ACU Medieval World Fair 2016

A message from the Associate Vice-Chancellor NSW/ACT Professor Marea Nicholson: Last year the Strathfield campus hosted the inaugural Medieval Fayre as part of the University’s 25th Anniversary celebrations.

The day was an opportunity to showcase some of the Strathfield students work and also gave many members of our ACU community the chance to host a stall in the medieval marketplace. The event proved not only popular with ACU staff and students but also with members of our Strathfield neighbourhood. Due to the success of last year’s event the Office of the Associate Vice-Chancellor NSW/ACT has decided to continue the fair in 2016 as a community engagement event.

Photo of young boy standing between two kneeling men dressed as medieval knights.

The Strathfield community had a great time at the inaugural Medieval Fayre last year.

The ACU Medieval World Fair 2016 will be held on Saturday 22 October from 11am to 3pm and will expand from a focus on the European and Anglo-Saxon traditions to include representations of the many cultures of the medieval world. The decision to take this non-traditional approach to a Medieval Fair was reached as we considered the community that surrounds our Strathfield campus and further as a reflection of the Australian multi-cultural society of today. The fair will provide an opportunity for attendees on the day to glimpse some of the rich and diverse culture that existed in the Middle Ages from the African, Asian and European continents.

The fair will feature demonstrations of medieval fighting skills including Japanese swordsmanship from the Sydney School of Japanese Swordsmanship and displays of medieval and renaissance combat from The Barony of Rowany. Aruna Gandhi, the founder and Director of Silambam-Sydney will be performing the classic Indian dance of Bharatanatyam while Pape Mbaye will introduce attendees on the day to the rich cultural traditions of his ancestral heritage - that of a Griot. Members of the Christ Church of St Laurence Choir will also be performing Gregorian Chants in the Chapel throughout the day.

The fair will open with an Indigenous smoking ceremony and performance from Milan Dhiyaan. Milan Dhiyaan means “One Mob – living together on Country”. This is a very apt theme to open the fair, highlighting that regardless of the different cultures and heritages that all our performers come from, we have a common country and community.

Throughout the day there will also be food stalls, market stalls and a variety of children and family entertainment. Children of all ages will be encouraged to take a turn at the Arrowzhead archery range, pet the farmyard animals, create a masterpiece with some giant Lego or hop on the jumping castle for a bit of fun.

The communities that surround each of our Sydney campuses consist of families, businesses, schools, religious and cultural groups that all have the potential to contribute to ACU and, in turn, we have the ability to give back to these communities. The ACU Medieval World Fair will provide an opportunity for our ACU community to come together in welcoming those who live and work around our campuses.

The ACU Medieval World Fair will be hosted at the ACU Strathfield Campus on Saturday 22nd October 2016 between 11am – 3pm.

Professor Marea Nicholson
Associate Vice-Chancellor NSW/ACT