The Remarkable Story of General Motors Holden

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Tue 20 May 2025

From Local Business and the Great Depression to Engine of the War Economy

Discover the fascinating history of General Motors Holden, from its humble beginnings as a leather supply store to its key role in World War II. Founded in King William Street in the 1850s, Holden started as a saddlery before transitioning into the automotive industry. 

As the Great Depression hit, it became a subsidiary of the United States corporation, General Motors; and under its new transnational management it became one of the dynamic engines driving the war economy in 1940-45, a mobilisation that some think to have been Australia’s most important contribution to victory against Japan. . Holden was thus well positioned to win the right to make the all-Australian car after the war.   

This lecture will be presented by Joan Beaumont, an academic and historian. Joan Beaumont graduated in 1969 from Adelaide University with a History Honours degree. She is currently a professor emeritus at the Australian National University. She has published extensively on the Australian experience of war, including the award-winning Broken Nation: Australians in the Great War. Her definitive study of Australia in the Great Depression was published in 2022. 

Located at Hetzel Lecture Theatre, Institute Building (Ground floor), corner of Kintore Avenue and North Terrace, Adelaide, this FREE event will be on Tuesday, 20 May 2025, starting at 12 pm to 1 pm. Book here . For any questions regarding the event, please reach out to the Royal South Australian Society of Arts on telephone number (08) 82320450 or email at [email protected].



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