The group ranged in age from 10 to 51.

All were put through a strenuous series of grading challenges in order to get their black belts on a provisional, confirmed, or upgraded basis.

“To get your provisional black belt it takes four years of training and it takes another 12 months after that to get that black belt confirmed,” Sensei Warren Hickey said.

“You have to be training continually for three days a week over that period so it takes a lot of dedication.”

The process of being graded is no easy task in itself.

“There are a lot of skills involved. The basic technique stuff like blocking, kicking and punching, and combining those skills altogether, is known as kata,” Sensei Hickey said.

“The next stage is called bunki and is the actual self-defence component where the combinations are performed with a partner.

“Another aspect is the physical fitness side of things where they basically just go non-stop for an hour doing activities that really test the cardio aspect.

“The last two hours of the grading is spent doing basically non-stop sparring.

“They do what is called line-sparring, where the person being graded stands at the front, and they just continually fight fresh opponents one after the other.

“It pushes them to the absolute limit and they have to demonstrate a lot of courage to get through it.”

Those who were graded included Gerada Maider (third dan), Mark Brodie (second dan), Aleksander and Dennis Kamilic, Cameron Hodges, Robert O’Hara and Britney Reece (all confirmed black belts).

Kerrod and Alannah Nolan, Leila Kamilic, Rod Wallace, Georgina Lamb and Blake Hadjipetios all gained their provisional black belt.

A handful of the group were also graded to their black belts in ju jitsu after the session was attended by ju jitsu master Tom Bellamy.

Bellamy has been in training for around 40 years, and has assisted with Hickey’s dojo regularly through seminars.

Brodie, Maider and Alex and Dennis Kamilic were each awarded their provisional black belt in the discipline.