Larger than life Chick Schorobura is hanging up his nail bag to spend more time with wife Kay Dewar, golf and the occasional tiger, after 50 years in the construction industry.
Well-known in the Ulladulla and South Coast building industries, Zauner Construction project manager Mr Schorobura has left his mark during 38 years with the company.
“I came to town to do one job, fell in love with the place and stayed,” he told the Times.
That first job in 2004 was construction at the Milton Public School, now attended by his grandsons Luke and Connor.
Originally Victorian, Chick came from Zauner’s head office in Albury and with the support of Garry Zauner, played a major role in developing the company’s South Coast branch based in Ulladulla.
“I came to town to do one job, fell in love with the place and stayed.”
- Chick Schorobura
They occupied their first office in Boree Street from 2006 for five years, then moved to their present harbour view location near the top of the hill on the main drag.
Some of the big jobs under his management since have included the Ulladulla Civic Centre, Nowra swimming pool, Ulladulla boardwalk, Ulladulla High School stages one and two (student granddaughter Paige loves it), Goulburn Hospital Chisholm Ross Centre and its sub acute 20-bed rehabilitation centre.
“If you have met Chick you will know he is a colourful character with a tough but fair attitude, and an old school approach to getting things done,” colleague Matthew Green, Zauner’s construction manager on the South Coast said.
Mr Schorobura has overseen jobs from Eden and Bombala to Sydney and west as far as Crookwell and along the way has won a number of Master Builders’ awards with the local branch and at Albury.
From his full time position, he has in the last few weeks moved into wrapping up some final projects as a consultant.
“Just a few contracts, tidying up a few things and I’ve just built a house at Milton so that will keep me busy,” he said.
“You know what a builder’s house is like - never finished.”
- Chick Schorobura
“You know what a builder’s house is like - never finished,” he joked.
He is looking forward to having some more time to spend with his wife Kay and playing some golf - “handicap needs work”.
Mr Green said the South Coast office’s young team will carry on strongly. Chick agrees and to add a bit of hyperbole, says he will occasionally visit some tigers with them. The team is building the new Sumatran tiger enclosure at Taronga Zoo.
“We’ve just started that job so every now and then I’ll drop in on the boys and see how they’re going,” he said.
“I have made a lot of great friends in the town.”
More than 100 of them, along with work colleagues will farewell Chick at Mollymook Beach Bowling Club on Saturday evening, August 20.
He accepts the only minor dent in his image is that as a former Victorian, his AFL sympathies are with the Hawks and since Rugby League headed south, the Melbourne Storm.
