The following piece was written by Helen Parker, a Starlight volunteer at the Sydney function of the Premiership Cup Tour.

I'll admit it, when the Melbourne office called me to tell me that Hawthorn Football Club were touring the Country with their 2013 and 2014 Premiership Cups, my first thought was......lets just say......not a positive one! As a long-term Swans supporter, how dare they rub it in our faces I thought!! But then the Melbourne office told me that Hawthorn were offering their fans and supporter base a chance to come and have their photo taken holding the Cups in return for a gold coin donation to Starlight. We were asked if we could provide some volunteers at each location to have a Starlight presence and collect the gold coins.

Having attended the Sydney event on the weekend, I can honestly say, not only am I so incredibly grateful that Hawthorn have chosen Starlight as their official charity on their journey around Australia but I very nearly converted and joined the ranks of their loyal and committed membership base!!

First there was the sheer number of people who came on the day - being in Sydney, the home of the Swans, and with the rivalries between the two clubs going back long before Mr Franklin, I did not expect to see so many people give up their Saturday to line up (in a very, very long line that went out the door, curled around, upstairs and onto the rooftop area) and wait patiently for their chance to hold the Cups. Not just that commitment in itself, but more than that, they were happy to be spending their weekend supporting their Club like that, well it reminded me of our Starlight volunteers!

Then there was the generosity. A gold coin we said - 'Here, have $5', 'have $10', 'just take everything in my wallet', 'do you take credit card?' - the other volunteers and myself were blown away by the generosity of the Hawthorn supporters. Many people donated on their way in and on their way out, one gentleman donated $50, people asked what other events we were attending that they could support. It was incredibly humbling, and again, reminded me of the generosity of our Starlight volunteers and supporters.

And finally there was the mood! 'Victory' was shouted more than once as the Cups were hoisted in each arm and held high, beaming with pride. The biggest question of the day seemed to be how fans would cope next year when there were three Cups to hold with only two hands! Not to worry, they'll figure it out they said. Yes, the video of the Grand Final game being played on replay over and over again possibly contributed to the jubilation amongst the crowd (I myself kept staring at the screen somehow hoping it would turn out differently....) everyone chatted happily with the people in line in front of them and behind them.

It was just an overall great day, and yes, it reminded me of our Starlight supporters. So positive. So enthusiastic.

Highlight of the Day #1 - Hawthorn even allowing the event to happen. Many clubs across all sports take the Premiership Cups so seriously (in the National Hockey League in America, it is considered wrong by many to even touch the Stanley Cup if you are not a player of a team who has won it!) that it was fantastic to see Hawthorn valuing their supporters so highly that they are willing to let somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000 fans across the country lift the Cups high, put their babies in there, pretend to drink out of them to take selfies and new profile pics and share in the glory. It is easy to see why the fans motto is 'Always Hawthorn'.

Highlight of the Day #2 - The 4 year old boy wearing a Swans jersey in a sea of close to 1000 Hawthorn fans. His brother was a Hawks fan and when they made their way to the front of the line they both got up there together to hold a Cup each for a photo. A great pic.

Sincere thanks to Hawthorn Football Club for their support and also Derry and Riad for giving up their Saturday to volunteer with Starlight - amazing, as always!

My Starlight is a website especially for Starlight volunteers and supporters. An online community where members can connected and share their Starlight stories, sign up to volunteer.

Helen accepts donations from Hawks fans in Sydney during the Premiership Cup Tour.