BELWOOD – Pete Thorn fondly recalls taking trips to Florida as a child with his family and his cousins in an old Chevrolet Suburban.
Twenty years ago, Thorn bought a ‘66 Suburban of his own and refurbished it.
“It’s a real passion for me, putting old vehicles together. I built a truck (a ‘63 Chevrolet) with my oldest son.”
Thorn is also building a ‘64 GMC 4×4 truck with his youngest son.
He said he grew up in an automotive environment and was around car racing all his life.
When Belwood resident and car enthusiast Ron May asked Thorn and a few other locals to help him raise funds for his wife and daughter’s mission trip to Tanzania, it was decided that a car show could be a good way to do it.
It was a success.
“The next year, we thought, ‘well, let’s do it again’,” Thorn said.
When the show started making money, the club decided to help the Centre Wellington Food Bank.
“It really brought the community together in a great way,” Thorn said.
Thorn, Heath and Laurie Bullock, Kevin MacLean, Ron May and his father Elwin May who passed away in 2021, were all founding members of the Belwood Lake Car Club.
“Elwin was a person that inspired me. I loved him dearly. He was a beautiful man. He used to be with the Belwood Lions as well,” Thorn said.
Elwin May was an International Lions Club Melvin Jones Fellowship Award recipient. The award reconizes members who embody the clubs’ humanitarian ideas.
Tears sprang to Thorn’s eyes as he recalled Elwin’s care and love for the community.
“He was a very inspirational person,” said Thorn.
“I’d see him come and do things in his spare time. He’d come down here and take care of all this, cut the grass with his mower … things that made such a difference.
“And I thought, ‘what do you do with your time?’”
Thorn said Elwin and local musician Bill Beatty taught him a lot about volunteerism.
“They both said that the community had always supported their businesses, and they wanted to give back,” Thorn said.
The not-for-profit club of about 35 members and has completed community projects like fabricating monkey bars, making bike racks and updating the washrooms to be handi-capable in Belwood’s Maple Park.
Thorn said last year the People’s Choice Award went to a vehicle that had been made “handi-capable.”
“We thought, we don’t have a picnic table or anything that this gentleman can eat at,” Thorn said.
Within a few weeks, Thorn and a team put together two new handi-capable picnic tables at the pavilion in the park.
Thorn and the club have reached out to the Township of Centre Wellington with plans of prospective projects and the township has provided materials like lumber and hardware.
“People don’t know. If you have a community project, take it to the township, they can help with supplies,” Thorn said.
“The township provided all the wood for the new bleachers; our crew went in there and stripped out all the old wood and took it to the dump and put in the new wood.”
Of Thorn, May said, “Pete makes a terrific president. He’s non-judgmental, inclusive and fair. He’s really good at it.”
Blaire Bouwman of Belwood, her fiancé Keith Howlett and their 12-year-old daughter Skye are all club members.
Making a difference – Members of the Belwood Lake Car Club make one of their yearly donations to the Centre Wellington Food Bank. From left: Gord Woods, Ken Varley, Bob Hogan, Lawrence Howlett, Keith Howlett, Skye Bouwman, Liam Smith, Blaire Bouwman, Brad Patton, Cary Varley. Kneeling: Food bank manager Curt McQueen and Pete Thorn.
Bouwman said monthly club meetings are often held at members’ homes.
“Pete started that two years ago,” she said.
“It gives the member an opportunity to go in depth about their passion and their car.”
Skye enjoys going to retirement homes like Wellington Terrace to show seniors the classic cars “because it makes the residents happy.
“It might have been a car they had when they were younger. It just makes your heart really warm inside.”
Upcoming plans include building a gate in Belwood’s ball diamond fence for easier accessibility.
Bouwman said the club is like one big family, noting, “If you need anything, someone will be there.”
Thorn and May said club members don’t have to be from Belwood.
“We’ve got people from Mount Forest, Fergus, Elora and Hillsburgh and Rockwood,” Thorn said.
To be a member, “you don’t even have to own a car,” May added.
And while the car show attracts hundreds of classic and antique vehicles, there is no set criteria.
“One year, the People’s Choice Award went to a guy from Rockwood who built a small tank out of plywood.
“It had a Briggs and Stratton motor,” May added.
“If you think it’s cool, you can bring it. Whatever it is – could even be a motorcycle.”
Thorn said the club and its work are “incredible. It’s bringing smiles to everybody in the neighbourhood.”
Thorn said the club brings enthusiasts together, “but with a good reason.”
There is no charge for the car show, but food and financial donations to the food bank are encouraged.
“We’ve been lucky to have some good sponsorship … and there’s been lots of people from the community that donated prizes.”
Thorn praised Bouwman and Howlett for “shaking the bushes” to get sponsors.
Cardinal Meats of Brampton is a major sponsor of the club, donating the hamburgers, hotdogs and peameal bacon for the barbecue at the club’s car show.
Members have donated things like portable toilets and speakers for the show.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. All the members want to donate their time or donate something.”
Thorn said he always wanted to teach his kids about “being good stewards for the community.
“I used to drag my boys down here to the lake when the water would go down, and we’d clean up the lake.”
Thorn said they’ve found tires and old TVs amongst the refuse he would then take to the dump.
When his kids asked him why he was paying to dump the trash he said, “Well, somebody’s got to do it.”
The club takes care of a two-kilometer stretch of Wellington Road 18. “We may have to change that. We’ve got that ditch really clean now,” Thorn joked.
“If you want to make a difference, be a part of that change. Do something,” Thorn said.
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This profile is part of the Township of Centre Wellington Community Connects initiative and is supported by the Advertiser. Visit: centrewellington.ca/communityconnect.
