ON A MISSION

THE CARS

WHILE RUMMAGING

through the glovebox of my farm-find 1979 VB Holden Commodore V8 just after I bought it, I found its original Holden owner’s guide book. There, on a parched piece of stapled paper inside the cover, was a Holden dealer’s stamp, a mid-winter date, and the name of the person who had bought this car new in 1979.

On that cold winter night in June 2020, as I read those details, I instantly decided that as soon as this Commodore was driving again, I would visit Gunnedah in northern NSW – the town on the Holden dealer stamp – and search for the original owner.

Of course, 1979 is a long time ago and in the decades since this car was bought, anything could have happened. Hopefully, the proud owner of this Commodore had been young when it was new it so possibly would be still alive. Or, maybe, it was bought for retirement, so four decades later, the owner would likely be six-foot under.

ANY EXCUSE FOR A ROAD TRIP IS A GOOD ENOUGH REASON!

I would never know unless I searched!

With that ambition, and