"...reading pages and pages of posts..." Hi, Gord. Read the assorted Sticky's, especially the 'Newbie FAQ's' and the Newbies and Mentors - BC, first. You'll find a fair number of members from your Island with local info too. Shooters tend to bend over backwards to help a new shooter. When, not if, you run into a rectal orifice(they're everywhere) on a range, ignore him.
And just because you're new doesn't mean you can't help another member. Even if it's just seeing something, somewhere, that a member is looking for. Actually moreso. It's a 'boots-on-the-ground' thing.