Those who thought they had heard and seen everything during the WT careers had obviously never been in Bad Schmiedeberg. As my Si-Hing Oliver Hofmann had once been a member of the elite paratroop regiment in the East German armed forces, he thought it might be a good idea to hold our 2006 summer camp in a former training camp run by the GST.

The GST was an organisation in the former GDR whose purpose was sporting and pre-military training and education for adolescents. From 1956 it was a department of the Ministry of National Defence.
Encouraged by this, the “hard-core“ of the WT schools in Dessau, Gräfenhainichen and Bitterfeld set off to investigate and revitalise the sporting aspects of the camp. My Si-Hing had seen some brochures, and at first it looked like a holiday village with countless rows of bungalows. The price of accommodation and full board was admittedly ridiculously low.
We had a shock in store when we arrived on late Friday afternoon – this was absolute paradise for anybody who was nostalgic about the GDR. After an initial tour we took refuge in a single thought: “We’re just here to train and sleep. It’s bound to be good enough for that!“
We all know the luxuries enjoyed by the former East Germany – corrugated asbestos roofs, three-piece mattresses that give about 1 cm when you lie on them, communal showers and the dearly beloved “refectory“ with waxed tablecloths which Egon Krenz had probably spread on the tables personally.

After a few minute’s rest, the first training session began at eighteen hundred hours.
We all gathered on a grassy area bordered with trees in the middle of the camp. Once again Si-Hing had dug deep in his box of tricks and made us practice some unusual WingTsun techniques. New skills were learned and old routines practiced.
Afterwards there was a treat in the form of an Escrima lesson. I think all the WT students greatly enjoyed the chance to use a weapon (stick) for once, and many of them now realised what primeval force can be exerted with one.
Once everybody had reached complete exhaustion during the striking exercises, we were all looking forward to the evening meal, which naturally turned out to be in the old style.
The remainder of the evening was spent putting the world to rights and swapping stories.
Hardly anybody was keen to stay in bed next morning, and with a few exceptions we were all more or less awake by six hundred hours.
The breakfast scheduled for eight hundred hours was swiftly brought forward by one hour (to the annoyance of the kitchen ladies – sorry again).
We started the morning with a few selected ChiKung stretching exercises, then the student grades practiced their respective programmes.
The Technicians and TG candidates took themselves off to a quiet area and practiced their sections. The lower and medium student grades occupied themselves with their attack and defence programmes.
Many a scuffle ensued as the Technicians joined in with the latter, and the students were really able to let their hair down.
I would particularly like to mention Herbert Bläsing, who passed his 9th SG examination on that Saturday. At the age of 63 he is the oldest student in our school, but masters every single student grade with persistence and fortitude.
This day too ended with complete exhaustion.
We had a barbecue to revive everybody, and this went on well into the night. The next morning began just like the previous one. Once everybody had had his fill at breakfast, Si-Hing started the Sunday morning session with the SNT and ChiKung. For the students the last session of the summer camp consisted of many press-ups and chain-punches, while the Technicians practiced the armlock section. Si-Hing then laid on a number of Lat-Sao programmes and we were given many a useful hint. The session ended all too soon, and with it the weekend.
Later on small groups formed to discuss the events in the camp. Everybody was tired but pleased with what had been learned, and we all left the camp together.
We had all got to know and understand each other better during intensive conversations.
I think everybody enjoyed this summer camp enormously, especially because it was something different for us stir-crazy town-dwellers.
So anybody who wants to enjoy fruit tea from an urn in the morning, noon and night, as we did, should contact my Si-Hing Oliver Hofmann and obtain the address of this former training camp from him.
As for us, the students of the martial arts schools in Dessau, Gräfenhainichen and Bitterfeld, the experience made us all the stronger.

Frank Ullmann 1st TG WT