The following document was written on official Lam Cho Gymnastic Association letterhead and signed personally by Grandmaster Lam Cho — 林祖 — President of the Association, in July 2003. It is published here with the permission and blessing of the Lam family.
林祖國術體育會
Lam Cho Gymnastic Association Wanchai, Hong Kong · Mongkok, Kowloon 03年7月7日 — 7th July, 2003
Original Text — Traditional Chinese
茲 LEON 君 DOGAN 身居英國，誠心專程到香港本會學習武術，及跌打醫術，超過一年，勤奮好學，從未間斷。此子好學及為人好，學員此喜為伍，互相敬，本會學員對決拳習誠了解，是一位不可多得之學員。
會長林祖
English Translation
It is hereby attested by the Lam Cho Gymnastic Association, Hong Kong:
Mr Leon Ahmet Dogan has travelled from the United Kingdom to Hong Kong with a sincere heart and a dedicated spirit to study the traditional arts of Chinese Kung Fu and Dit Da medicine.
Throughout his tenure at this Association, he has applied himself with great diligence, achieving a profound understanding of the techniques and principles of the system. Beyond his technical ability, he has demonstrated exemplary character and a deep respect for the traditional virtues of the school.
He is a rare and valued practitioner. This Association is proud to count him among those who carry this heritage forward.
Signed under the authority of the Association President, Lam Cho 林祖 7th July, 2003
A Note on This Document
This letter was written by Grandmaster Lam Cho in the summer of 2003, toward the end of my first extended period of living and training in Hong Kong. It is written on the official letterhead of the Lam Cho Gymnastic Association — the institution Sigung founded and led for decades — and carries both his personal signature and the Association's official stamp.
I do not publish it as a credential. Credentials are for those who require external confirmation of their standing. I publish it because it is a piece of history — a document that connects this lineage to its source in the most direct and tangible way possible, and because the hand of a man who stood in direct succession to Wong Fei Hung deserves to be seen by anyone who cares about where this art comes from and what it has always demanded of those who carry it.
The letter references Dit Da alongside martial arts training. This is not incidental. Sigung understood the system as a whole — combat and medicine as two expressions of the same knowledge. That understanding is part of what was transmitted. It is part of what I teach.
Sigung wrote that I was a student of uncommon quality — one rarely encountered. I carried that quietly for twenty years before placing it here. It belongs in the record.
Document held in the personal collection of Leon Dogan. Photographed and published with the permission and blessing of the Lam family. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited.