SONNY AND OZZIE CHRONICLE

There has been great Painters that were raised to the level of Saints and some have even become famous before they died. Unfortunately little has been written about ordinary Painters in the Trades. Perhaps, more descriptively stated, Characters.

I really never knew their correct Christian names as I doubt if anybody would know them, in the construction industry, except as “Sonny” and “Ozzie”.

Trail Color Centre was owned and operated by Claude Watson and it soon became the reliable Painting Contractor for Verigin Industries Ltd, starting about the early 1970s right through to the early 1980s. The price was always competitive and the service was very acceptable. Claude was honest and trustworthy as was his staff.

Trail Color Centre was situated in Trail, B.C., and also operated a Paint Store on Eldorado Street. Contracts for painting were estimated here and projects were taken throughout the East and West Kootenays.

It was at this time that Verigin Industries Ltd became involved in projects that took them to Elkford and Fernie, B.C. These were larger projects for the company that included apartments, a shopping centre / hotel in Elkford and a super market in Fernie. Trail Color Centre rose to the challenge as did their General Contractor, Verigin Industries Ltd.

Operating away from the Trail home base had its typical challenges with travelling employees and the need for living out expenses, the funding and location of same. This chronicle highlights a few incidents that involved Sonny, Ozzie and their boss, Claude.

I noticed a peculiarity about Sonny and Ozzie, starting at the apartment being constructed in Elkford. Sonnie and Ozzie always worked in one room. I assumed that this was a friendship matter, perhaps even a safety precaution of two men working as “partners”. While they were busy making emends to an Inspector’s deficiency list, I asked Ozzie “why do you guys stick so close to each other?”

Ozzie motioned me into the next room and whispered, “Sonny is legally blind”, Ozzie spoke with emotion. “Sonny would never be able to work alone for any Contractor as he cannot function on his own,” he continued.

“After working together for many years we formed a pact and I could see that Sonny needed assistance more with time.  So we formed this bond. We didn’t speak about it nor did we tell anyone, including Claude,” Ozzie concluded.

“So when I spray paint, Sonny holds the shield after I get him to brush paint all the corners. We have become very efficient and Sonny knows every move that I am going to make before I do. I just follow where he goes. He has no problem seeing the outlines, it is just the detail with which he has great difficulty as the thick lenses do not help anymore,” Ozzie added.

“Well I certainly have witnessed your capability to paint considerably more area than other crews that I have seen around, including teh rest of the crews from Trail Color Centre,” I commented.

“Will you keep this secret?” Ozzie pleaded.

“I have no problem as I can see that your production is exceptional and it is really none of my business how Trail Color Centre operates, only if the quality and time lines are not kept,” after which I added, “okay how do you guys do deficiencies together?”

“Well I make sure that Sonny has the correct paint can and brush and I put “stickies” in the areas where he needs to touch up. He then takes them off and paints. He has a smooth brush stroke and the results are always excellent,” Ozzie responded..

As I walked away, I could not help but have a tear in my eye for an excellent example of two men who really cared for each other in trying to make their way in life.

So that provides a background to a few stories and some escapades of this duo which has humor and will become lore in the construction industry.

The Supermarket in Fernie was ready for interior painting and I had contacted Claude to arrange his Painters to get there Monday of this week in mid February.

“I will have them there for sure”, Claude confirmed.

As was my usual routine, I travelled to Elkford on Sunday night so that I was there when the Verigin crews started Monday morning in their completion of the Apartment, Shopping Center and Hotel. I needed to get back to the office in Trail on Wednesday and so I decided to “pop in” to Fernie and see how the painting was progressing. To my disgust, I noted that the Painters had not been on site.

A General Contractor’s reaction was always quick. I grabbed the site phone and had Claude on the other side with my outburst “so where in the hell are those Painters of yours?”

“You’re kidding me,” Claude was shocked on his side. “Sonny and Ozzie left Trail on Sunday afternoon for Fernie,” Claude explained. I had given them each $500 cash for living out in Fernie. You are sure they have not been there?” Claude was definitely worried now.

“Do you mind checking the hotels in Fernie before you leave town,” Claude asked. “Also check with the Police because they may have driven off the icy roads in a snow storm”.

So I checked out all hotels in Fernie and then carried on to Cranbrook. As I drove, I tried to recollect stories that I had overheard from the workers. It seemed like the hotel fronting the highway was a favorite “watering hole” for the boys and especially the Painters.  Taking this chance, I entered the Bing Beer Parlour and proceeded to the lone bartender.

“You wouldn’t,  perchance have seen Ozzie and Sonny around lately now would you?” I startled him with my question.

His eyes told the entire story with his response, “who might I say is looking for them?”

“Well you can tell them that their girl friends, boss, the Police and many others are now combing the highways and hotels looking for them”, I informed him. “It is slowly becoming a “Missing Persons” issue now with serious repercussions.”

‘No, I didn’t see them,” he countered, “but if I do I will let them know.”

I knew I had “hit pay dirt” as the bartender’s eyes would not meet mine above the glasses he was wiping. I gave a “parting shot” with “this is an urgent and a serious matter!”

I then called Claude with the results of my findings and suspicions. He was beside himself with worry and concern. “Their girlfriends are very worried and so am I!”

Later that night I had a call from Claude, “the police found the Trail Color Center truck in front of a Fernie hotel,” I was just advised.

“They knocked on the hotel room door but the boys wouldn’t open it. The RCMP then asked that they confirm that Sonny and Ozzie were inside to which the answered in the affirmative.”

He then sighed with, “that crew will be the end of me yet!”

The epilogue went like this:

• As Sonny and Ozzie drove to Fernie, they thought that the job was not the one week job as Claude had estimated.
• They could finish it in less than a week, so why not drop in to the Bing Hotel in Cranbrook and have a few beer?
• Well Monday came and went and they didn’t feel like driving after drinking and so Tuesday showed up.
• Maybe having a beer for the ditch may be a good idea and so they were still in bed when I dropped in on the morning of Wednesday
• When they came down that morning, the Bartender reported on his visitor and the news that they were being sought as a APB.
• They decided to “skedaddle” to Fernie and try to “cover their tracks”
• They completed the job by Friday afternoon and drove home that evening
• An unbelievable and capable crew
• No Claude didn’t fire them
• And he stopped giving them cash for LoA

I will likely emend this chronicle with a few other Sonny and Ozzie stories when I have a moment!

End (written from memory by Elmer Verigin August 07, 2013