2026 Officials and Marshals

OFFICAL EMCEE (Master of Ceremonies)

Matt Keating

Introducing Our Herald & Commentator – Matthew Keating! 🎬⚔️📣

He brought his theatrical flair and battlefield gravitas to the 2025 Abbeystowe Challenger Clash and is now returing to joins us yet again as the official herald and commentator for this year’s Buhurt tournament!

A seasoned actor and professional presenter, Matt is known for his screen roles in acclaimed productions such as Underbelly (Stan), Glitch (Netflix), and Gallipoli (Netflix) — and he brings that same commanding presence and storytelling instinct to the world of medieval combat.

Off screen, Matt has been the voice of the arena for nearly a decade. He’s heralded crowds at the ‘Full Flight’ Birds of Prey demonstrations at Ironfest, the Timeline Event at Bannockburn, and spent eight years captivating audiences at Kryal Castle, where he also developed sharp, blow-by-blow Buhurt commentary that made every clash unforgettable.

Whether on screen or in the list, Matt knows how to hold an audience. With every booming introduction and razor-sharp call, he’ll bring the thrill of combat to life!

MARSHALS

Officially sanctioned by Buhurt International, Marshals ensure the strict safety procedures and enforce the rules. Represented in the yellow, they have completed various levels of training between them.

Gemma E

Marshal - International

Heralds from: Nth Wst TAS

Gemma started out as an Abbey Medieval Festival volunteer in 2014, and eventually met the Tyrs Warriors from Toowoomba in 2019. She started Marshalling in 2022 and made her international debut at the 2025 BI World Cup in Hungary, officially earning her interntional accreditation.

Wade C

Marshal - International

Heralds from: Wellington NZ

Wade is an internationally accreditated Marshal, with over 20+ international events under their belt!

Nathaniel A

Marshal - Conference

Heralds from: Toowoomba

Nathanial’s first time was at the 2024 Abbeystowe Challenger Clash as a fighter who walked away with a silver medal in the Men’s 12s before heading to NZ to compete for the Trans Tasman Cup. Now he dons yellow and is quickly climbing the ranks!

Sarah D

Marshal - Regional

Heralds from: Sunshine Coast

“I was once a girl readding books about lady knights with cool swords and now I get to marshal for lady knights with big axes.”

Richelle H

Marshal - Regional

Heralds from: Sunshine Coast

Richelle not only Marshals for the Men’s fights, but compete in the Women’s with Team Vultures. She recently earned her Regional Marshal accreditation at the 2026 Sydney Marshal Seminar in March.

Alex S

Marshal - Trainee

Heralds from: Brisbane

Alex has spent a fair amount of time armoured up and in the arena themselves, and now it’s their first time Marshaling!

Katelyn T

Marshal - Regional

Heralds from: Canberra

“I’m actually 6’7″, I’m just really good at hiding it.”

Ethan J

Marshal - Regional

Heralds from: Toowoomba

Ethan first attended the Challenger Clash as a ‘lowly squire’, and is now a pround member of the Marshals for the second time.

Matthew P

Marshal - Regional

Heralds from: Logan

Having squired for the Wild Wyverns, and owning ‘one of the greatest hats’ last year’s commentators had ever seen (catch the moment on YouTube), Matt returns to the Abbeystowe Challenger Clash as a Regional Marshal.

Hamish M

Marshal - Trainee

Heralds from: Sunshine Coast

“I spend an arguably probably unhealthy amount of time reading old manuals (Fechtbücher, Armizare, etc.) written by medieval fencing masters. At this point, I probably know more about fencing techniques than life skills.”