What would I have done differently if I were part of the founding members of Crossroads? During a discussion a few weeks ago I was asked what I would do differently and whether I would consider a different business model than a co-op. Lets take a fantasy trip back in time almost twenty years to when Crossroads was just a twinkle in the eye of a number of founding members, all the time remembering that hindsight is a wonderful thing. ;)

If I were one of the founding members I would have sat down with the other founding members and discussed with them what they would be willing to financially contribute each year as an on-going contribution. I would have stressed that even if we went with a co-op model for the way ahead, we would still need a significant amount of capital to develop any site we purchased into a viable sustainable business. I would point out that whilst we could start by contributing the bare minimum needed to get it going hoping that we quickly turn the site into a sustainable business, the reality could mean that we might not be able to get things going as quickly as planned. I would ask that we as founding members agree to continue to pay the agreed upon figure each time it is due, possibly suggesting breaking the payments into weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments rather than a lump sum each year.

I would suggest that we sat down and developed a business plan outlining the possible income streams taking into account who would be running them and doing research into the potential income they would earn as well as what they would realistically cost to get set up and where they would be located.

I would point out that if we chose an empty block of land then there would be significant amounts of capital that would need to be spent on infrastructure such as a work shed, power and equipment owned by the Group. I would suggest that the smart thing to do would be to purchase an existing working farm that could slowly be converted whilst still providing infrastructure and an income. I would point out that there could be the possibility of hiring a farm manager to continue the operation of the existing farm whilst the Group itself concentrates on the plans to convert the farm to a medieval site.

I would suggest that a co-op whilst being the ultimate in a fair and equal ownership model, means that everything needs to be approved by committee which may slow down development making it difficult to get to a sustainable state. I would suggest that whilst the Co-op model is probably the best for the people involved, there needs to be some very strict rules put in place to ensure people stay involved. Alternately a more business like model might be more appropriate.

There are a lot of things that have lead to putting Crossroads where it is today, and turning back time won’t fix any of them however time has shown us where the holes are. Personally I think there is still hope, however it will take the majority of members to realise they either need to start bailing, or get off the boat and lighten the load, and there only seems to be a few members still paying attention.

This is just my way of saying “I’m willing, but only if everyone else starts grabbing buckets and bailing too…”.

As some of you are aware I was until recently the Chairman of The Crossroads Co-op, a wonderful dream by a group of medievalists to create a place to provide an educational centre for medieval and living history studies. The goals of the members of Crossroads are not beyond the realms of possibility, and would provide a fantastic resource for a large group of medievalists to play learn and teach. So why then did my Chairmanship of this group only last five months? In short, due to my lack of faith in the greater portion of the Crossroads Membership.

It is no secret that Crossroads has some major issues ahead. Amongst the medieval community there have been many rumours and stories and a lot of bad blood between members. It is easy to see that the medieval community has lost faith in Crossroads ability to provide everything that was discussed almost twenty years ago when the project started. There has been some bad decisions made and some forced that have lead the co-op into a lull in member participation. The real questions is, is this lull terminal? Personally I believe that unless there is a major increase in both member participation and member financial contributions then yes, I believe it is terminal, though I also believe it is possible to turn this terminal prognosis around however it would require the membership to actually get involved.

You know I here these voices of Crossroads Members in my head telling me “It’s all very well me having these opinions, but you are new and haven’t been around during all the hard times”… You know what… You are right, I’m not hung up on the past. I see a possible future for Crossroads… I see what it can be with support from all of it’s members both financially and personally. The fact is that whilst Crossroads is a Co-op, it also needs to be a business, it needs to make money to support itself. Both the members of the Board and the membership at large need to realise this so that the project can move ahead. Hiding behind the “Not for Profit” status will only prolong the slow rot that has already set in.

At the moment the only means the Co-op has of raising capital is through the Membership as there is not enough infrastructure in place to open as a profitable tourist attraction or camp-site, nor would there be enough business even if there where. Covering just the minimum expense of running of the Co-op is also a futile gesture as all that does is prolong the inevitable. If the membership want to actually see the project succeed they need to be willing to contribute not only to the day to day running, but to future development. Businesses need Capital to get started, and not just the capital to buy the property in the first place, but capital to be able to fund development as well as paying for the expertise that the membership cannot supply. I’m not a fan of the Co-op structure myself, as it implies that we will all contribute equally and the history of Crossroads has proven that for the project to get as far as it has, that just doesn’t happen. For a Co-op to work everyone needs to be contributing equally and this clearly isn’t happening with Crossroads.

King Salamander Camping
Event – Torlyon
Where: Crossroads Medieval Village Site, Sheldricks Lane, Yass.
Help us say goodbye to Autumn and prepare for winter.
Feast will be based on wild game.
Tourneys – Rapier and Heavy (dependent on numbers)
Siege Weapon challenge
Archery
Collegia – Hand sewing leather
Tent making
How to dress a bird and cook it campfire style
Pottery
Competitions: Campfire cooked medieval recipe
Fire theme – Garb, Armour or “Thing”
There will also be an Iron Chef style competition between 3 of
Torlyons best cooks.
It will be cold so bring plenty of warm clothing and bedding if camping.

Cost: $30 for day only ($35 non-member)set price
$70 for weekend; Friday night to Sunday afternoon -includes
camping fee ($75 non-member)
Pre-book and pay for whole weekend by May 15th- discount of $10. After
15th til 28th- discount $5.
Stewards: Tosti Vikarrovitch Bogolyubski and Gaigin
Bookings: Baron Bastian der Grosse
For more information or booking contact Lady Isabella de Bordeaux
Site is dog-friendly BUT owners must be responsible!

There’s a forge?

Yes, there is a forge.  At the moment it exists in my backyard and it’s actually borrowed…  and well…  not mine.  But there are plans for a bigger and better one.  One that will be medieval in both look and technology, one that will enhance a medieval gathering and provide space to teach and experiment.    Hopefully if I build it, they will come.