The Holden signs that once stood proudly above the Bussell Highway were brought down for good on September 23, 2020 as General Motors pulls Holden from the Australian marketplace.
In 1945, Jack Fennessy started a Ford dealership next to his Plume service station.
It was relinquished in 1962 by his four sons Peter, Dick, Michael and John who took on Holden.
Peter took over the business at 19 years old and the family were nurtured and mentored by business people in the community.
Fennesy's owner Ray Mountney said they built up what was one of the key brands in Australia in Busselton and throughout the region.
"It was a sad day for us to see the signs pulled down and the old signs from 25 years ago painted on the wall," he said.
"We've sold cars to three generations of families.
"We bought it at its peak in terms of market share but then Nissan became a very good brand for Fennesy Nissan.
"Our people really lifted from what was a Holden dealership with a bolt on Nissan brand to being 50/50 Nissan and Holden."
A Senate Inquiry into the exit of Holden from Australia is now underway, but Mr Mountney has doubts whether it would hold any jurisdiction in the US, where General Motors is located.
"I cannot change the direction of Holden but the issue I will have is trying to get my customers a fair cut when a manufacturer is not trying to do it," he said.
"That is sad, very sad."
Mr Mountney said the customers and dealers of Holden had been left in a terrible dilemma in terms of servicing customers who already had the product.
"The dealers need to figure out where to for himself in what is one of the most congested and competitive markets," he said.
"The market share for Holden has continued to decline for the last 20 years - month in, month out, year in, year out - to the point where in its old days towns like Bunbury would have two Holden dealers.
"Holden held 30 per cent of the share and people probably bought a Ford or a Holden.
"Of course Australia now imports everything, at 2 per cent of the world's car market we have more product than any country in the world."
Mr Mountney said the enormously powerful thing for them was that Busselton continued to grow and he has been planning to take his car dealership to the next level.
"Whether the Holden brand is here or not Busselton is a destination you would expect to have a full compliment of dealers that sell and service cars," he said.
"We have opportunities on this site we have been working on for years, including with Holden executives, about the development of this site to have a double sized workshop with Ford, Nissan and Holden sales facilities independently to really go to the next level.
"This is inline with the town not just having 20,000 people but having 40,000 to 100,000 and having international and domestic flights coming in and out, and rent-a-cars.
"All of that is opportunity and it needs to be serviced.
"We are training our people and have six apprentices in training, tools, equipment, facilities, millions of dollars, time and commitment to brands going forward.
"That is why we bought Muir and will have Muir Ford here bolted into the business, we will now be Muir Ford and Nissan and possibly something else as we go forward.
"From the embers of a fire comes new growth."
