Tributes for Geelong karate instructor Malcolm Ayles after sudden death in Pattaya, Thailand

A Geelong karate instructor is being remembered as “an inspiration” after his sudden death in Thailand. But Malcolm Ayles also had a dark and traumatic past, which led him to discovering the martial art and rebuilding his life.

Malcolm Ayles died suddenly while visiting family in Thailand. Picture: David Monk

A Geelong karate instructor who died in Thailand this week has been remembered by loved ones and devoted students as an inspiration and a “truly wonderful man” of compassion who helped created a special family atmosphere at his dojo.

But Malcolm Ayles, 58, who succumbed in hospital after being pulled from the waters off Pattaya on Monday, also had a dark and complicated past – one he himself acknowledged – including years in prison for attempted murder.

Mr Ayles was a champion martial artist, a “climate warrior” and a disability advocate, according to those that trained with him, some of them for many years.

He had three biological children and two stepchildren.

His daughter, Jasmin Ayles, who rushed to Thailand to be with her father’s body, said her dad “thought he was invincible”.

“Everything he did, he made sure he found joy in it,” she said.

“He was a good person, he turned his life around.

“He lived his life serving others.”

The grief and sense of community at Shiryodo Karate just outside of Grovedale was clear to see this week as students young and old gathered to mourn their beloved “Shihan”, meaning “master”.

Mr Ayles was the owner and head instructor at the dojo, which he established in 2001 and now has more than 400 members.

Shiryodo Karate instructors gathered at the dojo on Thursday to honour the life of Malcolm Ayles. Picture: Mark Wilson

Comments on social media described Mr Ayles as a “wonderful teacher and human”, and “a truly wonderful man who has given so much to so many people”.

Ms Ayles said it was comforting knowing her father would be missed by so many people.

“He was able to touch the lives of so many people in such a positive way,” she said.

Before turning his life around and discovering karate, Mr Ayles pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in 1992 to attempting to murder his de facto wife and was sentenced to nine years in prison, with a non-parole period of five years.

Justice James Gobbo said Mr Ayles was suffering from a “psychotic disturbance” at the time and described the crime as “horrifying”.

After serving his minimum term behind bars, he became involved in fitness and martial arts, vowing to find strength and growth.

“This led me to start working out, take up boxing, kickboxing and, eventually, karate,” he told the Geelong News in 2007.

“At the same time I also completed a degree majoring in psychology to better understand what I had been through and how this could be prevented.

“What I also discovered was a sense of self-worth, purpose and belonging that traditional martial arts can bring people.”

He also told of childhood trauma and a battle with drugs and mental health.

At the age of 12, he nearly died from burns to 90 per cent of his body and credited the staff at the Royal Children’s Hospital for his survival.

Mr Ayles was left with severe scars to his face and body and he said his injuries made his younger years “extremely difficult”.

“I turned to drugs as an escape, and was drawn into a world where violence and lawlessness were the norm,” he said.

Mr Ayles said karate helped him to overcome the adversity he faced in his life, including being threatened at knifepoint by a home invader.

Kendra Schmid started at Shiryodo Karate when she was five, and after 19 years is a black-belt senpai and one of the dojo’s most senior members.

“There’s lots of people who started when they were kids and are still involved now, lots of people who literally grew up here, and there’s still kids growing up here now,” she said.

Students and instructors gathered at Shiryodo Karate on Thursday to honour the life of Malcolm Ayles. Picture: Mark Wilson

To its members, the dojo is a “family”, accepting of all who came through its doors.

Sensei Michele Denham said she had an intellectually disabled son who was welcomed at the dojo when he started doing karate.

“I don’t think he could have done karate anywhere else,” she said.

“It was the first and only time my son has been included in a normal setting.

“He went to a special school, people who don’t understand or don’t live in disability won’t realise the impact of that.”

Two or three nights a week, Mr Ayles and his wife, Da, who is Thai, would welcome members into their home after training.

Malcolm Ayles with wife Da and their son Andrew. Picture: David Monk

“No dinner party would finish without getting on the topic of the climate,” Andrew Meath, a member at Shiryodo Karate, said.

Mr Ayles was a “climate warrior” who persistently wrote to local politicians and even attended a seminar in Queensland where Al Gore was a speaker.

“He would rally the entire dojo, we’d go up to Melbourne to get involved in climate events, demonstrations … his whole drive was asking what was going to happen to future generations,” Ms Schmid said.

Mr Ayles won multiple Australian Seido karate titles and was runner-up in Asian and international championships.

“Karate’s not just about learning to fight, it’s nothing like that – it’s about self-awareness, self-growth and respect for others around you,” Mr Meath said.

Thai media reported Mr Ayles had smoked cannabis before entering the water and finding himself in trouble.

A local man hauled Mr Ayles to the sand where paramedics performed CPR.

He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, but never regained consciousness and later died.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said it was providing consular assistance to Mr Ayles’ family.

This includes supports from Thai and Australian authorities to assist with funeral arrangements or repatriation of Mr Ayles’ body.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a DFAT spokesman said.

Originally published as Tributes for Geelong karate instructor Malcolm Ayles after sudden death in Pattaya, Thailand