disappeared’ when a Japanese delegation found out what he was teaching to ‘westerners’.

Too late, Bill had gleaned enough in the years that he spent with that Japanese teacher. His SAS combat training, and his Gordon clan ancestry and his Scottish Highlander and Viking roots, made for a formidable opponent. He was a skilled teacher and friend.

Bill was always ready for a discussion, and he contemplated the thoughts of others. In responding, though, he would cut through and get to the point.

“The mind thinks on many things, but that on which it pivots is the most important.”

“There is action in the waiting and waiting in the action.”

He incorporated the above thoughts into the focus of our training. Bill would refer to these often in the dojo. Timing, posture and technique were crucial to execution. Speed with power, but speed supersedes power.

Just like Mr Miyagi, who stated “I not be there” in the original Karate Kid movie series. Bill would say the same in a different context.

“When your attacker strikes, you not be there.”

Bill had a metallic blue Toyota Hilux, with a large bull bar on the front. It had all terrain tyres, and everything he owned he could place in the back and move to his next destination. Remaining mobile and unattached to material things in life seemed important to him. His minimalist lifestyle removed the burden of consumerism that most of us suffer from. It kept him focused on needs, not wants.

Bill opened my eyes to new experiences, and it was because of Bill, I experienced and learned to ride a horse western style. I would never have tried on my own.

Etienne (a friend and black belt in our dojo), Bill and I would ride each weekend. I am so thankful for that experience. Bill loved his horse and had a love for nature. The outdoors, and living life.

Bill also spoke fondly of his children, his daughters and his son, but kept his private life private. If there was a time when I saw his stoic demeanour soften was when he spoke about his children. I sensed a longing in him.

It has been a week since he passed away peacefully while sitting on a bench, at the writing of this article, but he affected many of us at just the right times in our lives. Here are some quotes from his students.

Brett.

“To be honest, I hadn't thought of Bill or those Aiki days for a while, and yet the news of his passing had an impact on me I wasn’t expecting. He was integrally part of my life at a point that was foundational in many ways. It’s hard to describe it any other way.”

Etienne.

“I moved out of the house at 19 and met Bill shortly after, in many ways he was a friend, father figure and mentor all rolled into one. I don’t think I’ll ever know just how much of who I am today I can attribute to him and the friends I made at Aiki.”

I concur, Bill seemed to come along at just the right time in my life, too. He gave me a different perspective and asked little in return for the time he gave up for all of us.

He cared more about friendship than money, and we only paid to cover the rent of the dojo. Bill preferred we help each other out in doing stuff for each other, not using money, but expressing care through really spending time and helping each other.

If more of us could follow these philosophies, imagine the difference in our own lives and those of others. Bill knew that money helps, but time and action are of more value. I am glad I got to know Bill and for what he taught me. He has affected all of us students for the better.

May he rest in peace.