Council Minutes for the 15th of May 2011 (this meeting covers the months of April and May)

Ildhafn Council Meeting Minutes April & May 2011

In Attendance: Angela Wells (Seneschal), Shannon Wanty (A&S), David Robb (Chronicler), Patrick Bowman (Herald), Nicola Haliday (Marshal)

Via Skype: Roger Win & Liz (Baron & Baroness)

Apologies: Phil Mason

Absent: Everyone else

Meeting Opened: 7.37pm

This council meeting is for the month of April and May.  It was decided to delay the April meeting, since we have council meetings on the last Sunday of the Month, due to the Royal Visit. 

Officer Reports: Reports were sent electronically and Quarterly Reports were due today the 15^th of May, so the officers have combined the two together.

Seneschal: Anna de Wilde (Angela Wells)

I have been in the position of Seneschal for almost four months and I am enjoying the role. 

February: In January while I was at 12th Night in Polit, Their Majesties Gabriel and Constanzia advised that they would like to come and visit the Barony of Ildhafn.  Their intention to visit was made known to the wider populace of the Barony and an event was organised.   Not long after the Royal Visit was announced, His Excellancy Emrys whom was Baron of Ildhafn advised that he and the then Baroness would like to step down from their positions as Baron and Baroness of Ildhafn.  The attendance of Their Majesties at Canterbury Faire allowed Mistress Katherina Weyssin (soon to be Kingdom Seneschal) to speak to them of Emrys and Bea's intention to step down.  A schedule for the nomination and process of choosing the next Baron and Baroness of Ildhafn was then implemented.  The first two months of my tenure saw the early resignation of our Baronial Marshal and the process of Baronial changeover.  This was a challenging time for me as they were processes that I was not familiar with, nor did I think I would need to deal with these situations so early on in my tenure as Seneschal.

March: The process of choosing a new Baron and Baroness of Ildhafn, was very quick since we had a restrictive time frame.  We had two excellent couples put themselves forward.  Their Majesties outlined a time frame that was quite tight. However the process was greatly helped by the instigation of forums on the Baronial Website.  This allowed the populace to ask questions of the Baronial Candidates, and they, the populace were able to receive timely answers from the candidates.  This greatly helped the populace to make an informed decision, and to communicate to Their Majesties whom they would like as their new Baron and Baroness.  Their Majesties advised that they were happy with the over-all response from the populace.  

April: This month saw the announcement of the incoming Baron and Baroness.  This was also a particularly busy time for me as Seneschal and a member of the populace. Having attended LOTS or the Lochac Officers Training Symposium, an evening where both I and Caterine were able to share what knowledge and information we gained.  During this evening I spoke on communication.  I found LOTS to be very helpful.  I was able to meet a lot of people, and was able to identify those individuals who might be helpful in the future if I need help or advice.  However I did find the lack of practical information to be lacking.

Unfortunately not long after that evening I received the resignation of our Reeve.  Maria expressed extreme frustration in the way that the role functions, the lack of information and help, and that the spreadsheets were difficult to use and understand.  I have taken these comments on board from Maria, and I am going to look into this role with the help and guidance from Sir Vitale (Kingdom Exchequer).  I have already expressed my interest in speaking to the current and past Reeve of Cluain, in what techniques and methods they have found useful in dealing with the myriad situations that they are faced as Reeve.

I then attended Rowany Festival and was able to see Mistress Katherine Weyssin (previous Seneschal) take on the Office of Kingdom Seneschal.  I was also able to use this time to further my acquaintance with other Seneschals from around the Kingdom.

At the end of April saw the Royal Visit and the Baronial Investiture.  This was a happy event, and I was able to be formally acknowledge in my role as Seneschal by the new Baron and Baroness, Rudiger and Aleyonora.

May:  Caterine de Vantier applied for the role of Reeve and she has been accepted by the Kingdom Exchequer, this is pending due to the two week discussion period of the populace.  Caterine currently holds the position of Chatelaine and A&S Officer.  She has sent through a resignation letter for her role as Chatelaine, and she will be stepping down from her role as A&S Officer as well.

Overall:  I am pleased and happy with the way the Barony is running at the moment.  I am thinking of ways in which we can effectively support our officers, especially those that are in difficult and important roles such as Reeve.  I am aware that communication is important in this role or in any role on the Council.  I am making sure that communication lines are open between myself and the Seneschal of the Canton of Cluain, and any other members of the populace.  I can see that this Barony has the potential to grow and to flourish.  I believe that I have excellent Officers that will help me towards this goal of fostering a welcoming, inviting group.

A&S Officer: Caterine de Vantier (Shannon Wanty) The officer has advised that her contact details have changed.

Regular A&S meetings:

- Dancing, Thursday evenings, split between beginner's and by invitation.

- Sewing, Sunday afternoons, also room for "Shed"-type projects.

Baronial Championship:

The topics for this year's competition are "a worn item", "a first attempt", and "Gods and monsters, myths and legends". These can be individual items, performances, or research papers, and can be done by individuals or in groups (where all will share the average score).

The first opportunity for entering the competition was at St Sebastian's at the Braithwayte's, which Ed will have told you about in his quarterly report. There were three items entered, two from Ed (shoes - a first attempt/worn item, and stilts - a first attempt) and one from Beth (an Anglo Saxon dress - a worn item/first attempt), one of the children in the Barony. It's really nice to see the children taking an ongoing interest in the competition, either entering or helping to judge.

The second opportunity was at the Royal Visit. Cicilia de Lyon entered two Assisi-work pouches (worn items).

A&S Discussion with the Queen at the Royal Visit:

This was well attended, with about 15 people coming and going from the discussion. There's a lot of different projects and areas of research that people have been working on, which was good to see.

History Night:

This is coming up on Friday. Ludwig von Regensburg will give a talk on Emperor Henry II, and I will be talking about the development of style in chest design from the 14th to 16th centuries, with just a few meanderings into other related bits and pieces.

Current Interests of the Populace:

Everything, generally.

More specifically, some current areas of interest to people include:

-        creating enough underwear to comfortably survive long events

-        late 16th century garb

-        singing

-        tablet weaving - this has experienced a resurgence of interest, with two very avid new tablet weavers producing astonishing work, and some number of dabblers.

Chatelaine: Caterine de Vantier (Shannon Wanty) – Caterine has been accepted (subject to the two week discussion period) as the Baronial Reeve.  When Caterine applied for the position of Reeve, it was conditional to resigning from the position of Chatelaine if her application was accepted by the Kingdom Exchequer.  Caterine has tendered her resignation in her Quarterly Report, I (Anna de Wilde) have asked her to re-send her resignation letter so that it is separate to her report.  This position will be advertised in the next week.

Welcoming and integrating newcomers is something that everyone in the Barony takes part in, so we will continue to do this. We'll also keep sharing responsibility for organising loaner garb for newcomers, and Anna has the stash of Baronial loaner feast gear.

Newcomers:

We have two new university students who have been coming along to the weekly fencing practice off and on, and have been to one sewing afternoon. They are extremely enthusiastic, and keen to try lots of things. Unfortunately the recent Royal Visit/Baronial Devest & Invest was during their university holidays, so neither of them was in town to come to the event. Hopefully they'll be able to make it along to another event soon though.

We have had a newcomer at dancing, and he seems quite enthusiastic, so hopefully he will come along to some more practices.

Pseudo-Newcomers:

We have had a couple permanently settle in Ildhafn city, having originally come from Southron Gaard but lived overseas for the past few years. This is excellent, as they bring different areas of interest and expertise to the group, and are experienced SCAdians already.

The two ex-Dartonians that have moved here over the last six to eight months are now well-established members of the group, and enjoy having sewing at their house each Sunday afternoon.

One of our newer ladies who has been coming along to things over the last six months or so, but had to step back as she was looking for work, has now found work and is keen to take part again.

We also have another Southron Gaarder who has either just moved to or is moving to Ildhafn city very soon.

Herald: Ludwig von Regensburg (Patrick Bowman)

It is with pleasure that Von Regensburg Publishing presents this edition of the Blue Lymphad Quarterly Report and Gossip Rag for May AS XLVI.

This quarter the Barony of Ildhafn hosted an event with large quantities of heraldic business:
The Royal Visit and Baronial Changeover.

In their final court Emrys and Bea awarded the following Baronial awards:
Militia: Constance de Coligny, for her work in the care and feeding of the Barony's soldiers.
Alderman: Androu le Greyne, because he is always working (when he isn't drinking - Ed).

Their Majesties invested Rudiger Adler and Alyenora Brodier with Their most prized Barony, Ildhafn, and all its peoples.

Their Majesties presented a large number of awards to the populace, the most notable of which were inflicting Mistress Katherina Weyssin on the Companion of the Order of the Pelican and awarding Court Baronies to Emrys Tudur and Beatriz de Compostella.  A complete list is appended below.

A noble group of (for the moment) upstanding gentles, noting His Majesty's abstention from drinking, offered to drink on his behalf.  There upon was created, by Royal Will, His Majesty's Drunkards.  The brave men were: Master Brian di Caffa, Lord Willim de Bredon and Lachlan MacLachlan.  His Majesty bade them be examples of the good attributes of intoxication, to be joyful, outgoing and convivial.

Blue Lymphad notes that Lady Ginevra Isabella di Serafino Visconti, visiting from Southron Gaard, and Baron Benedict of Askerigg provided field heraldry duties during the two tourneys fought on the second day of the event.  The Giocatore of Ildhafn did their best to entertain His Majesty on the field and Her Majesty in the gallery, with both metal and rattan.

Master Bernard Stirling, visiting from Darton, served their New Excellencies as Court Herald during the second day of the event.  In a moving ceremony, Lord Geffrey the Wulf granted freedom to his serf, Lachlan MacLachlan.  Lady Anna de Wilde was appointed Seneschal to their Excellencies, Lady Serafina di Giovanni Carducci, Seneschal to their holdings in Cluain.  Lady Eleanor Hall was appointed as Marshal and Lady Caterine de Vantier as Chatellaine.
Their Excellencies also made appointments into their household.

In April, the Canton of Cluain ran an event.  The Feast of St Sebastian.  No business was conducted.

Awards 

 Webminister: William de Cameron (David Robb)

All is going well, updates to the website are mostly being managed by the various officers and other interested parties in the Barony, leaving me free to tidy up some of the older content on the site and make new features available. Being a Drupal based installation, much of the day-to-day housekeeping is automated, which is extremely useful.

I've served as webminister for Ildhafn for some years now, and am happy to continue doing so. I'm also heavily involved in the masonry team, and in particular I'm the primary admin for sca.org.nz.

Constable: Benedict of Askerigge (Phillip Mason)

Overall, there has been nothing major that has occurred to report since my
previous missive. Despite Mother Nature raising her ire against these shaky
isles, with fortune, none have happened during events warranting urgent
action or attention

A fortnight back, we were honoured with a visit from Their Majesties at an
event well attended by many of the populace from both Ildhafn and Cluain.
As I was leaving the event, I noted there was a small collection of lost
property accumulating and I will liaise with the Stewards for its
transference to myself for safe keeping and/or return.
It was the also the occasion of the accession to the Baronial thrones of
Rudiger and Alyenora, as our new Baron and Baroness. As they are resident in
Cluain, I foresee it will lead to a slight shift in Baronial Duties for many
offices.

Marshal:  Eleanor Hall (Nicola Halliday)

Rapier is still ongoing in Ildhafn, numbers have been fluctuating a bit.. over all we are gaining numbers but the class numbers are remaining about the same - the old guard have gotten busy but we are collecting new members.

We have no active heavy fighting in Ildhafn city, the caton do try and have regular practise.

There were 5 entries in each of the rapier and heavy tournaments at the Royal Visit event.

No injuries to report

No new authorisations.

Past Events:

Royal Visit: Shannon reported that the Royal Visit generally went well. The cash taking system worked particularly well, David asked if she could write this up for the website. The chores system needed a bit more refinement: being able to track the copies of the roster, and having someone actually tape this up in the kitchen. The event will make a profit of about $650 all up. This is currently showing as about $750 in the financial information she brought as she’s still awaiting confirmation of a couple of expenses from people. She also brought a list of payments to be made – cheques for these will be written and sent out this week. The event ended up making a profit for a couple of reasons. One is that the break even was very conservative at 30 people – we ended up having 50 adults, and several booked late so paid the late booking fee. The extra money leftover from fixed costs that by definition didn’t change even with the extra people contributed to the profit. The other area we made money in was the feast. The budget for this was generous at $17 per head. Katherine Xavier ended up spending just over $14 per head, which translated to being about $150 under budget.

Upcoming Events:

History Night: Friday. Patrick said we’re as sorted as we’re getting on this. Don’t need anything there. Patrick needs a cheque to pay for the venue and for the LOTS workshop also ($20 for each) – we’ll do them as two separate cheques.

St Cayetano’s: Nicola sent out a bid to the Council list yesterday for this, which would be on Saturday 15^6h July at the Auckland Horticultural Society Hall. She hopes that this might encourage some of the new people to the group to come along and have a good time in a relaxed environment. Patrick as cook suggests rounding the cost up to $20 per head. Nicola is happy to push it to this, with $22 for non members. Everyone generally agrees that this is a nice round amount.

Ange commented that last time when she ran it that she got the best feedback from Amanda who was a newcomer at the time, that she found it unintimidating and relaxed in comparison to St Cath’s which was her first event. She commented that some of the LARPers are interested to come along to as well – David commented that this is quite a good event for that as it’s not too heavy on the SCA-specific focus.

Shannon had asked on the lists about timing for the event in terms of set up. Having talked with Ange, Nicola thinks it’s a good idea to have set up time ahead of it and finishing a bit earlier for pack down. The start time will be dependant on when we can get the hall for set up. Since it’s the middle of winter it would be nice to actually start the event at 6pm, and have dinner not be too late – maybe bring it forward to 7.30pm. Nicola has asked for finger food and nibbly things rather than a sit down meal to suit the format better.

David suggested approving it pending a revised budget and timetable (with confirmation from the hall about when we can get in). Ange said getting this through by the 22^nd of May for approval.

General Business:

Reeve: Vanessa resigned from this about a month ago, which was unfortunate but has highlighted some things for Ange as Seneschal, that she would like to work on with Vitale as well. One of the big problems for Vanessa was the spreadsheets which haven’t been working, especially for the smaller events. Ange is going to talk to Vitale about this further.

Ange advertised for the position, which Shannon applied for and has been approved for by Vitale pending the two week discussion. Shannon had advised Ange that she would not continue in Chatelaine if she took this on, and she tendered her resignation in her Quarterly Report but Ange has also asked that Shannon send a separate email resigning from this. Ange is going to readvertise for the Chatelaine role, and says that we have a candidate that is interested in taking this on. Chatelaine is a fairly critical role at the moment. Shannon’s also going to advertise again for A&S as one of the people that was interested in taking this on is now almost ready to take it on.

Cellphone Etiquette: Ange was asked to raise this as at the Royal Visit there was a cellphone that went off. Perhaps having some sort of event notification pamphlet or announcement asking people to switch their phone onto silent, or flick an email to the list reminding people about this – and also things like flash photography. Patrick suggested adding it as part of the sign in procedure: just for the gate person to remind people of this.

Museum Display: At the Royal Visit we had a lady in attendance that was interested in having us along to do a display for a couple of hours in July as part of their exhibit on England and the Thames in the 16^th century. It would net the group $2000. Ange suggested that we do this jointly with Cluain if possible. David pointed out that if it’s specifically 16^th century in focus then we would all need to be appropriately dressed for this. They’re keen to have people doing dance and rapier demos, dressed in garb and talking about stuff from that period. Shannon pointed out that we may also get some people who would be interested in joining the group as it is the right sort of forum for this. Shannon said it’s some time in July – probably during the school holidays. Roger & Liz commented that St John’s is going to be on on the middle weekend of the school holidays too – maybe there’ll be a clash, or it could be rearranged.

Council Meeting closed: 8.16pm