Alice Pung's article "24/7" (October) contains the startlingly specific description, "The car park was jammed with HD Holdens and Valiants ..." (emphasis added). Cultural literacy is much discussed these days, an adjunct to the so-called history wars. Should people aspiring to Australian citizenship know about Don Bradman and his Test-batting average (99.94), or when Patrick White won his Nobel? Pung excels here. Generally, only Aussie blokes born soon after World War II know the two-letter codes that identify successive models of Holdens. The HD followed the iconic EH and preceded the lacklustre HR. What was distinctive about the HD? It was the first Holden to have curved side windows.

However, if Pung aspired to true Australian automotive cultural literacy, she would have included the code for the contemporary Valiant. Holden literacy is widespread; Valiant literacy is restricted to a tiny clique of devotees.

Thanks to you and Alice Pung for an entertaining article.