Meet the Baronial Candidates
TH Lady Kathelyne Berghart and Baron Sir Gustaf Rikardsson
Greetings to the Crown and the peaceful and mercantile Barony of St Florian de la Riviere,
We are putting forward our intention to run for the roles of Baron and Baroness of this fine barony of
St Florian. We have both been members for over a decade. We make the promise to continue to be
committed members of this barony throughout the tenure of these roles. Our member numbers
are:
Baron Sir Gustaf Rikardsson – Member No 83716
TH Lady Kathelyne Berghart – Member No 85101
It would be our honour and privilege to fill these roles for our barony, as our love and service of our
home knows no bounds. Sir Gustaf has previously held the role of Baronial Marshall and still enjoys
coming along to fight with friends new and old at our fighter practice. He loves fighting and helping
out where he can. Gustaf has some experience in court having been Queen’s Champion,
Baroness’s Champion and served on a number of Royal Guards. Gustaf has been less active in the
SCA in recent times for a number of life reasons but with changed circumstances is looking to
invest more time again in this game we all enjoy.
TH Lady Kathelyne has been the Baronial Hospitalla. More recently she has been the Arts &
Sciences Officer, which brought her much joy to share the projects and good deeds of the populace
(so much so that she received a commendation from the SCA Society Arts & Sciences Officer for
her engaging quarterly report). Kathelyne has been Baroness Acacia’s champion for her enthusiasm
for all manner of things including arts and sciences, and combat archery, as well as Baron William’s
champion for the creation of delicious syrups in purple and white. Kathelyne has had a strong
presence over the last several years photographing events locally and interstate and sharing these
with Lochac. Kathelyne enjoys making items that are both practical and beautiful, and last year has
emblazoned the St Florian Thrones and a shield for Count Bain.
We believe that the heart of our barony is its people – their generosity of spirit, their sense of
community, and their enjoyment of learning. Whether that is through fighting, fencing, archery, or
arts and sciences in the form of creating and making together, we have long held the strong belief
that there is nothing that can’t be accomplished when we all pitch in alongside each other.
We strongly feel that it would be wonderful to be able to give back that generosity and kindness by
representing our Barony as Baron and Baroness. Donning the purple and white and being able to
speak of the good deeds of our populace would make our hearts very full. We aim to be dressed
well and provide a great impression to embody and carry the spirit of our populace at home and
when we travel. We would like to encourage a baronial presence at Rowany Festival, to know that
our people have a safe space to return to while enjoying the hospitality of the event.
We see these roles as a vehicle to encourage others, to learn and to seek to grow. Of being able to
provide a safe, inclusive place, for all the wonderful people that have joined our Barony in the
recent years, and to support those who have been ever-present to retain or grow their joy of the
game. We can see that the vibrancy of the barony has grown, and we want to continue that energy
going forward. We ourselves are encouraged by the strength of friendships we have seen at Monday
nights. We are heartened by the amount of new people, particularly the introduction of the college.
We would seek to encourage all to be garbed and offer help with gatherings to sew. We would like to
link populace members with those with knowledge and skills, and to come together at arts and
science events to create side by side. We would love to see more members of the populace with
heraldic banners and tabards, to encourage our display of all things medieval to our mundane
audience. Kathlyne has helped several of the populace to make banners to hang at events.
We want to see more local events, whether they are non-garbed social gatherings, or a garbed
picnic in the park with a tournament. We know our barony has many people skilled in cooking,
organising events, and creating the atmosphere of friendship that draws us together.
We want to support the running of the barony in our officers and create an environment of learning
that would encourage the sharing of skills to become an officer, knowing that there is always
someone to support you. No one officer should feel like they are alone in this process and can
always seek help, and be supported by us, should we become Baron and Baroness.
Should I, Kathelyne, become Baroness, I would encourage the populace to take photos in my stead
to capture the history of our events and in part to advertise our fun and franchise. Perhaps this
could take the form of a competition, perhaps instead featuring the photos from our populace
through social media. We know action leads to motivation which inspires others to do the same.
We would seek to work in partnership with our cousins, the Baron Dimitri and Baroness Josceline of
River Haven, to work with a shared calendar, and cross promotion of events. We live and share this
beautiful city and enjoy the company of members from both baronies and support each other
through celebration at events. We support future collaborations and celebrations.
We’d like to encourage an informal Youth Committee, so that the young people of our community
can come together and let us know what they would like and need at events, and how we can
support them to do this.
Importantly, we know we won’t have all of the answers, and we will strive to consult with all the
members of our barony and work out a way forward together.
We intend to lead with integrity, strength in companionship, kindness and grace.
Yours In Service,
TH Lady Kathelyne Berghart and Baron Sir Gustaf Rikardsson.