Sumegha Agarwal, a Sydney-based freelance journalist, was one of the seven FCA members who attended the launch of The Outlawed exhibition running at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra, until March end.

On November 27, 2003, seven FCA members took up the challenge, thrown by Leanda Coleman of the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, to shake hands with the Outlaws from around the world, including Australia's own Ned Kelly.

We boarded a mini bus at Wynyard sharp at 7 am. I was one of the first to arrive at the meeting point and found Juergen Corleis puffing away, perhaps his first cigarette of the day. Juergen had been entrusted to chaperon this very punctual group of media 'outlaws'.

It was a crisp sunny day and we quickly made ourselves comfortable -- listening to music, chatting and trying to catch us with some sleep and being entertained by the bus driver's comic talent.

In Canberra, we were joined by the local media and a large number of invitees that included academicians, people from the travel and public relations amongst others. After all, it was the launch of the worlds' first major exhibition - Outlawed! The World's Rebels, Revolutionaries and Bushrangers - tracing the lives and deaths of outlaws from nine countries including Australia, aptly sponsored by Lockwood, makers of security products.

The story of Mexican revolutionary Pacho Villa was rendered in song, dance and music by performers dressed in colourful costumes. I shuffled between trying to take still pictures, record the sounds on a mini disc and at the same time eat a sandwich! I wish I had one of those photographer's jackets with hundreds of pockets.

So here are some of the Outlaws we shook hands with: Japanese outlaw Ishikawa Goemon, Sicilian separatist Salvatore Giuliano, Ned Kelly and Aboriginal bushranger Musqito and India's Phoolan Devi (Bandit Queen). These outlaws roamed the wild and the countryside during last 200 years.

Phoolan Devi's admirers applauded her as a female Robin Hood. She is the most contemporary and perhaps the only outlaw who rose above her criminal past to be elected a member of Indian parliament in 1996. Phoolan met a violent death when she was assassinated in front of her official residence in New Delhi in July 2001, a day after the museum curator Stephen Foster had dinner with her at her house in Delhi.

The Outlawed also includes 500 objects sourced from across the world which include a publican's transcript of Ned Kelly's famous Jerilderie Letter, fragments from Jesse James's coffin, Hone Heke's fighting sticks and Phoolan Devi's spinning wheel and so on. As we continued with our browsing, some huge Ned Kellys with his signature armour paced the museum concourse and were greeted by overexcited kids and adults alike.

After finishing a brief tour of the exhibition we were handed out a heavy surprise souvenir -- a medium sized shiny yellow lock - by Lockwood. I am still trying to figure out what to do with it. Alas! there are no old style latch doors around.

Later, museum's outgoing director Dawn Casey, exhibition curator Joanne Duke and media officers Leanda Coleman and Martin Portus joined us for lunch.

At 2.30, we were back on our way to Sydney. There were animated conversations as our driver related every possible Australian joke and Juergen told his stories of adventures in the erstwhile communist East Germany. Soon after 6pm, we were rushing home to meet our deadlines!

Outlawed! exhibition is on at the National Museum till 26 April 2004. It moves to Melbourne museum and will stay there from 28 May to 10 October 2004: and then goes to Queensland Museum in Brisbane from November 20, 2004 to April 3, 2005.