I have come to this conclusion after hearing last week that the Holden brand, in terms of new ones coming off the line, is to become extinct.
Had that notion been bandied about 20 years ago you'd be snorted and sniffed at, and rightly so, for Holdenhad always been around and always would be.
It was as Aussie as a wombat.
As Aussie as a six-pack of VB and if VB ever becomes extinct then like a great slice of the Victorian population, I will likely require some form of intensive therapy.
The foundations of Aussiedom that you kind of just take for granted as always being there.
The Holdens started rolling out in the late 40s, although the Holden name first appeared way over a century ago. Mr Holden made saddles, I believe.
So there's quite a slab of history there, and the only bright side to the loss of new Holdens coming off the line is the fact that history stays in place.
They will remain in the automotive history books for ever and ever.
And in the memories of many owners through the years.
Yep, the name will always stay - like Hillman and Humber 80.
And Vauxhall Viva.
They're still around despite their assembly lines having been put to bed a thousand years ago, or whenever it was.
I remember seeing Holdens when I was a kid, so I guess they would have been the grand old FJ, which started coming ashore here in 1954.
Then there were FBs and FCs and pretty well everybody knew somebody who either had a Holden or had had a Holden.
They looked grand to me because the things with names like Premier and EJ and Kingswood looked larger than life, and they went pretty good.
Roger Moroney is an award-winning journalist for Hawke's Bay Today and observer of the slightly off-centre.
In the late 60s few kids attending high school had a car, unlike today.
But a couple did and one was a Holden.
Had to be.
It was, as they say, rough as guts but it went okay and despite the fact someone had jemmied off the metal "Holden" tags we all knew it was an Aussie banger.
That kid would have surely had the sensational Torana, which emerged around 1967, in his sights when he was able to earn more dosh than he did delivering papers and mowing lawns for some of his neighbours.
And when the model grandly title the Commodore arrived in the late 70s, he would have gone ballistic.
There eventually came to be an awful lot of Commodores about and they were simply part of the great motoring landscape.
Certainly part of the racing landscape too, of course.
Bathurst was a battle between the pride of Aussie, the Holden, and the upstart Fords.
Great battles were waged and the late Peter Brock became a Bathurst and Holden legend, taking nine wins at that blisteringly fast track.
Our lad Greg Murphy was also a powerful contender in his powerful Holdens and he bagged four wins there.
I met them many a year back when Brockie was out this way for promotional gigs, encompassing Holdens of course, and he was one of the most humble, smiling and agreeable chaps I have ever met.
Completely down to earth, and happy to chat to anyone who rolled up.
As was Greg who accompanied him.
And when it came to what he wanted to drive, there was never any question about it for Brockie.
His name was firmly fused in with the name of Holden.
Like the name Dick Johnson was firmly fused in with Ford.
Their battles were epic, and I guess forged the intense annual Holden vs Ford atmosphere at Bathurst.
What's going to happen there now?
GM, who steer the Holden ship, are set to take the Camaro and Corvette path as their Aussie models from next year, after about 800 Holden workers are waved goodbye.
Camaro vs Falcon?
Doesn't really sound right.
The one positive here, though, is that Holdens seem to go forever.
You tell someone your Commodore has ticked over 100,000 clicks and the response is likely to be "oh, it's only just run in".
So they'll be around for a while yet and hey, two days after the news came out that Holden was being closed down I saw a beautifully restored one from the dear old 1950s.
A name that won't go away.
Beaut, cobber.
- Roger Moroney is an award-winning journalist for Hawke's Bay Today and observer of the slightly off-centre.
