The Greenwood Military Aviation Museum wouldn’t be what it is today without its volunteers. With over 20 volunteers coming in two mornings a week, using their skills to work on their respective projects, the museum is always sporting something new – a fresh coat of paint on a plane or a new exhibit!
But, who are these volunteers? What makes them come back week after week? Marc Beaulac has the answer. Beaulac joined the military in 1976 as an airframe technician working on fighters. Three years into his career, he participated in a program to become a navigation officer. Beaulac worked as a navigation officer for 19 years before retiring in 1998. After leaving the military, Beaulac moved to the United States. Years later, he decided to purchase a house in Nova Scotia and moved back part-time. This move led Beaulac to start volunteering at the museum.
When asked what his favourite part about volunteering was, Beaulac’s answer was simple but meaningful: “volunteering is giving back,” he says. “Giving time is free.”
It’s clear to anyone Beaulac is serious when he talks about his devotion to his volunteer work, seeing as the museum is not his only gig. He also volunteers with Team Rubicon, a non-profit disaster response organization that helps communities before, during and after natural disasters and crises. Beaulac has worked with Team Rubicon during several of the Maritimes’ biggest disasters, from clearing the streets in P.E.I and Nova Scotia after Hurricane Fiona to sifting through the ashes of the wildfires in Tantallon.
Beaulac is currently working on refurbishing the museum’s C45 Expeditor with some other volunteers in the museum’s workshop. The restoration team consists of Darren Scott (team leader), Beaulac, Bob Lorenez, Dan Daigle, Bill Flinn, Malcolm Uhlman and a few others. The team has redone the cockpit of the Expeditor, including the instrument panel, to have a more 1950s style. The cabin was completely stripped and redone, and now sports new cushions and backrests for comfort. The team’s next task is to mount the radial engines. Once finished, the aircraft will be a static display in the museum’s airpark for visitors to explore.
