HedlandingasPage

Egfroth moved from Cootamundra to Port Hedland, on the North-West coast of Western Australia about June 1990, 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).

In 1993 the Viking longship replica Jorgen Jorgensen visited Port Hedland. The crew were immediately made honorary Varangians. What was a Viking ship doing in Hedland? I hear you cry. It was en route from Perth, where it had been a popular attraction for some years, north across the top of Australia to Cairns in North Queensland, for delivery to its new owners. While it was on the way, it threw a propellor blade (ok, ok, it should have been sailing), and was rescued after drifting around becalmed for several days and towed into Hedland. We took it under our wing while it underwent repairs. A nice little diversion.

Port Hedland is an iron ore port, with gigantic ships up to a quarter of a million tons coming in to take the ore to other countries, particularly Japan, for making into steel. It is very isolated - the nearest town is 200 km away, and the state capital, Perth, is 1800 km south - as far away as Bali. It is also very hot. Temperatures of 45 degrees celcius (113 degrees F) are not uncommon in summer. In winter, when the temperature drops below 25 degrees C, they close the swimming pool. Training under these circumstances is difficult. Lots of breaks and lots of liquid intake.

The group never had more than about 6 members, and continually kept losing them as people migrated elsewhere. Nonetheless, the NVG became an accepted part of Hedland society, taking part in festivals, school fetes, weddings etc, and on occasion travelling 200 km south to Cossack (a historic pearling settlment, now a ghost town, which draws many tourists), and to Dampier (a salt and iron ore port) to do displays. On trips to Perth, members engaged in joint training with the Grey Company there, and once gatecrashed a big SCA festival in Fremantle. This was later to be known as the Great Southern Raid.

This was the first garrison to have every member equipped with a Big Axe (TM), and spurred the other garrisons to follow suit. (Admittedly, it was pretty easy with only 5 axes needing to be made.)

In 1993 Rod Southall left to take up a new job in Geraldton, about 1500 km south, and the group got gradually smaller. It ceased to exist when Egfroth left, last as he was first, in December 1993. But the Hedlandingas left a lasting legacy behind them. In Geraldton Rod Southall started a new garrison, named Dyrrachium, which continues to this day.