In what must be some sort of ownership record, Col recently bought his 35th Holden! It's a VS Commodore ute.

A self-confessed Holden fanatic, Col - 58 and retired - has been driving on the roads since he was 17.

"You name a Holden and I've had it - Viva, Torana, Brougham, Premier, Gemini, Commodore, wagons ... I've had everything," Col said.

"I've always loved cars, but especially utes. This is about my 10th ute and it's a beautiful machine. I pretty much use it simply as a car, but I pop my rod and gear in the tray when I go to catch a fish.

"I like anything mechanical. When I was a little dude on the family farm my parents bought me a pedal car and then they could never get me out of it. I drove tractors as soon as I was strong enough to push the clutch.

"I go to the Sydney and Brisbane motor shows nearly every year, wouldn't miss our local motor show at Alstonville (near Lismore) and quite often go down to Coffs Harbour as well," he said.

Most of Col's working life was spent at the Holden dealership in Casino - for many years he ferried new Holdens from Brisbane to the northern NSW cattle town - but he always paid full price for his vehicles. "I only got a discount on accessories," Col said.

He's traded his vehicles virtually every year, never keeping one longer than two years.

There's always a strong market for Col's used vehicles. "People know they're getting a car that's been very well looked after," he said.