Holden fans in the North East have been left saddened by the looming closure of the National Holden Museum, which once found a home in Wangaratta.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Owners of the Echuca drawcard Tony and Mark Galea, announced last week they would shut the museum in April and much of the collection, including cars, would be auctioned in May.
"We're not selling it because it was not financially viable," Tony Galea told The Border Mail.
"The business does great here, we get a lot of tourists, but we're just tired.
"We work seven days a week, all year round and there's only two of us here and we want more family time."
Mr Galea said the business had been for sale through a broker since last August but after that proved fruitless it had been decided to sell off cars, motorcycles, signage, GMH fittings, signs and prototypes through Melbourne auctioneers Burns & Co.
The business name "National Holden Museum" will also be sold off by the Galeas who have owned the enterprise since 2017.
It has been in Echuca since 1993 but began as the Hughes Brothers collection of Holdens in Melbourne in 1984.
Mr Galea said in the intervening years it was based at the Bendigo Pottery and the Airworld museum at Wangaratta which also housed planes and bicycles.
Former president of Wangaratta's Early Holden Car Club Lester Hilli, who spoke to Mr Galea about the closure on Monday, January 22, was downcast at the move.
"It's a sad event for Holden, unfortunately we're losing another icon with that museum which was very popular," Mr Hilli said.
Wodonga Holden enthusiast Shannon Koschel, who owns an EJ sedan and VT and VY Commodores, was also miffed by the loss of the museum.
"It's a bit disappointing and it's a bit of a blow to the car community because I know a fair few people who had their cars there on display, on loan," Mr Koschel said.
He then recalled a Western Australian who drove his car to Echuca for an EH All State Run and then flew home after deciding to loan his Holden to the museum for six months.
"It will be sad the collection isn't kept together," Mr Koschel said.
"I think with the way the car community is going these days, all those will be picked up by car collectors who will look after them and hopefully some of them will be shown through car clubs so we can see them."
Mr Galea said some owners who had loaned cars to the museum had told him they planned to sell their vehicles as part of the auction process.
The museum houses 51 models with an estimated 12 to 20, including a HK GTS Monaro, likely to be auctioned on-site at Echuca on Saturday, May 18.
The last day of opening for the museum will be Sunday, April 14.
Mr Galea said he had been left emotional and teary at the response to the revelation of the closure and had welcomed the heartfelt comments made in-person and online.
