On from now until 22^nd June, this exhibition of all things Holden Cars, can be seen at the State Library of SA.

Most Australians have a soft spot for Holdens and like a lot of fans, my husband had a fair range of models over the years. Etched in his memory forever, he tearfully remembers an FC sedan, HG Monaro, EH sedan, HG Premier, HK Brougham, LJ Torana and VB Commodore.

Sadly it’s one of those things that you can only reminisce about now and wish that you’d had the space and money to have kept them all. I have memories from the HG Premier onwards, including learning to drive in the HK Brougham, but that’s a whole other story!

Car enthusiasts will no doubt love this nostalgic look back at the car that had a ‘profound impact on the national psyche’.

The exhibition is called ‘Rear Vision’ and features the library’s collection of photos, and documents as well as contributions from former employees of General Motors Holden, which operated from a manufacturing facility in Elizabeth SA from 1963 to 2017.

Prior to the Elizabeth plant, Holden’s Motor Body Builders Ltd established a plant at Woodville in SA in 1923 which grew to a site of over 40 acres and employed over 5,500 people. The first Holden car was completed at the Woodville plant in 1948 but eventually the equipment was moved to the Elizabeth plant and Woodville operated as a producer of replacement parts for discontinued models, until the plants complete closure in the 1980s.

The exhibition at the state library includes a look into the manufacturers operations, workforce, and technological innovations.

For the real Holden fanatics, make sure to visit the library on specific Saturdays coming up where you’ll be able to see certain models on display in the forecourt, thanks to car and enthusiasts clubs in SA. Dates still to see these Holden showcases are Saturday 29^th March when the Monaro Car Club will have a display and Saturday 12^th April for the Commodore and Classic Holden Enthusiasts display.

Rear Vision: The Holden Collection exhibition is on from now until 22^nd June 2025.

For interest, if you want to see the very last vehicle that rolled off the Holden production line on October 20 2017, a ‘Red Hot’ VF Holden Commodore SS V Redline, it’s in the collection at the National Motor Museum, at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills.

While you’re at the State Library, be sure to drop in to see the iconic Mortlock Chamber which is a beautifully preserved late Victorian era library that was opened in 1884 and today is still used for exhibitions and as a quiet study area.

It is consistently voted as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world and it still contains historic elements such as the desk where Sir Josiah Symon worked when he drafted the Australian constitution, and a clock at the southern end of the chamber, which was made by the same clockmaker as Big Ben. It is wound every week by hand.

Entry to the State Library and Mortlock Chamber on North Terrace is free and the library is open from 10am to 5pm weekdays and 12-5pm on weekends.

Enjoy

Glenys