How stickers are helping fight the bushfires

AN RAAF pilot is using all his spare time on a retro pilot vintage sticker business that’s already raised more than $8000 for New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

James Tockuss has created a bunch of retro stickers and has raised money for the bushfire victims and fireys. Picture: Cordell Richardson

AN RAAF pilot is using all his spare time on a retro pilot vintage sticker business that’s already raised more than $8000 for New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

James Tockuss, 29, C-17 Globemaster III has flown transport planes out of RAAF Amberley but discovered a passion as a graphic designer about five years ago.

“I’ve been in the RAAF for almost 10 years now; about five years ago, I started doing some graphic design stuff,” he said.

“I do it as a bit of a side hustle. I make these aviation, retro-themed stickers and I ship them out everywhere.”

Mr Tockuss said the oddest place he sent stickers to was Antarctica, offloading 20 of his designs.

“I think they’re just enthusiasts down there,” Mr Tockuss chuckled.

James Tockuss has created a bunch of retro stickers and has raised money for the bushfire victims and fireys. Picture: Cordell Richardson

His latest batch of stickers illustrates firefighting aircraft in action in slick retro styling.

“For this one, we’re donating $10 from every pack sold to the NSW RFS. We’ve sold almost 850 packs now in four days which is about $8500, which is awesome,” Mr Tockuss said.

“We’re trying to get to $10,000 which we think we’ll smash because the campaign doesn’t end until the end of the month.”

Mr Tockuss said the designs came simply to him because he’s a pilot and he likes that retro style.

“I did one and it just blew up on Facebook so I thought I better do a whole set, I thought there was a chance to raise a fair bit of money there.”

Mr Tockuss said when the fires reached Mallacoota was when he became inspired to do what he could to help.

For those looking to purchase, head to the Retropilot Facebook page, or retro-pilot.com/products/pre-order-firefighters

Originally published as