GuardHistory

This is a preliminary history only, based mostly on my own knowledge as having joined NVG Sydney in early 1987, and moved to different states (and garrisons) in the years since.. There have been two previous "NVG histories" - one put together in 1983 by Tim Dawson, the other by Stephen Wyley in 1991, but neither received very wide circulation.. This is an attempt to both update the previous histories, and complete the work they started. The information in it is, of necessity, incomplete. Anyone who has extra information to add is welcome to do so. Ideally, it would be good to see as much detail in the other garrison histories as I was able to put into those of which I had personal knowledge - Egfroth

The NVG celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2001. It began in Melbourne, the capital city of the State of Victoria, in the south east corner of the Australian mainland. As outlined in the 1983 outline prepared by one of the founding members, Tim Dawson;

"On the 31st of May 1981, Bev Lane, herbalist and Celtic Revivalist arranged a meeting at her house of a number of people she knew to have serious antiquarian interests. It was Bev Lane herself who proposed the name on that first day, saying that the collection of people present were as diverse as those the Varangian Guard might have attracted.In those days genuine historical knowledge was negligible and the members tended to think of the Varangian Guard as being a Viking free company like the Jomsvikings."

"In common with re-enactment groups everywhere, the Guard was dominated by combat and archery for many years. It was soon accepted that members opf the Varangian Guard could not be seen fighting amongst themselves all the time and people began to branch out into ethnic groups who fought against Byzantium. This ultimately produced the present image of the N.V.G. as "Allies and Enemies of Byzantium".

Tim Dawson was the first President. Many of the founding members, perhaps all, have left the NVG, often to form groups of their own, but their memory lives on. Bev Lane, Tim Dawson, Robert Gudan, Roy Castell, Alison Cowling, Michael Docherty, Steve and Margie Nicole, and Andrew(?) Frencham. There may be others, but this is well before my time, many people have moved on, and records are few.

For some years the sole NVG group in Melbourne grew steadily; its first tournament and banquet was held at Montsalvat, a mediaeval stye artists colony outside Melbourne on January 8th, 1983. There were also occasional forays northward to other States, notably the Second Australian Warriors' Conference, held in New South Wales in 1983, two annual get-togethers at Gundaroo, outside Canberra in 1983 and 1984, and Odinfest, held by 1066 at Castle Mountain outside Sydney.

The Varangian Voice is the Guard's quarterly magazine and newsletter. It began as the newlsetter of Melbourne NVG in March1984, edited by Steve Nicole. It has continued, under a variety of editors (the burnout rate was high) and sometimes in fits and starts, to the present day. In the second half of 1988, in keeping with the expansion of the NVG, it graduated to a national magazine, serving all garrisons. It has become thicker over the years, the presentation is more professional, but in general it has maintained its original character - a combination of news with articles on history, armouring and costume, cooking and other things of value and interest to the members.

At Easter 1985, The NVG hosted the 3rd Australian Mediaeval Convention at Steve and Margie Nicolls' property "Four Winds" outside the historic goldmining town of Maldon north of Melbourne. A fort was constructed of saplings for the event (and as far as is known, still exists). Re-enactors from many clubs came to take part, and the tradition of holding these Conventions/Conferences every two years began at this time.

The Sydney group was originally part of the Mountains garrison. Early members included Andrew Brew, Mark(?) and Peter Traise. In early 1987, an influx of people who are now NVG veterans - Peter and Max Beatson, Amanda Gorry (now Baker), Graham Nott and Steven Lowe (Egfroth). It was awarded its charter on 31 October 1987, on the occasion of the Battle for Megalong.

It was originally thought that Varangians were commonly used as garrison troops in the major cities of the Byzantine Empire. It is now recognised that such uses of the Varangians were comparitvely limited. Nonethelesss,this led to the Guard's branches being called Garrisons, as they are to this day. In order of formation the garrisons are as follows:
Vlachernai Based in Melbourne, capital of the State of Victoria (S-E corner of Australia). Founded 1981
Mountains Blue Mountains, approx 15km west of Sydney, near the east coast of Australia. Founded 1984.
Miklagard (originally Sydney) - founded about 1986
Riverina 1989-95 Based in Wagga Wagga, 400 km south west of Sydney.
Hedlandingas (1990-95) - Based in Port Hedland, West Australia, 1800km north of Perth.
Antioch Based in Ballarat, approx 200 km north west of Melbourne. (Founded 1991.)
Melbourne University (1992-93)
Rusland Brisbane, Queensland - founded 1991
Dubh Linn Based in Geelong, 70 km SW of Melbourne. Founded 1993.
Thessalonika Mildura, Victoria, approx 550km NW of Melbourne founded 1995
Dyrrakhion Geraldton, Western Australia. Founded 1994
Hodegon East and south-east suburbs of Melbourne. Founded 1998.
and there are three overseas sister organisations - one in Italy, named Bari, another in the UK, called Cherson, and a third in the USA, called Kastoria.

Due to difficulties experienced by the hosts of the 1989 Convention, Melbourne garrison took it upon themselves to put it on, with only 8 months to prepare something that usually takes 2 years! The venue was again at Four Winds at Maldon. With hard work and dedication the project was finished, the fort extended and the Convention was a great success. This was the occasion of the first "State of the Movement" discussion, hosted by David Green (Pierre) of the Routiers. It began a tradition that continues to this day.

In early 1991, Julie and Heron and John Sultana, who lived nearby, were at Four Winds near Maldon, and met up with Tim Dawson who introduced them to the Guard.. Shortly afterwards they founded an NVG group in their area. Initially there were two branches - a northern one in Bendigo and a Southern in Ballarat, but the northern branch did not survive for long, and Ballarat became the centre of activities. Originally called the Central Victorian Garrison, it later changed its name to Sarkland, and then Antioch. It concentrated first on things Islamic, but later changed its emphasis to re-enacting the Crusader society of the 12th century.

A group was set up in Brisbane (Queensland) by Patrick Urquhart and other people, most of whom had left the Companie of Knights Bachelor, which itself had considerable Varangian help in setting up. The Brisbane group is first mentioned in the Varangian Voice in October 1992, but seems to have had only provisional status until at least May 1993. It has from its inception been oriented toward Russian Vikings, and later took the name Rusland.

In June 1990 Egfroth moved to Port Hedland, on the North-West coast of Western Australia, and shortly afterwards started a new group, to be known as Hedlandingas. Because of the high population turnover it never became more than an outpost (we had such things in those days). At Port Hedland Rod Southall joined the NVG, and when he left to live in Geraldton, about 1500km south, he founded the Dyrrachium garrison.

After a display by Melbourne Garrison in Geelong, about 70 km south-west of Melbourne, a new group of Varangians was set up. It is first mentioned as a provisional garrison in February 1993. Founded as a group of Irish Vikings, as it evolved its name has changed to Dun Loughaire, then Dubh Linn (Dublin). Andrea Redden (now Willett) was one of the founding members.