His father was a Filipino migrant who came to Hawaii as a professional boxer - the original spelling of his surname was Sobirano, but it was phonetically transcribed as Ceberano upon arrival.
[2][3] In a later interview, Ceberano said, "I was immediately attracted to karate's discipline, its intricate breathing methods, and the principles of mutual respect.
[2][3] Military life, and the associated travel, made continuity of training difficult, but Ceberano persisted, and attained 1st dan ranking in Gōju Kai karate under Oshiro in 1963.
[2] At Yamaguchi's request, Ceberano left Hawaii and moved to Melbourne in October 1966 to help establish Gōju Kai karate in Australia.
[2] They had three children, Paul[2] (a karateka who now runs the Ceberano Martial Arts Academy),[14] Philip (a musician)[2][15] and Catherine, a pop singer[2][16][17][18] [19]