Say a big hello to the one we call The Boss, The Managing Director, Our Fearless Leader, or most often ‘just Kate’. Kate is known under many names, but perhaps her favourite title is ‘Mum’ to her 3 gorgeous children. Within the business Kate is responsible for the strategic direction & success of the company, which she has been a part of since 2014. Kate’s days are extremely diverse and busy with anything from website design, new equipment install, marketing, estimates and finance, not to mention making sure her team are happy, healthy and supported. When asked about the most rewarding part of her position, Kate said that seeing her team grow and develop, including watching young apprentices learn life and trade skills. 

How do we introduce Brad? Well, other than being voted one of the nicest guys you will meet, he’s been here since the Gary Presnell days and is now the Quality & Training Assurance Manager for Kate Presnell Bodyworks. That’s over 24 years of experience and knowledge! You will find Brad in the office most days, but with his expert knowledge in cars you will also find him in the workshop helping train the team. Brad takes great care and pride in ensuring that every car that comes through needing repairs, leaves looking shiny and new again. 

Say hello to Deb, our Executive Administration Assistant. Deb brings extensive experience from the insurance broking industry and uses that knowledge to help customers understand their rights, the insurance process and what to expect throughout the repair pathway. 

She is particularly passionate about helping customers who become stuck navigating a third-party claim. Many people worry about paying an excess or affecting their claim-free bonus, but using your own insurer can often make the process far less stressful and time-consuming. Deb’s knowledge and willingness to help make her a valuable support for customers during what can be a difficult time. 

Meet Luke, our Mechanic and resident automotive encyclopedia! Luke began his career as an apprentice diesel mechanic and spent many years working on trucks before becoming part-owner of his family’s business, Flemings Suspension Specialists. 

This experience gave Luke an impressive knowledge of suspension, wheel alignments, tyres and mechanical repairs. He enjoys the variety of work at KPB and being part of a fun team. His practical knowledge and ability to solve mechanical problems make him an invaluable part of our workshop. 

John is our resident workplace comedian, who also happens to be one of our qualified Automotive Repair Technician aka panel beaters. John has been amusing us and fixing cars here at KPB for years now, however he has been in this trade for much longer, after following in his father’s footsteps. John takes great pride in his work and will examine each job to see what the best approach is to ensure the work completed is of the highest standard.  

Say hi to our fully qualified Automotive Refinishing Technician aka Spray Painter, Connor! Connor has been with KPB since starting his apprenticeship straight out of school, where he got his start from doing work experience here. He was also able to complete College whilst earning a wage, so it’s an amazing opportunity for young people to start their career. His typical workday starts nice and early at 7:00am, where he likes to head straight into the paint mixing room and work on colour matching. Connor will tell you his favourite part of the job is working on the vast variety of cars that come through, with a recent Ferrari the talk of the workshop. Connor is interested in the future of paint colours, with the three-layer Pearl variety his current favourite. His advice for anyone with a vehicle, repairs are expensive so always insure with choice of repairer and repairs aren’t always as straightforward as it may look. 

Say Hello to Jeb! Jeb has been a valuable team member at KPB, straight out of high school. Completing 2 apprenticeships to become a qualified Automotive Refinishing Technician & Automotive Repair Technician, Jeb has dedicated himself to the industry and KPB, to become our Workshop Coordinator. Kate says it was obvious from the beginning that Jeb had a high level of automotive aptitude and would always go a long way. Now in this very critical role, coordinating all aspects of every job, it was made to be his. Some would say this being the Workshop Coordinator is comparable to being a wedding planner! So many moving parts and rapid changes, it is a diverse role that Jeb handles with ease. 

Rydar is one of our Apprentice Automotive Repair Technician’s (Panel Beater) at KPB and is currently in his 4th year. His day starts at 7am and includes working on vehicles where he gains valuable hands on experience and unparalleled advice from the more experienced workshop team members. He is also skilled in completing the perfect car wash. His start in the industry came about when his Mum’s car came to KPB for repairs which led to work experience and then attaining an apprenticeship. His favourite part of the job is working on cars and seeing them restored to their former glory.  

Say hello to Chelsea, one of our Apprentice Automotive Repair Technicians. Chelsea first got her foot in the door at KPB through work experience while she was still at high school, and it quickly confirmed that this was the career path she wanted to follow. 

Chelsea loves learning as much as she can and has grown enormously during her time in the role. She spent a significant stint working in our storeroom, fast-tracking her knowledge of parts and vehicle components — knowledge that can take many years to develop. This experience also strengthened her problem-solving skills, attention to detail and understanding of how workshop processes flow through to the admin team and ultimately affect our customers. 

Meet Cameron, one of our Automotive Refinishing Technicians. Cam’s interest in cars began early, watching his dad and his mates work on, restore and paint cars. It wasn’t long before he started having a go himself. After realising the work he was doing at the time wasn’t where he saw his future, Cam decided to pursue his interest in cars and began his automotive refinishing apprenticeship in 2006. 

Cam’s favourite part of the job is seeing the finished result. He particularly enjoyed working on older cars and watching the chrome go back on as a restoration came together. He believes there is always more to learn when it comes to painting and would also like to expand his panel beating knowledge, particularly as new vehicle technology and repair methods continue to evolve. 

Say hello to Bobby, one of our Apprentice Automotive Refinishing Technicians. Bobby’s interest in cars started well before joining KPB, with Bobby buying and doing up cars from the age of 15. He first came to KPB through work experience while he was still at college. At the time, he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do for work, but as he spent more time with the team and completed his first TAFE block, he began to find his feet and feel more comfortable in his new apprenticeship. 

Bobby is continuing to develop his skills in preparation, masking, colour matching and paint application. His favourite part of the job is watching each repair transform throughout the process. He also completed a special project restoring and refinishing some of our old workbenches, giving them a fresh new life in KPB blue. It was a great opportunity for Bobby to take ownership of a project from beginning to end and demonstrate how much his skills and confidence have grown.