Site Rules – Rowany Festival

Please remember that the guiding principles of the Society are Chivalry and Courtesy to all. Camp Wombaroo is a private property, with the right to refuse entry without cause of any kind.

The following rules are draft and subject to change. Violation of ANY of the rules (including general), dangerous or disruptive behaviour, can lead to fines, expulsion from site, refusal to camp at future events, or other appropriate sanctions or restrictions.

You will be required to sign an agreement stating that you have read and understood these rules and will abide by them before entering the site.

The Kingdom Seneschal has announced several changes to the SCA Code of Conduct effective 1st of January 2022 that will impact Rowany Festival 2023

Please see the variations below,

5. VARIATION ON THE CODE OF CONDUCT

For attendees at SCA Lochac events, the following expectations have been
temporarily added to the Code of Conduct (both SCA Ltd [1] and SCANZ
[2]) to ensure a safe experience for all participants:

* people may not attend in person events if they are currently unwell,
or have experienced COVID like symptoms within the past 72 hours
* attendees must not vilify any person for wearing a face covering,
and
* appropriate physical distancing must be maintained in accordance
with local jurisdictional requirements.

Sláine inghean Ui Ruádhain
Bookings Officer
Rowany Festival

NSW LAW

Anything against the criminal code of NSW is prohibited at Festival.

Do not bring illicit drugs of any kind.

Crossbows are illegal in NSW. Don’t bring them.

Merchants must have any permits required by law and/or regulation to sell their wares. This includes food vendors.

No-one may sell alcoholic beverages without the proper license.

Providing alcohol to minors is an offense. Do not do it or you will be asked to leave.

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GENERAL

Please obey all directions from the Stewards, Constables, Marshals, and Officers of the Stewarding Team in their areas of authority.

The token given to you at the gate must be carried and displayed at all times; it must also be shown at the gate for re-entry.

Certain tokens will define your length of stay on site. Day trippers must ensure they carry and display their day token.

Anyone coming on site must make an attempt at pre-17th Century historical costume at all times outside of their tent. As much as possible this rule should apply to all aspects of your camping as well.

There are no animals allowed on-site – this includes horses unless by prior arrangement.

Any members of the media must make prior arrangements with the Festival Stewards. Any media persons arriving and hoping to report from Festival without having made prior arrangements will not be permitted on site.

The site buildings are nut free. This means the kitchens, the dorm rooms, the bathrooms, the meeting room (which will be used for meetings). The camp sites can have nuts, but need to act responsibly with the products and their waste.

Smoking of tobacco products or e-cigarettes (vaping) is not permitted within public temporary or permanent structures or within 4 metres of entryways to these structures.

The use of petrol or diesel powered generators, without express permission of the Stewards, is prohibited.

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CARS AND ACCESS

There will be traffic lights on the dirt access road directing when you can drive onto and off site. The period of red will be set to allow people enough time to travel in the other direction. Obey the lights.

Please adhere to the posted speed limits and drive on only specifically designated roads.

Do not park in the spaces reserved for Royalty or the Steward, unless you are Royalty or the Steward.

Loading zones provided near the sign-in tent are for short term parking only. You will be asked to move your vehicle if deemed necessary.

There is a parking section for people with a disability permit.

Cars will be allowed on site at the following times:

• 10am Sunday 10 April (set up day) – 9am Wednesday 13 April

• Quick Unload Only: 9am Thursday 14 April – 8am Friday the 15 April

• Pick up only: From After closing court (roughly 3pm) Monday 18 April

• 3pm Tuesday 19 April (site closed)

During Opening Court – between 10am-12pm Wednesday 12 April – we request that no cars be driven on site, and any cars arriving wait at the gate.

Quick Unload Only means drive on site, unload, drive off site and THEN deal with your gear. If you are arriving on Thursday, you might like to organise with people in your campsite to help you unload.

This year, for MERCHANTS ONLY, there MAY be a one-way horseshoe road around the Village Green, available for limited times, during setup and pack-down (depending on site conditions). These times will be: Tuesday 12 April noon – 7pm, and Tuesday 19 April 8am – 1pm. This road will be for unloading and loading only – vehicles will need to be removed as soon as possible, so that other people can use the road. There will be no entry to this road without an escort.

Wombaroo reserve the right to change their decisions about car access during Festival, depending on the weather before and during the event.

Cars can ONLY be driven on roads. Some roads are permanent roads. Some roads will be marked by a line of white rocks for our event. You may park your car on the edge of these roads to allow others through. Do not leave the roads to park in your campsite.

Please be mindful of others who need to use these roads. Unload as quickly as you can, and move your vehicle as soon as possible.

People arriving on site outside of the times stipulated will need to unpack their gear by the gate tent. There may be carts available for you to move your gear to your campsite. You are urged to ask your campsite to assist you.

If you have a disability permit and are staying in the cabins, you have additional, escorted access – please ask the Stewards for more details, or at the Gate.

Further to this – if your campsite own a cart that you have finished using, you might like to donate it to the Gate for others to use through the weekend.

Any driver found misusing these regulations may be asked to leave site.

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HIRE GEAR

Hire equipment including marquees will be delivered and erected on or about the Monday prior to Festival.

Pavilions will be erected in campsites. All other hire equipment can be found at the Tavern, where people can be signed off the equipment register, and collect it. Do not take any equipment without first seeing the Holder Of The Clipboard.

The closest you can drive to the Tavern pavilion is on the ring road, which does its circuit above the Great Hall. Your equipment will need to be carried across the Village Green grass. Bring your household members to help.

At the end of Festival campsites that have had equipment hired will have to return equipment to the Tavern. Campsites will be left completely clear, apart from hired pavilions, on Tuesday afternoon.

Pavilions will be removed on Monday morning, in order to allow for clear and safe access for Patti’s Hire.

Please make sure you return all your equipment or you will be required to pay for it.

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CAMPSITES

All guy ropes must be marked with white material to avoid accidents.

Campsite areas must be kept clean – we are the SCA and we leave areas cleaner than we found them!

No powerful electric light sources (e.g. Coleman lanterns) may be used outside or in public areas.

In case of heavy rain, do NOT dig trenches.

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FIRE

All fires and flame sources must be attended. This includes lanterns and candles.

Campfires must be in a four (4) metre diameter cleared area, free from long grass, tents and overhanging trees. Only existing fire circles and braziers/above ground fire pits with appropriate protection for the ground may be used. NO pits/holes may be dug to accommodate fires.

All campsites must have a clear method for extinguishing their fire: A chemical fire extinguisher, multiple buckets of water or sand for each fire, or a fire blanket.

Firewood is available for purchase in the nearby towns. Please make arrangements to bring firewood on site. There is a VERY LIMITED amount of firewood to be collected on site – it is already in piles. Please don’t take wood which is not in piles.

Please be sensible with any flame powered device – cookers, candles etc. Keep your indoor cooking areas clear and safe, and never leave cooking unattended.

Please use care when disposing of tobacco ashes.

No flames are to be left unattended inside tents. This includes candles.

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WATER

Soak pits must not be dug for wastewater disposal. Wombaroo supplies waste water points around the site.

Showers can drain onto the grass as long as (perforated) matting is down to prevent mud forming and to protect the grass. Showers must not drain into other campsites or onto public spaces.

Shower Zones accessible to all (marked on the campsite map) have been provided for campsites unable to meet the above requirements. Matting will still need to be provided for showers set up in this area. Showers cannot be set up in bush areas, or any non-campsite area, other than the Shower Zones.

All other wastewater must be gathered in containers, strained if required, and disposed of at greywater drain sites, shown on the Campsite map as ‘Shower Zones’.

Campsites cannot split or divert water sources without seeking permission from the Stewarding Team PRIOR to Festival set up.

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WASTE

Campsite recycling (paper, cardboard, unbroken bottles, rigid plastic, and metal) is to be deposited in communal recycling bins (at Village Green and near most toilet blocks) to be sorted by the waste team. If the bins are full, alert the constabulary team rather than overfilling it.

Campsite waste must be disposed of in the general rubbish skip behind the Hall rather than the communal garbage bins on the Green.

In your campsite, waste and recycling is to be gathered in a bin/bag that will prevent it blowing away or being eaten by native animals.

Wherever possible, please take your rubbish home with you.

Chemical toilets are NOT to be emptied on-site.

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SWIMMING

Wombaroo has stated there will be no public nudity on their site. This is also supported by the SCA BOD, who have stated that the SCA does not endorse nudity at their events.

Clothing of some sort must be worn while swimming. An attempt at historic attire is appreciated, but not necessary. Be sensible in your choices – loose clothing such as voluminous chemises can often become a swimming hazard.

Shoes are recommended when swimming.

No glass containers are to be used in or within 5 metres of the dam.

Be aware that the swimming hole is away from the main camp. All swimmers swim at their own risk. Swimmers are advised to take friends with them and not swim alone.

Children MUST BE SUPERVISED at all times. See the Parent Code of Conduct and the Parental Supervision Guidelines for more details

As with any venue on site, you are advised to guard against the sun and heat. Hats, sunscreen and water will be needed as there is very little shade by the dam. Avoid swimming in the middle of the day when UV is highest.

At past Festivals, a nearby camp has offered a communal tent for changing, and lightweight swimming tunics are often able to be borrowed. Please respect this offer by leaving things as you found them. Borrowed tunics are to remain at the dam.

Anyone found acting in a dangerous manner, or intoxicated around the dam will be asked to return to their camp for their own safety. Continued dangerous behaviour may result in expulsion from the event.

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CHILDREN

You are always responsible for your child/ren and their actions. To help parents understand the expected standard of behaviour, a Code of Conduct has been developed. You will need to take the time to read, understand, and sign the Parental Supervision Code of Conduct. You can review the relevant documents here:

The Code of Conduct will be available across SCA Lochac websites and FB pages and available to be signed at the Rowany Festival registration point.

The requirements for parental supervision are age-dependent. Please read the guidelines attached and be sure you are aware of the supervision levels required for your child/children.

The guidelines mean that it is no longer the responsibility of the constables to ensure all children are under adult supervision at all times. Instead the constabulary will be required to intervene only when a very young child is unsupervised, a child is breaking the rules of festival, is in a prohibited area, is endangering themselves/ others or disturbing the peace.

Children aged 7 and under will be required to wear a tag identifying who they are, their campsite and their parent/ caregiver. (These are available at the Sign-in Tent.) The parent or guardian of any child found without this identification will be warned once and then asked to leave if it occurs again.

The tavern, and mead bar, are legally prohibited to minors. Children may pass through the tavern only if accompanied by a parent/carer, and must not be within one metre of the bar at any time. During the Market, the bar is closed and children may enter.

Dams and waterways are prohibited areas to unaccompanied minors. Children under 14 years must be accompanied by a parent/carer.

The archery field and war field are prohibited areas to unaccompanied minors. Children under 14 years must be accompanied by a parent/carer.

The Steward has the authority to impose a range of sanctions or restrictions in response to behaviour that is dangerous, disruptive or against the Festival Rules, up to and including expulsion from Festival.

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