This fierce looking knight is Sir Andrew McKinnon, a knight and jouster from Sydney. Cool gig or coolest gig?
Read on to find out what it takes to become a knight and what to do if you need to pee while wearing armour!
K-Z: Sir Andrew, how did you become a knight?
SA: With lots of training and practice! First, you need to learn how to ride a horse really well so that you will be able to ride in metal armour (which is really heavy!). It also takes a lot of skill to be able to ride a horse while holding a lance. In all it takes a few years of hard training before you can become a knight and joust!
K-Z: Are there any rules you have to follow?
SA: There certainly is. We must always treat people with honour and respect, look after the poor and, of course, be nice to our mothers.
K-Z: Tell us about your sword!
SA: My sword is a 15th century Italian single-handed diamond profile sword, also known as an “arming sword”.
K-Z: Does it have a name?
SA: Mister Ouchie!
K-Z: Best joust you’ve been in?
SA: Any joust I survive!
K-Z: Is your armour really heavy?
SA: It certainly is – armour can weigh up to 40kg. In fact, my helmet alone is around 10kg.
K-Z: So what happens when you need to go to the toilet?
SA: You hold it! We make sure we do EVERYTHING we need to do before we get armoured up.
K-Z: You’re heading to the Kingdom of St Ives in Sydney for a medieval faire. What can K-Zoners do there?
SA: If you’ve dreamed of becoming a warrior, you should head along to the Knight’s Academy, where you can learn the basics of gallantry, chivalry, honesty and honour through fun activities like swordsmanship and mock combat. There are also comedy shows, archery, an awesome birds of prey demonstration, medieval animal farm with camel rides and so much more!
K-Z: Will they be able to learn some knight skills from you?
SA: Definitely! They’ll be able to watch me in action during the joust, which is held on both days.
Inspired to become a knight, learn how to joust or wanna see Sir Andrew in action? Head along the St Ives Medieval Faire on September 19-20 at St Ives Showground in Sydney! If you go, remember to send us some pics of the day!
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