Holden on with life membership

SMURF CAR LEADS TO LIFE MEMBERSHIP: Don 'Poppa' Lockwood with his restored and customised 1954 FJ Holden.

MOUNT Gambier’s Holdens of Age Car Club has two new life members.

Don ‘Poppa’ Lockwood and Bronwyn Johnston were recently presented with life memberships by club President Roger Johnston assisted by Vice President and life member David Johnston along with club member Lenni Buhse who travelled from Adelaide especially for the occasion.

It was Mr Buhse who first introduced Mr Lockwood to the club after he purchased his 1954 FJ Holden from a local police officer in 2007.

A retired mechanic, Mr Lockwood said he had been looking for an FJ as a project car for awhile because he had fond memories growing up with one in Mount Gambier.

A self confessed ‘bit of a lad’ back then, Mr Lockwood said he’d had a couple of bingles with his FJ from his younger years, including rolling it, but he’d long wanted to own another.

Local knowledge led him to a ‘barn find’ with the car stored unused in a shed for a number of years.

“Everything was on it, nothing was missing, it was a complete car,” said Mr Lockwood.

Having purchased the car, he was looking for guidance as to how to restore it and Mr Buhse led him towards the Holdens of Age Car Club and eight years later Mr Lockwood completed the restoration and customisation of his FJ driving it for the first time on the road on Australia Day 2015.

Mr Lockwood painted his car blue to remind him of the FJ from his youth and it soon took on the name of Smurf as the shade of blue reflects that of the blue comic character of that name from the 1980’s.

“Poppa Smurf is the name of the car but it sort of rubbed off onto me so people call me Poppa now too,” said Mr Lockwood.

Mr Lockwood’s life membership recognised his continued participation and attendance at local and away club event with his car seen at many car displays, along with Don’s co-driver Bob Widdison.

The latest event the pair attended in the blue FJ was at Horsham and Minyip in Victoria last weekend.

Mr Lockwood said the car prompts much admiration and many stories of FJ’s from reminiscing older people.

“It makes me happy when Bob and I see the smile on people’s faces,” Mr Lockwood said.

Bronwyn Johnston joined the Holdens of Age Club in 2003 as the girlfriend of her now husband, David, after the pair met at a Holden event in Shepparton.

She became a member in her own right in 2007 and has attended most meetings since.

Currently serving as the club’s treasurer, a position she has held for 10 years, she has previously served as assistant treasurer and club captain.

Formed in April 1999, the Mount Gambier Holdens of Age Car Club is for Holden vehicles that are at least 21 years old.

With nearly every model of old Holden represented among its membership of about 48, the club meets at 7.30pm on the last Wednesday of each month at the South Aussie Hotel and club runs are also held once a month.