[Elfsea] Question for the Baronial Applicants

Timothy Rayburn timothy at elfsea.net
Wed Jan 30 00:11:54 PST 2002


>What ideas do you have to enrich our barony? How do you plan to improve upon what glorious things we have already achieved?

An excellent and entirely appropriate question.  Anezka and I have given some considerable thought to this question.  A very wise man once told me that you cannot have to many friends, and all of my experience in life has born this out.

Elfsea is a thriving, diverse and wonderful group, but it has not had many new faces, new friends, added to its number in some time.  We feel that without a doubt there needs to be a focus on recruitment within the Barony, and working with the Baronial officers, especially the Hospitaler, to see that happen.

We have done a great deal of demonstrations (demos) within the last few years, but few have yielded new members.  We believe in part that this has to do with where these were held.  The demonstrations held at Libraries and Schools are a very important part of what we do, but need to be tempered with a mix of demonstrations at such events as Science Fiction conventions and other locations that are focused at a population most like our membership.

That will not in itself complete the picture, but it will help.  Our most active and ongoing recruitment effort is our Baronial fighter practices.  We need to work with everyone in the Barony of encouraging all our members to be outgoing welcomers, as well deputy hospitalers working to watch for those gentles standing half way across the field and staring at us.  A vital part of this is to have the B&B present at these practices, and to be ready and willing to be introduced to these new people as they arrive.

Anezka would tell you she wishes to be Baroness because she once went to a fighter practice, knowing nothing about the SCA, and a landed Baroness walked forward and welcomed her and invited Anezka to her house to learn about basic costuming.  A Baroness willing to make welcome anyone, be they Peer or newcomer off the street.  This was Baroness Lecelin of Caer Mear, in the Kingdom of Atlantia.  She also tells of the example set by a Baroness in Randoll Mill Park, who invited her to sit and talk, and made a place for her amoungst the ladies of the Barony at her very first Ansteorran fighter practice.  Again, a Baroness willing to make welcome anyone, be they Peer or newcomer to the Barony.  This was Baroness Xene, here within our own Barony.

As Baron and Baroness we would be committed to this effort.  This is not new to either of us, indeed I met Anezka at her first Ansteorran Fighter Practice because I was the member of the populace walking up to someone in mundane clothing who was standing and watching the fighting that I had never seen before.

There are other things which deserve attention as well, but I could drag on for much longer if I went into all my dreams for this group.  But we will say that we have definite ideas regarding the Baronial Guard, the participation in our local Guilds, and volunteers at our events.  If you are interested in our thoughts on these, feel free to discuss them with us.

We hope that this answers your question, and helps give you the information you need to make a decision from amoungst ourselves and the many other qualified candidates.

In service to the dream,

Lord Timothy of Glastinbury
Dama Anezka z Rozmitala




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