To the Populace of Three Rivers, Mistress Rochwen Morwenna and the Honorable Lord Jon Chesey send warmest greetings!
As we have submitted our intent to serve as the next Baronage of Three Rivers, we wish to share something of ourselves and our goals for the Office.
Mistress Rochwen has long been a member of Three Rivers, first joining the Society in AS 15 and moving to Calontir in AS 17, before coming to Three Rivers in AS 35. She has been active in the Arts & Sciences community, serving as a Shire officer and deputy officer in Three Rivers. She is an active scribe, creating scrolls and preprint masters for both Three Rivers and several Royal reigns, as well as serving as Royal Scribe. She has organized numerous A&S competitions as well as two of the pavilion floorcloth projects. Her focus is generally in decorative arts and material culture.
The Honorable Lord Jon Chesey began in the Society in AS 34 in Three Rivers and has largely remained here since, with time away in Oakheart and Carlsby during college. He has served Three Rivers as herald, webminister, and gold key. He currently serves as chronicler and is a deputy kingdom webminister tasked with assisting smaller groups that are unable to maintain their own web presence, and is a kingdom deputy social media officer. He has been a Royal Herald and stewarded numerous Three Rivers events. He researches and teaches on all things astronomical, for which he is the current Calontir Arts & Science champion.
Our primary goal as Baronage would be to foster growth. To us, this means many things. For newcomers, it often means helping them find their passion. While we cannot be experts on every topic, our time in Three Rivers and Calontir means we can help point newcomers to those that are able to foster their interests. Rochwen has been committed to fostering growth in Arts & Sciences, hosting open studio days at her home and seeks to increase their frequency.
We also believe in further developing the group as a whole. At present, we feel our online presence is well taken care of, and that those that first approach us in person are well served by our Chatelaine. Therefore, our primary focus is to increase visibility. In this respect, we would like to return to having days in the park, when weather allows and when not in conflict with events.
We would also like to partner with appropriate local conventions, as they frequently struggle to find quality programming – and our Barony is well situated to aid them, as we have many knowledgeable, passionate individuals with so much share. Thus, we feel there is an opportunity for a mutually beneficial partnership.
Our second focus would be to increase opportunities for fun. In years past, Three Rivers participated in cardboard boat races and other whimsical group projects. We would like to organize similar activities, such as preparing a float for the 4th of July parade. We would love to hear your ideas for fun and whimsy!
Lastly, we would like to address a slowdown in volunteerism. Having talked with many individuals in the Barony, we feel there are several causes to this. Some of this has been caused by COVID, taking people away from the SCA, during which time they found other hobbies that take up their free time. While we would not wish to take people away from activities they love, we will do our best to remind people of why they also love the SCA (see previous comments regarding making more opportunities for whimsy and fun!).
We have also heard from some of our newer members that they lack confidence to take on projects like running events. To this end, we would pledge our support as Baronage to help demystify these roles, and make them accessible. Jon has extensive experience running events, both within the SCA and without, and has also served in many of the officer positions within the group, and is thereby able to provide guidance and support. To that end, Jon has also been working on a series in the Barge focusing on how to run events. We would also like to review, revise, and make more accessible any documentation on running events and filling officer positions.
Finally, we have heard from members who have felt an acute sense of burnout. This generally occurs when they find themselves unbalanced with too much work to too little play. For some, we recognize this has been driven by a lack of opportunity to attend events outside of our Barony, leaving precious few events at which they are not being asked to volunteer. To that end, we would like to help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience the joys of the SCA, and not solely be asked to volunteer their time and energy.
When visiting events outside our Barony, we also wish to include support for newcomers who are unused to attending foreign events. To that end, we plan to set up a Three Rivers “home base” to allow those that are new to have a place where there are familiar faces and they can feel grounded.
Burnout can also easily occur when asked to volunteer too much without recognition. As such, we want to find additional opportunities and ways to recognize people that volunteer, in addition to awards made in Court.
We both believe in leading from the front and being examples for others. To us, this means regularly being present, in garb, and approachable to the populace.
In addition to the above, we have many other ideas that we would like to work on the populace with to see what sparks joy, as we are mindful that attempting to do too much is also counterproductive.
Ultimately, we both wish to continue the excellence that has made this Barony a shining jewel in the Crown of our fair Kingdom.
Rochwen Morwenna
Member # 257109 exp 8/31/2025
Jon Chesey
Member # 227261 exp 9/30/2029