First off, I am not a member of the 501st Legion, (but hope to be soon) this is just a quick story of my first experience helping out the guys of my local 501st.

I'd heard of the 501st some time ago on the net through various Star Wars websites and have always wanted to be a member. Until now I had never seen the guys in action up close and personal, everything I knew about them came through those websites. My first real contact with them was at Celebration IV earlier this year but I had no involvement with them apart from having my droid confiscated for scanning in search of the Death Star plans (my droid was cleared and returned the next day :D).

After learning a little about what the 501st was about when I first heard of them, I looked up my local garrison on the 501st main site and joined their forums to get to know the guys and gals there and get some help in getting my armour together. I have been a regular on the forums for a while now and getting closer to getting my armour done, anyway...

As I live about 1600km from the nearest 501st member, all my contact with them is through the forums and e-mail, nothing face to face. So when I got a message from 'Kuki' (pronounced cookie) one of the guys in our Queensland (State) Redback Squad of the 501st TAG (Terror Australis Garrison) a couple of months ago, telling me that he and another member of the squad would be coming up to where I live to do a troop for a new store opening and to raise money for the starlight foundation, I was excited at the prospects of finally meeting someone from the garrison.

The guys arrive late Friday night, as all of them have day jobs they have to catch the late flight up. I get an SMS from Kuki asking "You still awake" I reply "Yep" and catch a cab to their hotel. Once there I meet Kuki, Rick and Jarrod and we head out for a couple of beers and a get to know you type chat. After the beers I walk the guys back to their hotel and catch a cab home.

Saturday morning and I head to the mall where the guys are trooping and find two of the guys already in their armour and getting photo's with kids and parents alike. The store has too lovely promo girls operating the Polaroid cameras so Jarrod gives me his camera to take shots for the Squad/Garrison sites. Soon all three are out there getting photos and entertaining the kids.

After a while the guys decide to go for a walk around the mall with the promo girls and their cameras, so I tag along to take more shots of the guys interacting with the public with Jarrod's camera. After a while we head back to the store to get more film for the Polaroids and take some more photos outside the store.

We do this a few more time over a 4-5 hr period and I must say the guys were troopers in every sense of the word, the whole time we were there they were high fiveing and playing with the kids, posing for photos and generally having a great time. As the guys were getting out of their armour, a young girl who had just finished work at the McDonald's next to the store came in looking for the Stormtroopers to get a photo as she had just finished work and hadn't had the chance to see them earlier. The guy's were almost out of their armour but on hearing the girls story Jarrod got back into his TK armour and posed for a photo with her.

As the rollers come down on the stores first day of trading the owner does his tale of the days takings, he then invites us back to his place for a BBQ and some well deserved refreshments. Over beer and steak we talk of the days great outcome long into the night.

The guys have to get up early to catch their flight home in the morning, so I farewell my new found friends with an even more determination to get my membership finalised so I can be an official member of this fantastic organisation.

Game Traders donated approx $2000 to the Starlight Foundation (Amount to be confirmed) and paid for two of the guys Airfares and accommodation, as they only asked for two Rick paid his own way just so he could take part.