A long weekend is always an event to celebrate, and the Queen’s birthday weekend just recently offered a particularly exciting opportunity in my local area.
The very first Sussex Inlet Viking Festival celebrated the 141th anniversary of the arrival of Jacob Elmoos to the area.
In 1880, a young Danish pioneer called Jacob Elmoos, son of Christian Nielsen Elmoos and Louise Marie Petersen, settled in Sussex Inlet. His older siblings soon followed from Denmark, and they were later joined by his parents and younger siblings, who worked together to build a new life for themselves. They cleared the land to plant crops, raised livestock, and caught fish for the Sydney market. But tragedy struck these pioneering immigrants.
In 1888, Jacob’s brother Niels and his two companions were lost at sea when they sailed out of Jervis Bay on the way to Sydney. In the same year, Jacob’s other brother, Christian Jnr, was caught in heavy weather sailing the basin. He survived this ordeal, but died of pneumonia at home a few days later.
Despite these tragic losses, the Elmoos family continued building a guesthouse, which they opened for business in 1890. In memory of their father, Christian, who built the lodging, and their brother, who had died before its inauguration, the home was given the Danish name of Christian’s Minde, meaning, “to the memory of Christian.”
The family was responsible for significant development in the area in the following years, and the event organised by the Sussex Inlet and Districts Chamber of Commerce Inc. sought to celebrate the Scandinavian heritage of Sussex Inlet and the settlement of the area by Jacob Elmoos and his family.
The inaugural Sussex Inlet Viking Festival was supposed to happen in 2020, but for obvious reasons, did not go ahead. But this year has been a bit kinder, and even the weather brightened up after two days of rain.
Food stalls offering hearty Viking fare (not much for the vegos here!), a stage of local talent, and a bustling Viking village were the main features.
Many festival goers participated in dress-ups, sporting their own version of Viking dress, often customised with home-made items. We can proudly say that a Handy History costume from our Viking kit was out there in the crowd.
The re-enactors village gave everyone a chance to check out period-style tents, cooking, and weaponry. One of my favourite items was a hnefltafl board set up on a hay bale, next to which was a large knife. A father nonchalantly explained the rules to his young son, “If you lose, they chop off one of your fingers.”**
Vikings from all around the state came to demonstrate ye olde skills — weaving, blacksmithing, chain mail construction, games masters, and more — and to sell their wares. I was particularly impressed by some of the stalls provided the archaeological evidence for their reproductions, something that we strive to do developing and producing our own artefacts here at Handy History. There were coin pouches from Birka, handwoven bags from Hedeby — it was a who’s who of famous Viking sites overseas.
Now, thanks to the Vikings Festival, many more people are aware of the local Viking connection. If you missed out, next year’s festival is already being planned!
**To the author’s knowledge, no fingers were lost at the festival.
