Great Southern Gathering

Great Southern Gathering (GSG) is an annual weekend-long event that is shared between a number of groups in the southern region of Continental Lochac, specifically Innilgard, Kraé Glas, and Ynys Fawr. It runs around late September/early October.

The perpetual GSG website can be located here: Official Great Southern Gathering Website.

The Great Southern Gathering banner, as painted by Baroness Madeleine de Chalôns. Photo by THB Ceara Shionnach, October 2015.
The Great Southern Gathering banner, as painted by Baroness Madeleine de Chalôns. Photo by THB Ceara Shionnach, October 2015.

Event Overview

GSG’s focus is primarily on classes and learning new skills from individuals who have travelled from outside of their home groups, to share their knowledge. To that end, it encompasses primarily arts and sciences, armoured combat and fencing classes.

GSG has two halves to the event: up until the Saturday night feast, the wearing of garb is optional, but from the feast onwards it is a more typical costumed event. This was done primarily for two reasons: luggage weight restrictions for attendees flying in, and the observation that “the absence of period garb removed certain artificial barriers between attendees, allowing for greater social interaction between new and long term players. This provided an improved learning environment and also allowed participants to dress appropriately for the activities being undertaken.”

It also has the added bonus of allowing one to wear clothes they do not mind becoming dirty if they take part in messier Arts and Sciences (A&S) activities on the Saturday, such as pottery.

There have been repeated attempts to run a ‘joint’ A&S competition, with multiple participants working together to create a single item. Although this has not formally happened, it has spawned an A&S display, where a group can showcase their talents. For example, there are photographs of the display by Innilgard on the GSG website.

A new proposal in A.S. XLVII saw the introduction of a heavy tournament (Defender of the South), and a timed rapier tournament.

Defender of the South Heavy Tournament

Defender of the South is a heavy tournament that began at GSG 2013. The winner receives a banner emblazoned with a triskelion, with each of the three swirls representing each of the three southern Baronies that host Great Southern Gathering (namely Innilgard, Stormhold and Ynys Fawr). The winner gets to keep the banner they’re given, and is then charged with creating another banner displaying the triskelion to pass on to the next winner.

The Triskelion is the heraldic charge depicted on the victors banner for the Defender of the South heavy tournament. Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triskele-Symbol-spiral-five-thirds-turns.svg
The Triskelion is the heraldic charge depicted on the victors banner for the Defender of the South heavy tournament. Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triskele-Symbol-spiral-five-thirds-turns.svg

The inaugural winner was Lord Fagan the Butcher in AS 48, who passed a banner to Baron Cormac Lenihan in AS 49, who passed a banner on to Baron ThorolfR olfuss Brandsson in AS 50.

Event host rotations

The rotation of GSG’s thus far has been:

  1. The Shire of Arrowsreach, Nioka Bush Camp, South Morang, Victoria, AS XLIV (2009). Stewarded by Don Everad Sefar.
  2. The Barony of Innilgard, Crystal Lake Camp, Macclesfield, South Australia, AS XLV (2010) (Website). Stewarded by Baroness Ingerith Ryzka.
  3. The Barony of Ynys Fawr, Woodfield Centre, Dysart, Tasmania, AS XLVI (2011) (SCA Today listing). Stewarded by Mistress Madelaine de Bourgogne.
  4. The Barony of Kraé Glas, Clifford Park Activity Centre, Wonga Park, Victoria, AS XLVII (2012). Stewarded by Mistress Nicolette Dufay.
  5. The Barony of Innilgard, Longwood Camp, Stock Road, Mylor, South Australia, 4-7 October AS XLVIII (2013). Stewarded by Baroness Ingerith Ryzka.
  6. The Barony of Ynys Fawr, Orana Girl Guides Camp, 146 Roches Beach Road, Roches Beach, Tasmania, 3-6 October AS XLIX (2014). (Ynys Fawr event summary). Stewarded by Mistress Madelaine de Bourgogne.
  7. The Barony of Kraé Glas, Clifford Park Activity Centre, Wonga Park, Victoria, 2-5 October AS L (2015). Stewarded by Don Everad Sefar.

Individual Event Summaries