 | |
| Author | Royce Kurmelovs |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Hachette Australia |
Publication date | 2016 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 317 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7336-3578-6 (Paperback) |
The Death of Holden: The End of an Australian Dream is a 2016 book by Royce Kurmelovs.
The Death of Holden is an in-depth report into the closure of Australian manufacturing operations by Holden. The Death of Holden investigates how such a popular car, often considered a seminal Australian brand, could not sustain local manufacturing operations. It considers the broader future of manufacturing in Australia and the impact on workers and their communities. [1]
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Steven Carroll describes The Death of Holden as "a case study of modern economics in action." [2]
Patrick Mullins wrote in Books+Publishing that "Kurmelovs is at his best when he records the plaintive, angry, nostalgic, and stoic workers he meets and interviews," but due to lack of access, "falters when he goes after the politicians and car companies." [3]
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, South Australia, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last three years, it switched entirely to importing cars. It was headquartered in Port Melbourne, with major industrial operations in the states of South Australia and Victoria. The 164-year-old company ceased trading at the end of 2020.
Peter Philip Carey AO is an Australian novelist.
Peter Geoffrey Brock, known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other manufacturers including BMW, Ford, Volvo, Porsche and Peugeot. He won the Bathurst 1000 endurance race nine times, the Sandown 500 touring car race nine times, the Australian Touring Car Championship three times, the Bathurst 24 Hour once and was inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame in 2001. Brock's business activities included the Holden Dealer Team (HDT) that produced Brock's racing machines as well as a number of modified high-performance road versions of his racing cars.
Peter John FitzSimons is an Australian author, journalist, and radio and television presenter. He is a former national representative rugby union player and was the chair of the Australian Republic Movement from 2015 to 2022.
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–1954), who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career (1901). She bequeathed her estate to fund this award. As of 2016, the award is valued at A$60,000.
The following lists events that happened during 1966 in Australia.
Rick Kelly is an Australian professional racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship. He last drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang GT for Kelly Racing. Previously, he drove for the HSV Dealer Team with whom he won the Bathurst 1000 alongside Greg Murphy in 2003 and 2004. In 2006, Kelly extended his success by winning the V8 Supercar Championship for the HSV Dealer Team. His older brother Todd Kelly was also a racing driver who won the Bathurst 1000 in 2005. His parents John and Margaret Kelly formed Kelly Racing in 2009 with Rick and Todd Kelly as lead drivers, expanding to a 4 car operation.
Toyota Australia is an Australian subsidiary of the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota. It markets Toyota products and manages motorsport, advertising and business operations for Toyota in Australia. It is also responsible for Lexus vehicles in Australia.
Steven Carroll is an Australian novelist. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria and studied at La Trobe University. He has taught English at secondary school level, and drama at RMIT. He has been Drama Critic for The Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne.
The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the Australian Literature Society, then from 1983 by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, when the two organisations were merged.
Anthony Lawrence Longhurst is an Australian racing driver and former Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series. Longhurst is a two-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, winning the event in 1988 with Tomas Mezera and in 2001 with Mark Skaife, and is one of only five drivers to win Bathurst in both a Ford and a Holden.
Charlie & Boots is a 2009 Australian film starring Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson. It had the best opening weekend for any Australian film in 2009 when it was released on Father's Day. The film features many small towns in country Australia. It also has a cameo by Reg Evans, who died in the 2009 Victorian bushfires before the film was released, and the film is dedicated to the victims of the fires.
A substantial car industry was created in Australia in the 20th century through the opening of Australian plants by international manufacturers. The first major carmaker was Ford Australia and the first Australian-designed mass production car was manufactured by Holden in 1948. Australian manufacture of cars rose to a maximum of almost half a million in the 1970s and still exceeded 400,000 in 2004. Australia was best known for the design and production of 'large' sized passenger vehicles. By 2009 total production had fallen to around 175,000 and the Australian market was dominated by cars imported from Asia and Europe.
Richard Beasley is an Australian barrister, novelist and nonfiction writer.
Neville Alexander Crichton is a New Zealand-born Australian businessman who was also a competitor in Australasian motor and yacht racing.
Steven Amsterdam is an American writer. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he also works as a palliative care nurse.
Gareth Powell was a Welsh-born Australian publisher, journalist, author, and editor.
Michael Mohammed Ahmad is an Australian novelist, teacher and community arts worker.
The Horne Prize was an Australian award presented by Aēsop and The Saturday Paper from 2016 to 2020 for a literary essay of up to 3000 words on Australian life. The prize was valued at $15,000 (Australian) and named in honour of Donald Horne (1921–2005) in recognition of his contribution to literature and journalism in Australia. The inaugural winner was Anna Spargo-Ryan for The Suicide Gene.