Local person: martial arts instructor Mark Walker

Martial arts instructor Mark Walker is selling his beautifully renovated 1860s terrace on 56 Campbell St, Wollongong.

He renovated the property to honour his late wife, who had a vision to see the property restored in a manner that celebrated opulence and its period charm.

Here’s how the man, who trained under the legendary Bruce Lee’s trainer, carried out the project…

You’re selling 56 Campbell St, Wollongong. Why did you buy the house?

I’d been living interstate for a number of years, and I came back to Wollongong, because this is where my family was. This is where I met my future wife. She’s since passed away.

So we fell in love with the house. We got gazumped three times, so we always knew it was a popular little place.

What’s the history behind the house?

Over the years, I've heard some differing accounts, all of which sound plausible. Firstly, we were told it was built in the 1860s, but subsequent information suggests it was built in 1881.

The gentleman who built the terraces, built this one as the larger and premium one. This is the one that he and his family lived in. And over the following 20 years, he built all of the others.

My grandmother, when she was a young child, lived in one on the other end. I didn't find that out until after I bought it.

What have you done to the house in that time?

We tried to retain the original colonial or period character. Everything that we've done or changed has always been with a view of keeping it as heritage looking as possible, or of a glamour feel that suited the style.

We’d build luxury when we could. So we were always mindful of the fact that we had this dream that we wanted to be as sympathetic to that as possible.

It's like a sanctuary and an oasis. It’s truly beautiful. We’ve gone to no end of trouble to keep to certain themes. It’s opulence and period friendly.

Why have you decided to sell it?

We were forced to close our (martial arts) business (during COVID). So at that point, my wife had only just recently passed away. That's when I devoted much of my time and effort to finish off the renovations to this terrace as a little bit of an honour to my wife who passed away.

She really wanted to be the driving force behind it, but she died of leukaemia. And the last few years of life were pretty horrific.

I wanted to honour her by finishing the project in the way she would have wanted. She was a style guru. She was always in the fashion industry. So I did my level best to do her proud.

You have martial arts artefacts throughout the house. When and how did you get involved in martial arts?

Yeah, I started martial arts back in 1964. So it’s always been a part of my life. And the business that I lost was a very successful school here in Wollongong. It was started at the same time coincidentally as buying this terrace. In the future we plan to make an online martial arts business.

You’re an instructor in different martial arts disciplines? What are those?

I have the style that, after so many years, I founded myself. I trained directly under the founder of one style called Hapkido, and he was actually one of Bruce Lee's instructors. So I now have my own style which is called Zen Dan Kwan. My school was called Zen Dan Swan School of Martial Arts.

Then there’s Hapkido, Judo, plus Japanese sword which is called Kenjutsu.

When I was younger, I did karate and I started off doing judo from the age of five to 20.There’s a lot of martial arts there (laughs).

What is your greatest achievement in regards to martial arts?

Well, we've had so many students and we've graduated some of the most incredible young people. We've helped people become black belts and we've seen people grow from little children into highly successful young adults.

I’m still in contact with many of them. They’re like my grandchildren.

What’s next for you after 56 Campbell St?

Well, my new partner, Maggie and I have decided it's time for a tree change. We want to be able to plant some trees and have some birds and a couple of dogs. And we look forward to having the grandkids visit.

To talk to Joanne about listing and selling your property, phone (02) 4285 7400. Or learn more about 56 Campbell St Wollongong.

Are you or a loved one moving into aged care? Register for our free short course and learn how to right size your home when moving into aged care.