Why Zak's Lab?
Zak is simply Izak without the I. This is not about a person, but about a phenomenon. Lab is short for Laboratory, for in such things science makes new discoveries. It is also short for Labuschagne, a french surname with roots in the Huguenots that travelled to the Cape of Southern Africa in the 1600's In the early eighties Izak Labuschagne travelled from South Africa to Japan to study karate and then ended up in Australia where he first sold original oil paintings. He started started playing in pubs and clubs in the course of that and it soon became his primary source of income when he was retained on a resident basis by John Berry of the Perisher Valley Hotel in Australia's Ski resorts. Neil Mayger from the Alpenhorn lodge stood next in line and from there he went to Sydney where he played in most of the top clubs like the the Crows Nest, Sheilas, the Stars at Bondi Junction, the Rio at Bondi Beach (where he was resident for a while), Danny's, the Australian Youth Hotel, the Air Crew Bar at Kings Cross, Ragers and so on. At the Gold Coast he played at the Broadbeach International Hotel. They called him Crazy Harry in those days, because he was not just a piano player but a (sit down) comedian between sets and songs on many an occasion, depending on where the crowd took things. Harry was a nickname he had from the start for his middle name which is Hermanus. After a trip back to South Africa he returned, became an Australian (1986) and went into the financial services industry until 1990. When he went back to South Africa to attend to an inheritance of farms, some barrister in a court case made a fuss about his nickname, so he became known by his first name Izak from then on. Almost 30 years later and he is back after having lost everything in a country which is now sadly spiralling into a civil war. On his return, most people simply started calling him Zak. When Australians name you, there is precious little one can do but acquiesce. So Zak it is. Egg zactly like Zat, er, Zak..
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AuthorZak is simply Izak without the I. This is not about a person, but about a phenomenon. Archives
September 2020
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