Alfredo De Santis is a technical computer specialist originally from the region of Abruzzo in Italy. He currently shares the stewardship of a flock of Shetland sheep with his wife Caitrin. Alfredo D'Courci is a diplomate to the Court of Henry VIII from the Italian Kingdom of Napoli.
Class: Shetland Sheep

Ann Graham owns Silver Writing, which offers writing and editing services to a variety of businesses in the Ottawa area and Europe. In DARC, she is known as Thora, a farm girl who moved to Jorvik with her husband. After he became too ill to work, she took over his stone and bone carving business. In the SCA, Anne le gris was born in 1452 at Wilton House in Somerset. After spending her formative years in Paris, she now lives with her artist husband in Venice. She fills her days with managing his atelier. Among other SCA projects, Anne is currently studying modal music composition.
Class: Literacy in Western Europe

Brendan Smith is a new daddy who spends his days working to support his family, when he isn't researching medieval Japanese culture. In the SCA, Yoshikuri Nagayori is a samurai from the Mutsu province in northern Japan circa 1580. At that time the province was under the control of the daimyo Date Masamune, a Tokugawa supporter.
Classes: Europeans in Japan
               Japanese Food History
               Japanese History from 794-1543
               Japanese History from 1543-1605
               Mongol Invasions
               Ninja and Warrior Monks

Caitrin Ollerhead DeSantis is known in the SCA as Countess, Viscountess, Mistress, Tangwystl d'Courci. Caitrin and her husband Alfredo live on a 20 acre farm where they raise Shetland sheep, gaited horses and peacocks - all watched over by an Abruzzi  sheepdog named Milton.
Classes: Portraits and Clothing Design
               Shetland Sheep

Christine Olliffe is a stay-at-home mom to two daughters, born in 1997, and 2002. Most of her time when not looking after the children is spend doing mundane embroidery projects, gardening, cycling, playing various musical instruments, and working on her web site. Lady Dwynwen was born and raised in Wales, but found that life there was not all she wished. She left home at a young age and traveled to the fair lands of Ealdormere where she made her home in the Barony of Septentria where she helped to found the incipient Canton of Greenhithe. While traveling in the shires of Ealdormere, far from her home she met Lord Angus MacDonnell, whom she did marry. They moved from Septentria to the lands of the Barony of Ramshaven.
Class: Children's Interactive Activities

Darrell Markewitz has worked as a consultant to major museums in the field of Living History. His major achievents include the creation of the 'Norse Encampment' for Parks Canada and the 'World of the Norse' for the Cranbrook Institute of Science. Darrell has worked on the Smithsonian's 'Vikings - North Atlantic Saga' and the Newfoundland Museum's 'Full Circle - First Contact'. He is a co-founder of the Dark Ages Re-creation Company. A professional blacksmith, he operates the Wareham Forge. In DARC, Darrell is known as Ketill Einarsson. Ketill, like many young Norse men from Norway, went 'a viking', and was involved in the battles in Ireland. He was fascinated with the work of the weapons smiths, and learned how to work iron, spending more and more time in the forge - and less and less on the battlefield. In his middle age, he decided to settle near Dubhlin with his wife Bera, spending his hard earned silver on a small farmstead. He now balances his work as a blacksmith with seasonal trading voyages to Jorvick and Birka.
Class: Iron Smelting - a Practical Guide

David Blanchard is a technical writer, who spends most of his spare time hunting down information on Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages. Pan Volodymyr Blahuciak Esquire is a 13th -14th century Halician nobleman. Known for his esoteric knowledge and research, he is currently researching the history of the borderlands, now currently known as Ukraine.
Classes: Ukrainian Clothing from 1400-1600
               Ukrainian Names and Heraldy

David Learmonth is a chemical engineer who somehow found his way into dancing in the SCA. Thus, Darius the Dancer was born. I have continued to study and to teach dance in the SCA for approximately 10 years, and consider myself at an intermediate level in my research. My main goal has always been to bring dance knowledge to the masses, and to introduce it in such a way as to be fun and easy to follow for all who are willing to give it a try.
Class: Renaissance Era Dance

David Stamper is a house dad, and loving every minute of it. In the SCA, Albrecht Stampfer is a German of noble birth, who, having fallen on hard times, has taken up the trade of fencing teacher. He has moved to England in order to take advantage of....um... help encourage, interest in the new fangled rapier fight.
Classes: Introduction to the Cut-and-Thrust Swordplay of the 15th and 16th Centuries
               Pirates of the Elizabethan Era

Elise Kingston is a writer and actress living in Waterloo, Ontario. She has travelled extensively and studied at The American University in Washington, DC and the Czech National Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In the SCA, Wencenedl of Rokesburg is a 12th Century Scotswoman from the Royal City of Rokesburg in the Borders during the reign of David I. Her father felt it was important she know how to read, so she was tutored by monks from Kelso Abbey just across the Teviot River.
Classes: 12th century Clothing Styles
               12th century Dress Accessories
               12th century Hair Styles

Gary Snyder is a Kitchener grandfather working for Ontario Hydro and has been with the SCA for many many years. Garwig der Waffenschmidt was born in Sussex, England just before the turn of the 10th century.   Orphaned in his fourth year he was apprenticed to a local smith from whom he learned the basics of metalworking.   Caught up by a call to battle from the local thegn, he perforce learned the art of repair and manufacture of armour - specifically chainmail.   For his skill he soon acquired the title of "der waffenschmidt" - weapon or armour smith.
Class: Building a Viking Ship Model

Gary van Lingen is presently a PhD student in the geography department at Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY). His is focusing on heritage tourism and heritage production in de-industrializing communities and the presentation of the past as a political tool of the present. To amuse himself, he works on historical epidemiology (plague/syphilis in mediaeval Europe), the concept of neo-mediaevalism, and the politics of public space. He has two BAs: mediaeval history (UWaterloo) and archaeology/geography (WLU). His MSc (Michigan Technological) is in industrial archaeology where he looked at community development on industrial frontiers (US, Canada, UK) and the history of technology (copper and iron smelting in particular).
Classes: Black Death
               Medieval Experience of Leprosy
               Political Uses of Medieval History

Grace Carr is an undergraduate an Wilfrid Laurier and recently became a new mother. In the SCA, Satake Matsumi lives in the Japan of the Momoyama period, and enjoys calligraphy and kumihimo.
Class: Introduction to the SCA

J. Caz Bentley is an itinerant teacher, carpenter, and stained glass artist who has passed his thirty-third year and therefore counts his blessings. In the SCA, Master Alasdair of Raasay is a traveling mercenary with an interest in many of the finer arts practiced in areas through which he has traveled.
Classes: Carving
               Egg Tempera Painting

Jackie Wyatt is a researcher at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Her interests range widely, although she tends to concentrate on such topics as Irish clothing, sprang, and the compulsive researching of any topic that’s mentioned to her. In the SCA, Medb ingen Dungaile is an 11th century merchant’s daughter living in Dublin.
Class: French Beaded Flowers

Jean Ross is a registered nurse practicing in Halton with the Victorian Order of Nurse. She is happily married and has a lovely dog. In the SCA, Aislinne of Alainmor is a 10th century saxon/viking lady. She specializes in glass bead making, textiles arts, and cooking.
Class: Early Period Beaded Necklaces

Jerry Penner is a 38 year-old self-employed electronic design engineer specializing in the development of custom products for resale by local companies. He knits and sells chain mail in several local shops and via his website at http://www.chainmailguy.com . In his spare time he plays with things that go BANG and THUD. Gierhaerdt of Hildeschiem is a local chain-mail knitter. Weekdays he can be found in his shop building or repairing link armour for the pagans, and sabotaging armour for the Christians. Weekends he can be found drinking his profits in nearby Einbeck, where Bock beer will be invented 100 years after he dies. His hobbies include middle-eastern drumming, reading Germanic runes, and playing with things that go BANG and THUD.
Classes: Chainmail for Beginners
               Chainmail - Second Steps
               Practical Trebuchet

Jim McColm is a grade 8 Special Education teacher in the area that used to be Scarborough Ontario. Raffe Scholemaystre is the household tutor living at Scarborough castle in 1380.
Class: Games

Jo Duke started medieval recreation about 15 years ago, and started weaving narrow wares (inkle & tablet) soon after. She first learnt the craft of the dyer at the Kentwell Historical Recreations 12 years ago. She has been a member of the Sudbury Weavers Guild about 9 years but only recently acquired her own modern 4 harness floor loom. Jorunn joined the crew of the DARC longship for their voyage to Norstead some three summers hence. She took her loom on board, but the distractions were great and the seas rough so took nearly a year to weave one sleazy Saxon headrail.
Classes: Natural Dyes in Medieval History, a Workshop
               Textiles 101: Colour and Pattern in Dark Age and Medieval Fabrics

Joanne Blumetti is the proud new mother to a beautiful baby girl born to her and her husband just last May. Joanne uses her lunch hours at work and any free time she has on her love of Goldworke whether it be research or stitching. Joanna of Northumberland is a 14th century embroideress serving the household of Edward the Black Prince and his wife Joan the Fair Maid of Kent.
Classes: The Art of Displaying your Work
               How to Organize your Research

Judy McKay is a teacher from Ottawa who does not have enough time for her many hobbies. Judith the Quiet Seeker lives in an Anglo-Saxon village on the north east coast of 11th century England.
Classes: Library Studies
               Sprang

Karen Peterson is a library clerk at the University of Waterloo, deeply bored by her day job except for the opportunities it provides to further her research efforts. Karen has demonstrated various parts of the Viking Era textile process at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Haffenrefer Museum at Brown University in Rhode Island and at the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Detroit, Michigan. In DARC, Karen is known as Kaðlín Ragnarsambatt. Kaðlín was a small town girl living on the shores of Scotland in the mid 800s when Vikings raided the nearby Church at Iona and stole some of the women folk away. She was promptly renamed by her Viking captor, Ragnarr, who says he can't pronounce "that pig grunt language the Scots use" anyway. She now lives with Ragnarr in Iceland as his ambatt (personal body slave).
Class: Natural Dyes in Medieval History, a Workshop

Karina Bates is a part time farmer; a member of Hurly Burly (an Early Music Choir & Ensemble) and a researcher of Roma history, amongst other things. In the SCA, Keja is 15th century Romany travelling the Baltics with her extended family, under the watchful eye of her Patron, Lord Vladimir Blahuciak.
Class: Finger Braiding

Kathy Page is an at-home mother of one 3-going-on-30 little girl and a historical costumer who takes her title with a great deal of latitude. In the recent couple of years a rabid anthropology researcher has emerged from under all those piles of fabric. In the SCA, Caitlín inghean Tomáis uí Duibhir is a widowed Tipperary, Ireland cattle woman circa 1580. Just because Kathy has a compulsion to never do anything simply, she has a second persona - Signorina Salvatrice D'este, Honorate Cortigiane e Veleno, a noble courtesan born and raised in Venice, currently residing in Verona in the period surrounding 1575.
Class: Goldwork Embrodiery

Kim McAuley is a programmer, software specialist and web designer, as well as an officer with St. John Ambulance. Kaellyn mac Dermott is a 10th century Irish lady who makes all sorts of things for her family.
Classes: Naalbinding - a workshop for Beginners
               Naalbinding - a workshop for the More Experienced
               Naalbinding in History

Laura Stein is currently a student at Trent University with far too many interests and not enough time. In the SCA, Urraca de la Mar hails from the Iberian Peninsula, but where exactly she's not telling. She is often found on the dance floor or the archery range if she'd not working on one of her many projects.
Class: Tablet Weaving for Beginners

Mark Patchett has been fighting in the SCA for 14 years, where he is a Knight, and currently holds the throne of the Kingdom of Ealdormere. He also enjoys doing "rebated steel" combat in the living history group Regia Anglorum. Mark also enjoys "building things" - armouring, mail making, woodworking, leatherworking, and anything else he can fit into his dwindling spare time. He is also a full time software developer and father. In REGIA, Edward the Red is a Norman Knight, a veteran of the Battle of Hastings, living in England.
Class: Flint and Steel Fire Striking

Melanie Robbins is an Accounting Clerk who lives in Kitchener, Ontario. Lady Gwendyon Casgudcath is a young Lady from Wales whose interests lie in fighting and learning...anything.
Class: Kumihimo - The Art of Japanese Cordmaking

Michael Kleinknecht is an insurance broker in Waterloo. William Stalker was born in 1050 in the Orkney's of mixed Norse and Scottish descent.  He spends most of his time hawking leather goods and archery supplies.
Class: Archery Equipment for Beginners

Neil Peterson is a certified Project Management Professional working in the software development industry. In his spare time he is a student of Archaeology at Wilfrid Laurier University and works with museums, libraries, and various groups to promote an appreciation of Norse History, and the application of Project Management to historical projects such as this conference. He is a charter member of the PMI-CTT chapter, a member of the Ontario Museum Association, a 20 year vetran of the SCA, and the co-founder of the Dark Ages Re-creation Company where he is known as Ragnarr Thorbergson. Ragnarr is a tired old ex-viking who now makes his living as a trader. Never one to give up a fun hobby he is still making trouble wherever possible.
Classes: Pastimes of the Vikings
               Survey of Norse Bead Making

Nicholas West BFA(Bachelor of Fine Arts); BA(History); HBSc(Psychology) I spend my weekdays locked in a maximum security psychiatric hospital, and they pay me to be there. On the weekends I spend my time in my shop, putting together whatever project my Lady's heart desires. I love to research. I spend many nights scouring the online data bases from the university of Toronto. Embroiled in that is my active participation in the SCA. My persona is Augustyn Ely the second son of a 14th C physician. I spend most of my time on the archery range and enjoy tossing twigs.
Classes: Box Building
               Knights Templar, who were they?

Nina Bates is currently a stay at home mom of 4 with one son left at home. She is very lucky that he likes to dress up and helps feed her need to costume. In the SCA, Odette plays in 1520-1530, in Calais, France.
Classes: Handsewing: period seams and seam finishes
               Natural Dyes in Medieval History, a Workshop

Paddy Gillard-Bentley is a playwright and hair-stylist (who does blood-letting too). Thaninieyaieres is an 11th century herbalist. Having finished her apprenticeship with Mistress Tamarra Amalthea of Romany, she has set up her own apothecary called Wyte Wythy Moon. She has two apprentices and not enough time.
Classes: Herbal Workshop
               Plants and Stones

Richard Schweitzer is a teacher, artist and musician currently busy working on his new "farm" north-west of Orangeville. In the SCA, Martin Bildner is a pewter-caster, instrument maker and musician from the town of Wismar in the early 1300s. In DARC, Rig is a Skald of no fixed address (his wife has a terrible time keeping track of him).
Classes: Making Norse Instruments
               Playing with Kennings

Dr. Ronald A. Ross is a CAS Professor of Archaeology at Wilfrid Laurier University, in Waterloo, Canada. He teaches in the departments of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Medieval Studies, and Anthropology. His research interests include the medieval origins of the British iron and steel industries, medieval demography and population, and archaeological method and theory. He is also the owner and director of Archaeological Research, Consultancy and Heritage Management International (ARCH-M).
Class: Iron Monks and Steel Lords: Pursuing the Medieval Origins of the Industrial Revolution in Rural Shropshire

Sarah Hughes is known as Gaerwen of Trafford in the Society of Creative Anachronism where she portrays a woman of Welsh descent living in the time of the Dane Law. In REGIA and DARC, Sarah is known as Gudrun and portrays a Norse woman living in 10th C York. Sarah's love of fibre arts has her pursuing spinning, natural dyeing, cardweaving, inkle weaving, needlework and embroidery though she has yet to get the knack of naalbinding. Sarah is currently working as an Executive Assistant and provides computer consulting in her spare time.
Classes: Natural Dyes in Medieval History, a Workshop
               Spinning with Flax - Advanced Drop Spinning

Scott Thorburn is known as Belgar Thorbjornsson in the Society of Creative Anachronism
Class: Wood Working

Steven Strang is a renaissance painter working in Venice. In his spare time, he plays the rebeq and a new instrument called the 'violino'. In modern life, he works for the Canadian government.
Class: Cryptography

Susan Carroll-Clark is a project manager and business analyst, and is the former editor of the SCA's quarterly magazine, Tournaments Illuminated . She also has a PhD in medieval history from the University of Toronto and works as an independent scholar of medieval popular religion and clothing. She lives in Ajax with her husband and three cats. In the SCA, Nicolaa de Bracton is a 13th century Englishwoman, the daughter of a minor knight in the service of Simon de Montfort. Her husband is a wealthy cloth merchant, and they have holdings in Leicester and on the newly-fashionable shops on London Bridge and are embroiled in City politics.
Class: Knightly Virtues

Tamara Manning is a born-again student taking Computer Programming with Algonquin College in Ottawa. She always had a fascination with lettering, and at the age of 15 received a Shaffer Calligraphy Kit and has been playing with ink ever since. In the SCA, Tatiiana Belosel'skaia is a lady from Russia in love with an English man. Tatiiana quietly dabbles in calligraphy, illumination and tapestry weaving.
Class: Intermediate Calligraphy

Tina Gaston works when she must but prefers to spend her days stitching at one thing or another. In the SCA, Tina is known as Lady Cairean ingen Fiachnae who was born into a matiarcal irish family in the late 1200's, she was raised there until her mothers death at age 8 when her father returned to his homeland of England. There Cairean was taught to manage a household and married at 17 to an aging lord. At 21, upon her husband's death she returned to Ireland to her mother's people where one of her husband's servants introduced her to his son. They fell in love, and had 2 beautiful little girls. Lady Cairean and her family then, a little over a year ago, moved to the Kingdom of Ealdormere.
Class: Children's Interactive Activities

Vandy Simpson has brought her years of research and practise in the culinary and textile arts to several museum re-enactments, and continues to provide costuming for the Viking Age interpretive program in L'Anse aux Meadows, Nfld. In DARC, Vandy is known as Bera. Bera lives in the recently founded city of Dublin with her husband, Ketil. Together, they occassionally join a group that travels widely in search of trade goods. Bera is a skilled and popular cook with the trading crew, and fills her spare time with making cloth and clothing.
Class: Natural Dyes in Medieval History, a Workshop

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