(Sir) Rodney Deaman takes on (Sir) Cliff Marisma in last year’s jousting event at the Tarago Show. The inaugural Tarago Medieval Faire will be held on 3 May. Photo: Adrian Castro.
You’re sitting outside Tarago’s Loaded Dog hotel, a classic country watering hole, enjoying good company and a cold bevvy.
Out of the corner of your eye you see a person approaching on a horse, and another one … they could be men or women but it’s a bit hard to see through their armour.
No, you haven’t had one too many bevvies, rather it’s likely to be members of the Tarago jousting group, Company of Hounds, practising their craft.
“In Tarago, they’re used to seeing us doing weird stuff,” said spokesperson Rodney Deaman. “It’s not unknown for us to ride down to the pub in our armour … it’s part of the training process for riders and our horses.”
Up until last year, medieval jousting was a star attraction at the Tarago Agricultural Show. But with no show held this year, instead, the first stand-alone jousting faire will be held at the Tarago Showground on 3 May.
“The jousting part of the show was always very popular,” Rodney said. “It grew into an event itself.
“Also, it was a bit hard to joust when there was sheep shearing going on and crowds of people everywhere.”
Rodney began his training in the medieval skill in 2018, a year after he and his family moved to the small rural community near Goulburn.
Working in the public service but living in Nowra, he came to Canberra regularly as part of his job so decided to look for somewhere to live within commuting distance of the nation’s capital.
“We drove through Tarago one day and saw a ‘for sale’ sign – so that was it,” he said.
Today, Rodney estimates about half a dozen locals practise jousting seriously with another 20 or so, stretching from Canberra to Sydney, also coming to the village to train.
“Jousting hasn’t quite taken over Tarago,” he said, “but it has become an aspect of village life.”
For Rodney and his fellow enthusiasts, they practise jousting as close to possible as it was performed 500 years ago.
Because they use serious weapons, often while riding at speed, Rodney says it takes many years of training to reach a point where they can compete.
“I wanted to do something more than just modern horse sports. I started in horse archery and that grew into learning to joust,” he said.
Even warriors get hungry … (Sir) Rodney with his wife (Lady) Liberty and friend (Lady) Jay take a break from warfare for a spot of lunch at Tarago’s Loaded Dog hotel. Photo: Supplied.
“Learning to joust in the modern age is similar to the way they did it around 500 years ago. You are apprenticed, or as we call it, ‘squired’ to an experienced jouster and you assist them with putting on armour and getting the horses ready and they teach you how to joust.”
He estimates there are only about 30 master jousters in Australia.
“People get involved in the sport for different reasons,” he said. “Everyone has their own journey. For me it was because I have an anxiety disorder. I very much wanted to be able to conquer my fears. If you are going to be anxious about something, this is a very real thing to be anxious about.
“For me, it has been very helpful to manage the disorder, but every jouster has their own story. Some just love history, some just love the crowds it attracts. We’re all different.”
More than 1000 tickets have already been pre-sold for the event, with organisers hoping for a crowd of 2000 on the day.
“We already have people coming from Western Australia, Tasmania, some from Queensland and from all over the ACT and NSW. We even had someone who listed their address as in London.”
As well as historical jousts, visitors will be treated to displays of armoured foot combat, medieval dance, sabre demonstrations and kids’ activities including archery, a medieval tavern, markets and re-enactments.
More information about the 2026 Tarago Medieval Faire, to be held at the Tarago Showgrounds on Sunday 3 May, is available here.
