Page 40 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Jan-Feb 2019

PEOPLE MATTER
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40 Smoko With Lozo • 41 The Right Direction
PAINT&PANEL JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
SMOKO WITH LOZO
“OK GUYS PLEASE GO EASY ON ME, THIS IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT WRITING SOMETHING OTHER THAN AN ESTIMATE SINCE I LEFT SCHOOL,” SAYS STEVE LOZENKOVSKI – LOZO.
OME OF YOU MAY KNOW ME
from the Bears group, I’ve been in the trade for almost 20 years and worked my way from an apprentice to running my own smash company. Over the years I’ve met some pretty interesting characters and been involved in all the ups and downs that is the panel game. I got out of the game last year and chatting to Sam Street in Melbourne at L!VE this year I was telling her how, more than any-
thing, I miss the people.
This trade has some weird and won-
derful characters that you just don’t
in anywhere else. So the idea for thi column was born. We all have that
one bloke in the shop that has a story
at Monday smoko about his weekend or that’s just a bloody legend. So I’m ditching the business shirt and letting my hair down to give interviewing a crack, here goes...
For my first story I decided to
start close to home with a champi-
on known only as Boogie. I’m sure
he wasn’t born Boogie but he’ll tell
you that’s his name and who am I
to argue? I met Boogie when I was a
first year apprentice. He was quiet
at first and no one was game enough to give him stick. As the weeks went on we quickly figured
out this bloke was gold. A true champion of the trade that had tried everything from scaffing to plumbing, but always came back to his drug of choice - panel beating.
I’m sure he wasn’t born Boogie but he’ll
tell you that’s his name and who am I to argue?”
He tells me that he reckons he’s worked on over 300 cars in his back shed since the late '80s, with a few of them making it to the big stage at the Nats. He’s a Ford fan and has built and owned a few GTs over the years, we talk about if he had kept even one of them, he could probably sell up and retire now. I don’t believe him though, he’s not the kind of guy to stop tinkering with cars, he just loves 'em.
Besides working on customs after hours, he’s also been known as the work- shop clown. This bloke can turn it up and make even a shop manager laugh. Magic tricks are his speciality and he reminds me of his signature trick performing “the Elephant”. The trick consists of pulling the pockets in his trousers out like ears and, well, I’ll let you work out the rest. I’ve per- sonally seen the trick more times than I’d like to remember, but it never gets old if you're having shitty day.
On my travels I’ve figured out that most shops have a Boogie and that’s what I want to tap into, if you have an unsung hero of the trade at your place, please drop me a line and I’ll do my best to give 'em a plug.
Email:steve@bearsgroup.com.au Hope you enjoyed. Lozo.
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FROM LEFT: Lozo with Boogie
ABOVE: Ford GT