Shocked tributes to fire death victim
"He was such a lovely guy"
Lee-Ann Allerby
The man who died after a small fire outside parliament had lived in Taranaki, it has been revealed.
Police yesterday named the man as 60-year-old Zdenek Hanzlik, also known as Sid.
Hanzlik was taken to Wellington Hospital after the incident on Thursday afternoon, and died hours later. His death had been referred to the coroner.
Hanzlik, who was born in Czechoslovakia, has been described as a fun-loving and caring man who was aggrieved at the Family Court after losing contact with his children.
He had worked in the garage at Toko, near Stratford, and had been living until recently in Rotorua.
In the days and hours before his death, Hanzlik was seen protesting with banners outside various courts in Wellington.
Lee-Ann Allerby, of Rotorua, said: ‘‘It was a massive shock because he was such a lovely guy.
‘‘Just a big absolute shock, and just a shame that a beautiful man had gone,’’ she said.
’’I’ve known him over five years and he was just fun-loving, caring, always willing to have a chat, would always come into work and tell a joke to you.
‘‘He was just normal Sid.’’
Another friend, Chum Hasler, who knew Hanzlik when he worked near Stratford, said he spoke to him four days before his death.
Hanzlik had been a marine engineer, Hasler said, and he understood he had served in the Russian Navy.
‘‘He could fix anything. If he couldn’t get a part, he would make it. He would change a gearbox at 9pm and have the truck back on the road the next morning.’’
Hanzlik was also widely read, and fluent in Spanish and Russian, Hasler said.
‘‘He had about a tonne and half of books, and he would quote Julius Caesar and those sort of people.
‘‘He would be ordering a carburettor one minute, and the next talking about politics.’’