General News
12 June, 2025
Vale Percy Walsh - Paying tribute to a local legend
EVERY now and then, over the course of a lifetime, we’re lucky enough to meet genuinely memorable characters who have a profoundly meaningful impact on us.
To call Percy Walsh a memorable character might just be the understatement of the century.
I was mid-teens the first time I met this remarkable man. My younger siblings had been learning karate at Percy’s dojo for a while and were enjoying it thoroughly.
Emily and James would get home after training, telling tales of some bloke they referred to as Shihan…I’d be thinking to myself “what sort of bloody name is Shihan?” until they explained to me it was the rank and title of their instructor.
They’d be carrying on about how much fun they were having in karate classes and were clearly inspired by ‘Shihan’ - Their enthusiasm made me curious to see what it was all about.
Meeting Percy for the first time certainly didn’t disappoint. It took all of one single class for me to feel like I was in the presence of a giant even though the guy stood barely five-foot- two.
To look at a photo of Percy, fully decked out in his karate gear, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re looking at the type of hardened martial arts disciplinarian you’d see in the movies and while he certainly had the skills to put any man on his backside, Percival John Walsh was a man who above all else, radiated kindness, had a wicked sense of humour and went out of his way to make people feel valued and cared for.
This week I had the privilege of listening to people share stories and fond memories of Percy, and it’s an honour to share some of them here with our readers.
“Of all things, I think he was a clown at heart,” said Percy’s daughter Kylie-Ann Fraser who I caught up with for a delightful chat on Wednesday.
It took us barely 30 seconds of talking to both be laughing about Percy’s sense of humour.
“He was a prankster!” Kylie-Ann said, fondly describing her dear Dad, “he was very cheeky.”
Beyond the cheeky twinkle in his eye, Percy was a thoughtful, hard-working man and Kylie- Ann talked at length with a great deal of pride about her father’s compassionate side, his values and his commitment to the love of his life, his wife Beryl May.
“One of Dad’s favourite sayings was ‘It makes you think’ so he would listen to things, and he’d absorb them, and he’d think about them.”
“He was very open to new ideas, not just because they were new but he’d always listen to other sides of a story.”
“He was a clever man who taught himself so many things.”
Percy’s wife, his partner-in-crime and best friend Beryl was visually impaired and while it didn’t stop them making a great team on their journey through life together, Percy was conscientious and dedicated to taking care of Beryl as best he could.
Percy was born in Maryborough on July 21, 1942 and was one of seven children. From an early age he took a great liking to the outdoors, a passion that burned strongly throughout his life.
In his youth, he developed hunting skills primarily to help feed his family during tough times.
He was a keen fisherman and was involved with the Stawell Fly Fishing Club for many years.
Like so many young men of his era, Percy left school at 14 and went to work, trying his hand at several jobs including a toolmaker and a welder.
Kylie-Ann said her Dad eventually ended up at Woollen Mills in Maryborough, “that’s where he met Mum.”
“Dad was a real rocker, slicked back hair and that sort of thing, and always a real character.”
“I have to say, Mum and Dad were each other’s best friend.”
Beryl passed away in 2020 and Percy did his best to look after her right until the end.
The Walsh’s moved to Stawell in the 1970s as Percy, an Army Reserve member at the time, pursued employment opportunities to support his young family, initially landing a job building large commercial farming sheds which took him all over the state wherever the work was that week, and during the holiday seasons he also worked out at Lake Fyans.
Percy’s responsibilities out at the lake gradually grew and in 1982 the family moved out there when he took over the role of caretaker and manager of the Lake Fyans Caravan Park.
Being the curious, charismatic individual that Percy was, he was in his element during those times at Lake Fyans, happily sitting around campfires talking to tourist families from all over Australia and the world, connecting with them all.
“He was fascinated with people and other cultures,” Kylie-Ann said.
As the ‘80s wore on, Percy and Beryl bought a small farm on the outskirts of Stawell that they called home for over three decades.
On the farm they had Angora goats and Percy also took up a job working with Mitre 10, getting out and about making deliveries to customers, no doubt having a jolly chinwag with everyone along the way.
For all the many rich chapters in Percy’s life, there’s no doubt he’s best known for his karate exploits.
The dedicated martial artist earned an 8th degree black belt ranking in Zen Do Kai karate, and the title Kyoshi, recognising his place within the upper echelon of karate instructors in Australia.
Percy’s highest-ranked student-turned-teaching colleague, Bradley Dunn, took me on a trip down memory lane this week when I dropped in for a surprise visit to talk about his mentor and dear friend.
Brad’s martial arts journey with Percy began when his son Richard showed an interest in learning karate.
“Basically, it started with Richard, when they used to train out at St Matthews Hall,”
Brad said, “I took Richard up, he wanted to have a go at it but back then you had to be 10 years old before they took them in and he wasn’t old enough.”
“After 12 months he still wanted to go, so I took him back, and I used to watch him train.”
“I’d been interested in it (karate) since back when I went to school in Geelong, and instead of sitting there watching them train, I started training with them.”
As time passed and Brad’s skills grew under Percy’s expert tutelage, the pair struck up a dynamic partnership, mentoring an enormous number of people who walked through the doors of Crescendo Walsh Dojos over several decades, with classes expanding to Horsham and Ararat over the journey.
The iconic karate dojo on Percy’s farm, a converted goat shed, became a sanctuary for everyone who passed through the doors.
Brad estimates the number of different faces who came and went through Percy’s dojo would be in the thousands, crediting his mentor’s decision to expand into ‘Kidz Karate’ classes which created a fun and inclusive environment for children to be introduced to martial arts.
Stawell Mitre 10 owner David O Jones fondly remembers the years Percy spent working with his team.
“He was a lot of fun to work with,” said David, “he was always great for a chat and the customers liked that.”
David says Percy was the type of person who was always prepared to roll up his sleeves and lend a hand around the store.
“He was very good for our business, he worked in every department in the shop, he was good fun and good to be with and we had a great time together.”
Percy passed away on April 16 at the age of 82 and was laid to rest April 23 at the Stawell
Cemetery following a funeral service at St Patrick’s Church.
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