meet the instructors
Phil Swift
Phil Swift has studied Martial Arts since the age of 8, and has been studying the art of the sword since 2015.
His first sword mentor Aaron Miedema taught him the art of Giganti's Italian rapier and as a young SCAdian Phil expanded his fencing technique under the guidance of Master Lucien Featherstone (Jason Ealy).
However, Phil quickly learned that his passion lay in Spanish rapier, La Verdadera Destreza and he continued his education by studying with leaders of the Destreza community including Jim Lai, Doug Kozlowski, and Sebastian Romagnan.
In 2018, Phil became certified in the world HEMA alliance as an instructor with specialization in Destreza. While in Michigan, he founded the Lansing Community College HEMA Fencing club and taught young aspiring martial artists Spanish True School rapier.
Since his move to Newfoundland in September 2018, he has reignited the local SCA community and established the Terra Nova School of Swords, joining the MSS family of clubs. Phil is passionate about expanding his teachings to the younger up and coming fencers of Newfoundland.
Neville pawson
Neville’s fascination with fencing was sparked during his childhood days in England, where he and his mates play-fenced using home made swords fashioned from wood, and shields made from tin.
In the 1970’s while Neville was in senior high school in Chilliwack, BC, he joined their fencing club where he learned Olympic-style fencing. He competed throughout BC, winning numerous medals in foil and sabre. In 1975, Neville competed with the BC Fencing Team at the Canada Winter Games in Lethbridge, Alberta. He also competed at the Canadian National Fencing Competition in Toronto.
During his college years at the Canadian Coast Guard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Neville started a fencing club with a colleague. They were delighted to have one of their students place first in a novice tournament. During his college years, Neville also competed and placed in a Nova Scotia provincial tournament (2nd in foil and 3rd in sabre).
Upon his retirement from the Coast Guard, Neville resumed fencing in 2015 when he joined the Comox Recreation Centre fencing program. He was asked to become an instructor, teaching foil, epee, and sabre.
Neville has been dividing his time between Vancouver Island and Newfoundland, and was happy to meet Phil Swift in 2020. He has enjoyed assisting him with instruction at the Terra Nova School of Swords, where it has been very rewarding to help others learn and experience the joy of fencing
hayden spence
Hayden has been studying Italian Longsword at Terra Nova School of Swords since 2021, and has been interested in fencing ever since taking part in a modern sport fencing and archery camp at age 13 back home in Mississauga, Ontario. Hayden is a regular participant in local tournaments hosted by Terra Nova, and travelled with the TNSS team to Montreal Sword Meisters in May 2023, recording a perfect 4-0 score in the initial pools and performing admirably against experienced instructors from elsewhere in Canada in the elimination rounds.
Since moving to Newfoundland in 2019, Hayden has completed a master’s degree in music, and is now an active music teacher in St. John’s. At Terra Nova, Hayden’s longsword curriculum combines the commonly studied Italian techniques in Fiore dei Liberi’s treatises with the less well-known work of Philippo Vadi, published some 60 years later. The new intermediate Italian longsword curriculum also features many of the techniques and plays featured in the ten assalti in Achille Marozzo’s Opera Nova, published another 50 years after Vadi’s work.