Hi kakatootoshi,
No the Shihan was an Aussie. I still train with him and hold him in great respect. I took it as part of my learning process. I was the senior student and should have realised his rank.
I was trying to say that People who move onto higher grades deserve to be acknowledged for their achievements. The truly good senior people arent fussed on thier titles, and that is part of the reason we use the titles to address them. Does that make sense? It's late and my brain is shutting down.
regards and
