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Who is Master Joe?

Master Joe entered the Melbourne Scene more than 30 years ago.

His first tentative steps were taken when he went to a club in the late 80’s…… where he became fascinated by what he saw.

 

A friend, who had been overseas working, and had been apprenticed in a traditional house in Germany, took Joe under her wing in 1989 and trained him. He did a 3 year apprenticeship with her, learning everything she could teach him, and “Master Joe” was born. During this time, Master Joe also helped her with her duties at The House of Domination.

 

Master Joe regularly attended the various clubs in Melbourne, including Hellfire, Bound, The Power Exchange, Dominion and Whiplash, and though in the beginning He was “Joe at the end of the bar” He soon became a familiar face and His skills were often in demand.

He was also a regular attendee at Hush when it began and in later years, continued that involvement, often assisting Mistress Tan with her demonstrations and safety talks.

From those early beginnings, came more and more involvement in the Melbourne Scene and Lifestyle.

 

Master Joe began to attend Purgatory on a regular basis during the later years, and was often asked to perform demonstrations, and give workshops on how to use various toys and equipment.

 

In 2000 Master Joe became a moderator of the Melb-BDSM yahoo list, and His involvement continued until it closed down.

 

He worked at the now defunct “House of Domination” as the House Master, not only doing professional sessions by appointment, but also teaching some of the Mistresses and trainees who worked there.

 

He took on apprentices of his own as well, and has successfully trained several people who are now fully fledged Dominants, with a style of play that is unlike most others.

 

Lessons were run at His house on a regular basis, again with Master Joe giving his time freely and without expectation of anything other than seeing these people learn the skills he was teaching.

 

Master Joe ran the dungeon area for all Dark Habits events for several years, from about 2000, volunteering his time to the organiser, to ensure that those who wanted to “try” were played with safely and enjoyed the experience.

 

He also ran workshops and skill shares at His home, and assisted other people with theirs, including “Through The Looking Glass”(during 1999-2001) with Mistress Roni,  as well as holding regular play parties at His house, and continuing to attend the local events in Melbourne and helping out where He was asked.

 

Master Joe appeared on Bent TV in early 2000, in an interview conducted at Hush, where he talked about his life and the people in it. This episode was shown many times over several years.

 

 

Master Joe collared his first submissive almost 20 years ago, her name is cheeta and she is still collared to Him.

Since then, have been many submissives and slaves – both male and female - who have come under Master Joe’s umbrella of care.

He has provided a safe place for those who have been damaged.

He has healed those who needed healing,

He has taught those who wanted to learn

He has mentored, supported and counselled many people.

 

During 2004 Master Joe met kim – there was an instant connection between them.

He taught her, He nurtured her, and their relationship thrived. There was a formal collaring in 2006 and a wedding in 2009.

 

With kim’s support and encouragement, Master Joe brought His dream and his vision to life. He had long believed that Melbourne needed a BDSM club which was different to the others – a place where people could catch up with their friends, share a meal, or just a drink, and socialise, play or meet new people, all in a safe and welcoming environment.

In 2006, not long after Hush and Purgatory had closed down, Chains was born. There are many people now regulars in the Melbourne scene, who started their journeys at Chains. Chains ran successfully for 10 years.

 

Master Joe had open heart surgery in December 2007, and though recovery took some time, He is now much healthier, though continues to have heart issues.

 

He was also the House Master at The Correction Centre for about 6 years, until he and kim moved away from Melbourne.

 

In the last 15 years, Master Joe has continued to conduct regular skill shares and workshops both at His home, and interstate, giving His time to educate those who wish to learn. Even now, he still occasionally gives lessons and mentors people.

 

In January 2011, Master Joe was contracted by Sexpo to run the Fetish Demonstration and information stand in all states. This was a huge undertaking to provide the patrons of Sexpo with an insight into BDSM and the lifestyle, and included demonstrations, discussions and printed material for each show. He did this until 2014, when health issues made it impossible to continue

 

Also in  2011, Master Joe formed the very first chapter of MAsT International outside America. MAsT:Melbourne is today thriving under His guidance, something He is most proud of. He was appointed to the position of Regional Representative for MAsT:ANZ in 2012, which he held for several years before passing that job on to kim. He is now known as the MAsT:ANZ Regional Rep – Emeritus.

 

In January 2012, a very special ceremony was held in Melbourne.

Master Joe was awarded his "Master’s Cover" by the community, for his contribution and commitment over the years.

A Master's Cover is a Leather Cap, and is presented to the recipient by someone important in that person's life. It is done in front of invited guests, and those guests are then asked to speak, giving testimonies and validating the reasons for the presentation.

It was a very emotional and moving ceremony, to listen to so many people step up and speak about the kind of man Master Joe is, what He has done for them, and how He is perceived within the community. There were many tears shed that evening. 

(CLICK HERE to read about what a Covering Ceremony is and what the word "Master" really means)

 

In 2013, Master Joe won “Best BDSM Master” at the Eros Shine Industry Awards.

 

Master Joe has run a very successful fetish toy manufacturing business, supplying good quality toys and equipment to various retail outlets, and selling his products to the wider community. MJ’s ToyBox has grown considerably since those first tentative steps in 1989 and for the last 15 years has been well known both nationally and Internationally as a place to buy well made toys at reasonable prices. This year, in 2018, the business is finally being wound down, mainly due to health issues but also because Master Joe has almost reached retirement age!

 

Master Joe is very much aware that support and education are so important, in order to dispel the myths about our lifestyle and to keep things safe for everyone.

He is also very much aware that without the support from the community and his two girls, “Master Joe” would not exist, He would simply be “Joe at the end of the bar”.

 

© Kim Debron - 2018

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