Production at Holden's Elizabeth plant in Adelaide ceased on Friday, putting 955 people out of work.
Former project engineer Bill Gallagher, who retired from the company in 1986, is sad to see the loss of Australia’s car industry.
"Not only are all those people going to be out of work, obviously, and you’ve got all their knowledge," he said.
"There is nowhere else they can use that type of knowledge because no one else makes cars anymore."
The 87-year-old said Holden was a "terrific" place to spend his career, which included several trips to General Motors headquarters in Flint, Michigan.
"I could say nothing bad about Holdens at all."
When the company first opened the manufacturing plant at Elizabeth in northern Adelaide, it also fostered a growing community.
The suburb, named after the Queen, grew to become the home of Australian motoring royalty, manufacturing models such as the Commodore and Cruze.
"When they opened up the plant, the Elizabeth town was probably only three or four hundred houses," Mr Gallagher said.
"And almost everyone who owned one of those houses worked for Holden."
By the 1950s, working at General Motors Holden was a popular choice for many migrants seeking a new life after World War II.
Claude Feltrin's father Alessandro was among the many Italian migrants who found work there.
"Basically, as soon as he arrived, he started working the next day."
Alessandro’s three older brothers were also employed there.
"They had a lot of respect for it because it changed their lifestyle," Mr Feltrin said.
"They came from [being] poor to being able to live in a modern city, and have a lot of things they could never afford back home."
He said his father stayed loyal to the company for the rest of his life, and rose to foreman of the body shop, despite having limited English.
"It’s not bad for a man who couldn’t read or write English or Italian, to become foreman at Holden. It’s quite an achievement.”
