Kryal Castle celebrates 50 years of Australian jousting
Jousting has been an active sport in Australia since 1973 - and has been a core activity at Ballarat's Kryal Castle since 1974. The 2023 Victorian Medieval Festival will host the nation's biggest ever tournament and there are moves to make it a Commonwealth Games sport.
Transcript
00:00 This chain mail is made from dozens of wire coat hangers and like all the
00:05 society's armor, weapons and costumes, it's manufactured by the members
00:09 themselves who come from every walk of life.
00:13 Gladiator John Harris is a machinist. His brother Peter is a truck driver.
00:20 They've researched and developed this recreation of a typical Roman gladiatorial
00:24 combat from the first century AD. John is a mormillion, slower moving than his
00:30 opponent but more heavily armored.
00:34 Peter is a lacquerier armed with trident and larynx, wearing no protection except a
00:42 shoulder guard.
00:44 Another group of historical devotees based in Melbourne is the Viking Society
00:52 of Australia. When they're not out pillaging and looting, they stage authentic
00:59 banquets celebrating the lifestyle of the period. Right down to the table manners.
01:07 The castle, a lavish replica of a fortress in the Middle Ages, is an ideal venue for
01:14 the society to display its expertise in medieval martial arts. Every second
01:19 Sunday we put on a show there for the whole day.
01:23 Historians may wince at some of the period details but the action is always
01:43 vigorous and the society's attitude to accidental wounds is surely medieval.
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