Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea has been ‘knighted’ ahead of this year’s St Ives Medieval Faire.
In a ceremony at NSW Parliament House, the MP received the honour with the touch of a sword from armour clad ‘warrior’, Andrew McKinnon.
Mr O’Dea said he was pleased to receive the ‘knighthood’ to highlight this year’s Medieval Faire at St Ives Showground on the first weekend of the school holidays, 23-24 September.
“In just three years, the Medieval Faire has grown to become a major attraction within my electorate for locals as well as enthusiasts from around the world,” Mr O’Dea said.
“Armoured knights from across the globe will descend on the Faire’s premier event, the inaugural World Jousting Championships.
“This type of jousting is the closest thing you can get to the way knights jousted in medieval times and as the sport continues to grow, events such as this are placing Australia firmly on the world jousting map,” he said.
Knights wear historically accurate armour that weighs around 40 kilograms and charge at opponents astride a horse at a combined speed of 40 kilometres an hour, while looking through a 5mm slit in a helmet.
The Championships will be complemented by Viking battles, a trebuchet and examples of historic weaponry.
This year, 20,000 people are expected to attend the family event and immerse themselves in a medieval world, complete with a fully historical medieval village featuring period stalls and participants in period costume.
“I commend the organisers and supporters, including Ku-ring-gai Council, for making the St Ives Medieval Faire such a successful event, with an even more promising future,” Mr O’Dea concluded.
