Geelong Crusaders swing swords as part of effort to preserve the heritage of The Crusades
The Crusades may have been 800 years ago, but as Rusty Woodger discovers, a group of Geelong locals are doing what they can to keep the era alive.
Geelong
Don't miss out on the headlines from Geelong. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Crusades may have been 800 years ago, but as Rusty Woodger discovers, a group of locals are doing what they can to keep the era alive.
SWORDS and shields are being brandished in a park as two groups of armour-clad warriors face off in an intense battle.
It’s a scene reminiscent of the Middle Ages.
But this is 2021.
People are walking past with their dogs.
And the site of this conflict is only a few minutes’ drive from Geelong’s city centre.
Welcome to the world of the Geelong Crusaders.
Every Sunday, this mob of history buffs meets at Fyansford Common to swing swords at each other and relive the bygone era of The Crusades.
It’s a sight that can raise the eyebrows of locals, group president Lachlan Peterson said.
“We do have a long tradition of notifying the local police station that we’re training,” he said.
“I know there are other groups who have had the police called on them for people having a sword fight in the park.
“But most people really appreciate it when they learn what we’re doing and know we’re not psychopaths really trying to hurt each other.”
The Geelong Crusaders is, in fact, a medieval re-enactment group that often appears at events around the state.
The group has a few dozen members ranging from teenagers to senior citizens.
There are various women involved, too, while members come from a variety of backgrounds including students, academics and nurses.
“It’s really quite a broad demographic,” Mr Peterson said.
The group’s core focus is on The Crusades: a series of military campaigns carried out by Christian powers between the 11th and 13th centuries in an attempt to conquer the Holy Land from Islamic rule.
Its aim is to preserve the heritage of all cultures within the crusading periods.
Members can pay homage to The Crusades in a variety of ways — including craftwork and archery — but it is the hand-to-hand combat that is the main feature of the group.
Swords, axes, spears, javelins and daggers are all weapons that are used by fighters to recapture The Crusades era.
“We just go out and try and live a bit of history,” Mr Peterson said.
He said the weapons used were “as real as we can safely get them”.
“We’re not carrying around razor sharp 800-year-old antiques,” he said.
“But with varying levels of accuracy, we try to copy the kinds of weapons that were used at the time.”
There are also a number of safety protocols that are followed, including a requirement for all weapons to have blunt edges so that no point is sharper than a 5c coin.
“I’m not going to say it’s completely safe, but I’ve seen more injuries on a sporting field,” Mr Peterson said.
THE Geelong Crusaders formed about seven years ago after a similar re-enactment group folded.
Mr Peterson had been involved with the initial group after learning of its existence from a friend.
“When someone says they’ve found somewhere you can hit someone with swords, you sort of jump on that opportunity,” he said.
“I was sold from that point on.”
After the earlier group was shut down, Mr Peterson played a crucial role in setting up the Crusaders, even though it was somewhat of an accident.
“It was about a year or so since the group folded and I was waiting for someone to start something, but no one did,” he said.
“So I invited a few friends and old members of the group to swing some swords in the backyard to muck around.
“Then they kept coming back and kind of formed a group around me.
“And no one took the president job and I’m stuck with it!”
Mr Peterson said anyone was welcome to join in.
“It’s just a great way to get active and learn about history and have a bit of fun doing something you can’t do anywhere else,” he said.
But, he admitted, it can be an expensive hobby, with items such as a basic outfit likely to cost a few hundred dollars.
“It’s not cheap,” he said.
“I don’t like to think how much I’ve spent over my entire career in re-enactments.”
PETA Coghlan is one of about five women involved with the Geelong Crusaders.
She joined the group three years ago after initially spotting them at the Timeline Festival, an annual re-enactment event held at Kryal Castle near Ballarat.
“I just went to check it out and loved it,” she said.
“It’s probably something I’ve always been interested in.
“I’m a big history nerd, so I always loved that side of things.”
Ms Coghlan said it was the mateship between the group’s members that kept her coming back week-after-week.
“We are, first and foremost, a group of friends. We do care about each other,” she said.
“We’re one of the clubs where we don’t hit as hard as the other clubs because we don’t want anyone to get hurt.
“We all go and catch up at the pub afterwards and hang out.
“We do a lot of social stuff together. We’re a very close-knit club.”
Another member, Nicolas Bennett, has been with the group since 2015.
“Just being part of the whole culture — it’s a really cool hobby and it’s a little bit niche as well, so it’s always a bit of a conversation starter,” they said.
Bennett said it was also important to note that the club tried to be as inclusive as possible.
“Although we’re swinging steel at each other, safety is our number one priority,” they said.
“Everything we do, we try and do in a measured way so everyone goes home whole and happy at the end of the day.”
Mr Peterson urged anyone who was interested in joining the group to “just come down”.
“The best thing you can do is come down one Sunday and have a watch, and join in,” he said.
“We’ll kit you out with everything you need.
“Even if it’s something to tell your workmates on the Monday, we’re always open to new members and we’ll find a place for you.”
Mr Peterson said the sphere of medieval re-enactments was something he planned to stay with for a long time to come.
“It’s something you get into and you’re stuck for life,” he said.
“There is always something you want to do and I don’t see myself leaving re-enactment, and the people I’ve met doing it, in this lifetime.”
- To find out more about the Geelong Crusaders, visit: www.facebook.com/groups/GeelongCrusaders
Originally published as Geelong Crusaders swing swords as part of effort to preserve the heritage of The Crusades
More arrests after police blitz CBD bus stop
A police swoop of a troubled Geelong bus stop has led to several arrests.
Alleged attempted copper thieves arrested
Police have charged one man and arrested another following an alleged attempted copper theft in North Shore last night.