A centre, wing, and second five-eighth, Thorne represented Auckland at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1967 to 1970.

[4] After his playing career, Thorne worked as a sports commentator for Television New Zealand, often appearing alongside Keith Quinn.

[9] Thorne described his unsuccessful Christchurch candidacy as due to "not thinking clearly at the time" but that he had generally "given [his] best when elected to public office.

[9] The care of his son distracted Thorne from his local government duties and he was criticised for refusing to resign.

[8] Son Bruce died when his four wheel drive vehicle overturned near Bloemfontein in South Africa in December 2009.