03/06/2026
Classic Holden Saved By Students To Help Save Others:
After more than a decade of dedication, collaboration, and craftsmanship, a rare 1986 Holden VL Commodore - once part of the iconic Waltons Department Store fleet – has hit the auction block, going under the hammer and raising $42,500 in support of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
With Holden ceasing production in Australia in 2017, the restoration gained additional significance, becoming a tribute to the legacy of Australian-made cars.
The project by TAFE NSW Wollongbar, saw automotive students breathe new life into the classic Australian vehicle. What began as an idea in 2015 evolved into a symbol of skill, passion, and local pride - culminating in a show-stopping restoration of one of Holden’s most distinctive fleet cars.
The restoration has seen the vehicle returned to its original finish, using premium PPG coatings and painstaking detailing to create a mirror-like finish. The engine, interior, trim, glass and electrics have all been either restored, replaced, or refurbished to show-quality standard.
Originally painted in “Waltons Blue” (1B-807), a colour trademarked and reserved for Waltons fleet vehicles, the Commodore was fully restored by TAFE NSW students across multiple disciplines including mechanical, panel beating, paint and upholstery. The project provided hands-on training for students while preserving a piece of Australian automotive history.
TAFE NSW Automotive Acting Team Leader Kirk Trease, whose name appears in the logbook having serviced the car himself as a young mechanic in the 1990s, said the car was stripped back to a bare shell and rebuilt better than new.
“This is a fantastic outcome for our community, highlighting the efforts of our local apprentices and contributing to the helicopter service.”
“The project has been completed over the past 15 years by teachers and students from Automotive Mechanical, Automotive Body and Refinishing trades at TAFE NSW Wollongbar.”
“This is an excellent example of how TAFE NSW can provide real-world, hands-on training for apprentices while contributing to the local community.”
“The sale of the car has meant the input from apprentices for over a decade can finally be realised and returned to benefit the community.”
“I would like to especially call out the efforts of the TAFE NSW teachers and support staff involved who lead the project, as the challenges of managing a restoration project of this scale are significant. Their stewardship and the efforts of apprentices have meant that the finished product is one of a kind,” Mr Trease said.
Auctioneers, Pickles Auctions, said they were proud to continue their involvement with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service through such an ambitious project.
“Pickles is incredibly proud to have supported this auction and to see the restored Holden Commodore raise more than $42,000 for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. It was a fantastic result for a project that brought together local skill, community spirit, and a cause that means so much to regional communities,” Matt Blanch, Pickles State Sales Manager, NSW said.
“Pickles has supported the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service for close to a decade through charity auctions, fundraising events, and broader community initiatives. We’ve seen firsthand how powerful these partnerships can be when customers, communities, and organisations come together behind a service that does such vital work. We’re grateful to have played a role in helping turn this vehicle into meaningful support for the Rescue Helicopter,” Mr Blanch said.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service welcomed the donation, that will go directly towards operations out of the Service’s Lismore base.
“The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service is extremely grateful to TAFE NSW, Pickles Auctions and the winning bidder of the auction for the $42,500 donation which will support our Service to continue our work providing the highest standard of emergency aero-medical support to the people of Northern NSW” Mr. Rob Fisher, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Acting Chief Executive Officer said.
“This is a very unique and special donation only made possible by the automotive students and teachers at TAFE NSW Wollongbar near Lismore. We deliver more than 400 lifesaving missions from our Lismore Operating Base annually and these funds will go directly into equipment, training and tooling for our local operations and engineering team,” Mr Fisher concluded.
www.rescuehelicopter.com.au
