Outgoing President's Address

13,11,2022

As the founder and creator of Battlecry, there is an inevitable realisation that I would not be able to do this forever. The realisation came in 2020, when the club was on its knees for the second time in as many years. I was struggling openly with mental health, and the weight of the game was crushing me. Walking away from Battlecry and leaving it to its fate was never something I considered to be an option, which meant that I needed to find help.

Laura Williams, Fiaz Awan, Wynter Norman, Cal WIlkins, Lysa Radvan, Marvin Madridano, Michael Birtwistle, and Leonardo Zuercher stepped up when I needed the help most. Their unyielding support kept me fueled, as we made some of the toughest decisions the community had seen. We worked tirelessly with committee and players alike to put on event after event, demonstrating, planning and running multiple opportunities for Battlecry such as the Political Freeforms, Community Day, Supanova, film shoots, documentaries and many others, all whilst maintaining the Friday night games! We were truly burning the candles at both ends!

Now that the year is winding to a close, and we look back on what has been an incredible turn-around for our club, I am confident in my choice to step down as president. I’ve done a lot to steer Battlecry into the place that it is, forging my vision, and uniting everyone behind it. I have total confidence that the people who step up and take over the roles that I have juggled will do a far better job than I could have hoped to. 

The Committee called an AGM, in which we called out for the community to apply for positions within the committee. We were met with enthusiasm, excitement and most of all, a tremendous sense of pride with the sheer number of people willing to lend a hand. Votes were counted, positions were filled, and a number of members are stepping down, to both pursue other things within our community, but also just to have a break and play the game again. Below is the thanks from myself to those who are stepping down as committee members.

Laura, You have been a rock in the community for a tremendous amount of time. You were dealing with some pretty crazy things over the last 12 months, and you never complained once about workload. Your strength, joviality, ability to connect with others, and your professionalism have been more of an asset than you realise. Thank you, for everything. I look forward to seeing Five Islands become a large, supportive community like the one you’ve helped foster in Markoth. Thank you.

Leo, Your support in the behind the scenes went unnoticed to some, but not me. I see the efforts you make to improve the skill, trustworthiness and integrity of our game. You consistently show people that playing within the rules doesn’t mean you will lose, which inspires many others to follow your lead. You’ve solidified yourself as a worthy fighter, but more importantly, an honest, and reliable person. When things need doing, with little convincing, you put your hand up and do it without complaint. Thank you for all of your hard work.

Fiaz, You have no idea how much value you brought to the team. From your humble beginnings as a furniture breaker, to the legal counsel/player advocate/weapons trainer/faction leader/demo manager/morale officer. You’ve been an incredible help to almost every aspect of the LARP group. Without you, we would have had an incredibly difficult time solidifying the code of conduct, going through our first suspension process and generally functioning. I can't stress enough how much success I wish you with Camdoria, I want to see it thrive and become the Royalist powerhouse it was made to be! Thank you.

Cal, Wynter, and Lysa, Thank you for everything You’ve done for myself, and this club. Without you this game simply wouldn't be where it is today. Your dedication, extra hours of effort, labour, hard work and creativity really breathed new life into this sport. 

It has been a privilege to work alongside such wonderful people as those in both the committee and the wider community. I look forward to seeing where this game is in another 5 years. 

Thank you, 

Tadd Lyons,

Outgoing President of the Battlecry Committee