Salamander Bay taekwondo master Ronald Bergan back from the brink

With a never say die attitude, the 55-year-old who recently revived his Him Do Academy at Salamander Bay has come through the other side and is winning more medals than ever before.

Born with bow legs, Bergan came to a point in his life in 2014 where he was in so much agony that something had to give.

“I had returned home from a major tournament in South Korea and my legs had blown up the size of balloons,” he said.

“After being referred to a specialist I was given the option by my surgeon, Dr Bruce Caldwell, to have knee replacements in both legs – which would probably have meant that I would never be able to take part in marital arts again – or have high tibial osteotomy surgery. I opted for the surgery in order to continue my passion for my sport.

“In the end I had to undergo four operations, two on each knee, followed by years of rehabilitation and a lot of hard work to get back to my normal fitness levels.”

There were some serious setbacks. At one stage Bergan was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after collapsing at home from a blood clot.

“Many times I felt like giving up but each time I told myself I need to get back on track. I wanted to prove to myself that I could bounce back and I didn’t want to let down the many students that had put their trust in me as an instructor.”

After having his legs straightened out for the first time in his life, Bergan began the painful road to recovery and late last year he began training again for competition.

“I grew 13mm taller after having my legs straightened.”

With his fitness and confidence back, Bergan returned to the competitive field winning NSW and Queensland state titles in powerbreaking and the highly prestigious Australian Kukkiwon Master of Masters Title 2018.

He backed up with national titles in the masters games and a bronze medal at the world titles held in Jeju Korea early this year.

“I have also achieved my fifth dan, which is something I am quite proud of.” 

And to cap off a great month in October, Bergan was presented with his belt and certificate by grand master Sam Loiacono.

This has been such a great month for me.

He has also revived the Him Do Academy at Salamander Bay, a fully equipped full time martial arts studio where he instructs students aged from four years to 66. A number of the members are preparing for the Pan Pacific Games in a fortnight’s time to be held in Queensland.

Taekwondo classes are conducted three days a week and Bergan has recently opened a Wednesday night ladies defence class. Tournaments are held on Friday nights.