The Barony of Politarchopolis

Hello Polit!

 It is wonderful to see so much happening in the Barony at present!

I just want to mention a few things happening around the place. Firstly, as has been advertised the annual hall hire fee has been increased slightly to reflect the cost of our   new hall in Ebden Street, Ainslie. Individuals 16 years and over will be paying $60 a year. This allows use of the hall whenever it is open and covers insurance and hall hire for members. The $5 insurance levy for non-members continues as is. Additionally we are introducing a family rate. This will cover families consisting of two adults and one child between the ages of 5 and 16. Any other children between 5 and 16 in that family are free. As you can gather, children under 5 are free. Fee’s can be paid at the hall in cash or you can find the details to make the payment electronically on the Reeve’s page.

I am also undertaking research to enable SCA Politarchopolis to be registered as an association within the ACT. There are several benefits to this, one of the most important being gaining the ability to apply for government grants to support our activities.

Valentines feast was a roaring success with lots of good reports coming out of it, many thanks to the stewarding team for the night.  Coming up we have the Baronial Rapier Championship in May and the Politarchopolis Arts & Sciences Collegia in August.  Proposed events (event details still to be finalised) include Event in Box (June) Midwinter at the Manor (July), St Vitas Dance Weekend (September), the Baronial Heavy Combat Championship Tournament (October) and Fields of Gold towards the end of the year.

As always I invite members of the populace interested in running events to talk to me about them. All ideas are welcome and my door (or phone) is always open.

Best wishes

Semyon

I have created a very short survey that I would encourage you to participate in, relating to hall and storage options for Politarchopolis. It is found at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M9MZ862

It also asks what days/times we should hire on a regular basis.

It is your chance to have your say with what happens. You have until
5pm on Thursday 8th November to respond before the survey is closed.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Thank you,
-Ceara Shionnach
Politarchopolis Seneschal

Some History:

Ragnahildr has kindly looked into alternative hall/storage
arrangements for Politarchopolis.

Address: Corner of Hassall Place and Ebden Street, Ainslie. One block
from Ainslie shops.

Hire price includes a 2.5m x 3.7m storage space.

The hall is larger than the Haig Park Hall, especially considering
that a third of the Haig Park Hall is marked off for the childcare and
is unusable by Politarchopolis.

Currently, Helouys has paid storage organised for the Barony until
December 2012. After that time we will either be required to pay more
to retain it (a very costly option), or move the Baronial stuff to a
different location.

The Ainslie Hall has offered similar fees, charges and conditions as
the Haig Park Hall (including the larger storage area).

Paid storage is currently costing the Barony $170 per month, on top of standard hall hire.

Questions and Answers

Question: I don’t use the hall or storage for my stuff – why should the Barony pay for this?

Answer: The Barony owns many items, including but not limited to:

• kitchen utensils and equipments,
• banners, regalia and other decorations,
• thrones,
• list fields,
• list trees,
• loaner armour,
• chairs, and
• fold-down tables.

These items belong to the Barony, no individual person or group owns them. It is unfair to expect that one person or group should be responsible for storing these items. Storage is currently costing the Barony $170 per month, which is not sustainable in the long term.

Question: What is the Ainslie Hall floor like?

Answer: Floor is wooden on pillar foundations – not slab.

Question: What about the outside surrounds – is there enough space for heavy and rapier training?

Answer: There is lots of green space and shaded space. The parking is not as sophisticated as the Haig Park Hall.

Question: What is the kitchen like?

Answer: The kitchen is very basic. The kitchen in Haig Park Hall is also very basic, and is not usually used for feasts at present (only for reheating food for pot luck feasts, usually).

Please be aware that the next Baronial Council Meeting is on Wednesday 28th March.

The meeting will begin at 7.15pm and will be held at the Australian National University (ANU), Copland building, room GO29. All are welcome to attend (directions to the venue are outlined below).

Officers – as this will be the first time I chair this meeting, could you please ensure that you either attend this meeting or, if you are unable to attend, email me an update for the month.

Regards,
Ceara inghean Lachtnan Ui Sionnach
Politarchopolis Seneschal

Directions to Copland GO29:

A map of the ANU can be found by following this link: http://campusmap.anu.edu.au/largemap.asp. Copland is building 24, which is in the top right hand corner of grid F2. To get to the closest parking, turn off Barry Drive onto Kingsley Street and take the last left turn.

If you require any further directions, don’t hesitate to ask me.

I thought I would include this information so it can be easier to find,

Due to two factors increased hall hire and increased use costs of the Haig park hall are going up, hence the introduction of patronage, give as little or as much as you can the amounts listed are more of a benchmark rather then a requirement.

The first level is a Benefactor, with a donation of $40. Benefactors will receive a certificate.
The higher level of patronage is a Partisan, with a donation of $100.

To register any payment for Patronage email ysambart@gmail.com to ensure you are noted.
Patronage should be paid for by cheque or cash to
SCA Politarchopolis
PO Box 6876
Charnwood ACT 2615
or
receipted cash payment to the Reeve. Any queries or requests for clarification should be addressed to ysambart@gmail.com