A charity event set up in honour of a young father killed in a crash almost a decade ago has this year turned its attention to helping the family of another dad taken too soon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Once a year, the Riverina Thrashers embark on the Cruise for Clint - an event commemorating the life of local petrolhead Clint Rowley.
Mr Rowley was a much-loved member of the local car community - an innovator and mentor to younger members of the scene. He lost his life in a collision with a truck nine years ago.
Riverina Thrashers secretary Felicity Ellis said he was still sorely missed by members of the club.
"He was the type of person who could help with just about anything to do with cars," she said.
"He was absolutely wild, and came up with the most insane designs.
"He was very well known, especially in the burnout scene ... the way he would put his engines together was something not a lot of people have seen."
IN OTHER NEWS:
This year's Cruise for Clint will raise funds for Ebonie Dowdy, following the sudden death of her partner Blake Chown.
Mr Chown entered hospital with symptoms of tonsillitis. He was given a steroid injection, sent home and told to present at the emergency department if he was unable to swallow, or symptoms otherwise worsened.
He drove to hospital the following day, having trouble breathing. His family said he was sent home with an analgesic.
Twenty minutes after he returned, he collapsed while on the phone to emergency services.
Ms Dowdy performed CPR and paramedics continued to work on him while he was rushed to hospital.
There, he was diagnosed with epiglottitis - a swelling in the throat that obstructed his airways.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics and the emergency department, he passed away four days later.
The week after Mr Chown's death, Ms Dowdy described Blake as a good father, fiercely loyal friend, and fun-loving larrikin.
"He loved his work as a removalist ... loved his fishing, loved his beers, loved his ciggies," she said.
"He loved to annoy mum ... and he was a loving father to these terrors."
Mrs Ellis said the fact both Blake and Clint were fathers made supporting Ebonie a "no brainier".
"We always try to keep our recipients local to keep support within our community," she said.
"We also try to focus on families, so when we heard about Blake Chown's story, and what Ebonie would be dealing with at the moment, it was an absolute no brainer.
"We wanted to throw our support behind a family who had lost their dad - an experience a lot like what Clint's family had gone through when they lost him."
While the turnout was lower than some previous years, Mrs Ellis was confident they had more than 100 cars participate, and said the Uranquinty Pub was heaving with people, still ready to give money to Ebonie and her kids.
In keeping with the public health and safety supported by the event, Riverina Thrashers wanted to make sure it was a cruise, rather than hoon for Clint.
"We want to have a good relationship with the police and community, to have a club and put on events that make people proud," Mrs Ellis said.
"We're really clear around driver behaviour. You won't be welcome back if we see any dangerous behaviour.
"We're here to honour our friend, and while he was absolutely wild, he'd definitely want us to have a respectful day.
"There's a time and place for it, and at a charity event on public roads isn't it. We put on enough events where people have a chance to flex with their cars, where we have insurance and safety measures in place."
Those wishing to make a donation to help support Blake Chown's family can do so at gofund.me/43900c6f.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Download our app from the Apple Store or Google Play
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters