Jacob French – Troopertrek

Speaker: Jacob French

Troopertrek

Jacob is a member of the Star Wars fan group, the 501^st Legion, who provide costumed volunteer work and charity fundraising while promoting an interest in Star Wars. Running the Run Melbourne Half Marathon in his Stormtrooper suit gave Jacob the inspiration to walk across Australia while fundraising, because if he was going to put that much effort into something that made him happy, he might as well make other people happy along the way.

What began as a dream to walk across Australia – despite not liking walking – started with a passion for Star Wars. In 2011, 20-year-old Jacob set out to walk 5,000 km from Perth to Sydney over nine months. Wearing a 10 kg Stormtrooper suit helped gain attention for his fundraising for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Through 40-degree days, six weeks of rain and thunder and seven pairs of shoes, Jacob lost 11 kilograms and celebrated a lonely 21^st birthday on the Nullarbor, while raising over $100,000 for charity. He even featured on a jar of Vegemite!

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Troopertrek