Alex Szokolik (1938 – 2025)
Alex Szokolik, one of the real characters of the local protective coatings industry, passed away on December 3rd at the age of 87 after a short illness. He entered the field of protective coatings in 1963, working for coatings manufacturers as a technical advisor on the correct application and utilization of heavy-duty pipeline coatings. He is best known for his research and promotion of inorganic zinc coatings which started in 1971 when he joined IMP Coatings, subsequently taken over by Dimet, who successfully marketed their inorganic zinc silicate coating technology worldwide.
In 1975, Alex joined Esso Australia, where he used his expertise in both zinc coatings and pipeline coatings. His activities expanded to include maintaining the Esso Protective Coatings Specification, reviewing coatings products and systems and providing technical support to offshore maintenance and new construction projects. After retirement from Esso in 1991, he formed his own consulting company and continued to remain active within the protective coatings industry. He was a consultant to the oil and gas pipeline industry as well as to major resource industries using his experience in coatings evaluation and failure analysis. Alex was also passionate about training applicators and others in the industry. He developed his own training course and took it on the road in Australia and overseas.
Alex joined the Australasian Corrosion Association in 1963 and made many presentations at conferences, branch meetings and seminars. He also wrote numerous articles for the Journal of Protective Coatings and Linings (JPCL). He was bestowed a JPCL Coating Specialist in 1995 and was presented with the ACA Victor Nightingall Award for distinguished achievement in the advancement of the protective coatings industry in 2005.
After retirement in 2012, he moved from Sale to Newcastle where he became active in the local Men’s Shed. He and wife Amy, who pre-deceased him by a few months, loved travelling. Being able to return to his homeland Hungary after the wall came down in 1989, which he left after the uprising in 1956, was a highlight. In 2022 Alex attended the ACA Conference in Newcastle and enjoyed catching up with old colleagues and acquaintances from the past. Alex is survived by four children: Jane, Monique, Paul and Marc. As a reflection of Alex’s attitude to life, he kept the numerous misspellings of his surname on letters he received on a noticeboard behind his desk at his Esso office.
Alex’s interest in inorganic zinc as a single-coat protective coating never waned. In 2023, he sent me pictures of the Morgan Whyalla pipeline taken while on a trip across the Nullarbor!
Alex was a mentor to many in the protective coating industry, he was great company, entertaining and will be missed.
– Rob Francis and Ian Glover