Former Holden workers sought for history project

Organised by a research team from Monash University in Melbourne and the University of Adelaide, the project will draw on the memories of those who worked at Holden between 1945 and 2017, specifically those who worked on the assembly lines and operations related to manufacturing.

Most of the subjects for the study are likely to come from South Australia, as GM-H’s operations in Woodville and, later, Elizabeth were the state’s largest private employer for much of its existence.

“Holden’s final factory closure evoked grave concern for its workers and the hundreds of smaller component manufacturers and local businesses that figuratively and literally fed its factory and workforce,” said Associate Professor Paul Sendziuk from the University of Adelaide’s School of Humanities.

“The role that workers, and the working-class communities in which they lived, played in Holden’s business warrants thorough investigation.”

In Victoria, the memories won’t be as fresh, but they will be no less valuable, according to Professor Alistair Thomson from Monash University.

“Although Melbourne’s GM-H [manufacturing] plants at Fishermen’s Bend and Dandenong closed much earlier than the South Australian plants, working for Holden is still a powerful memory for many former Victorians, especially in Melbourne’s southeast, where residential suburbs created in the 1950s and ’60s catered for Holden families,” said Professor Thomson.

“Holden’s history also illuminates the impact of postwar migration upon Australian workplaces and suburbs.”

The research team say this will be a different history of Holden compared to those published or collected previously: putting manufacturing workers at the centre of the story, rather than company operations, executives or the cars.

Men and women who worked at any of Holden’s Adelaide or Melbourne-based factories, such as Woodville, Elizabeth, Dandenong and Fishermen’s Bend, are eligible to be interviewed as part of the project.

Those with stories to share are urged to contact the research team via the project website,https://arts.adelaide.edu.au/holden-history/ , via email: [email protected], or phone: (08) 8313 6352.