Lotus boss gets Young Achiever award

One of the young guns of the Australian RV industry has been recognised with a Young Achiever award.

Lotus Caravans' boss George Josevski was presented with the 2013 George Pantazopoulos Award for the industry’s Young Achiever by the Caravan Industry Association of Victoria (CIA) at its Hall of Fame dinner in late-July.

After working as a teenager at Supreme and Paramount Caravans, at 21 Josevski started Lotus Caravans in 2004 with his wife Lily. Beginning with a small range of pop-tops, the company now boasts an attention-grabbing, four-model range of touring and off-road caravans and was a pioneer of the tough, black checker plate, rough-road look.

In 2011 Lotus moved to a new, 2100sqm factory in Campbellfield, Victoria and is currently on track to build 400 vans this year.

All up, the CIAV honoured seven of its leading members at the Hall of Fame dinner, including Gary Merlo of Geelong-based caravan dealer Gateway Caravans, who won the Charlie Tebb Award for Service to Industry Award. Merlo also currently serves on the CIA council as Treasurer.

Among the five Hall of Fame inductees for 2013 was the late William (Bill) Chrisfield, recognised as one of the people who founded the caravan industry association in 1952, and Kevin O’Brien, who was CTIA Victoria President from 1990-95 and started Classic Caravan Accessories, which became Camec and was eventually sold to the Fleetwood organization.

Gordon Smillie, who started with U&I (Underwriting & Insurance) in 1956, and founded now Australia's biggest caravan insurer CIL Insurance in 1962, was also recognized as a “true pioneer” of the caravan industry. Among other initiatives the popular Scotsman, back in the early-'70s, adopted a unique approach to promoting caravanning and safety by filming fun educational videos with TV stars including Bert Newton and Johnny Young. 

Others Hall of Famers included ex-CIA Vice President Derek Allen, who worked for Coronet, Jayco and Windsor, and built Rainbow Cabins until the business was sold to Fleetwood, and ex-CIA President Jeff Chrisfield who made caravan kits for DIY caravan builders, and was a driving force behind the annual Melbourne caravan show, originally held where the Victorian Arts Centre now stands.