www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I June 2023 9
Associations
SAIRAC JOHANNESBURG : THE STORY OF A PASSION-DRIVEN HVAC & R ORGANISATION
ANNIVERSARY
60
YEARS
The Johannesburg branch of SAIRAC ( the South African Institute of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning ), this year celebrates its 60th anniversary .
Image Freepik
To honour the milestone , it has brought together its entire social calendar into a single black-tie event in July . Robert Fox , the current president , shares some of SAIRAC ’ s rich history that dates back to 1951 . “ It all started with a group of like-minded people who got together to explore how they could disseminate and spread refrigeration ( initially ) knowledge in the industry . A steering committee was formed and worked tirelessly to lay the foundation for SAIRAC .”
SAIRAC ’ s website states : On 17 July 1951 , the South African Institute of Refrigeration was founded at a meeting of refrigeration engineers and food scientists held at the Bordeaux Hotel in Cape Town . The founding membership of 41 elected Dr Guido Dreosti as the Institute ’ s first president , an office that he held for the next five years and again in 1957 and in 1962 .
In 1962 , the Institute widened its scope to include air conditioning and became the South African Institute of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning . In 1961 SAIRAC started establishing centres in the other major cities of South Africa . Port Elizabeth was established in 1961 , followed by Johannesburg in 1963 and Durban in 1967 .
“ The secret behind SAIRAC ' s success lies in the passion that its members have for the industry ,” says Fox . “ They are all volunteers who are committed to the industry ' s growth and the dissemination of knowledge . SAIRAC ' s objective is to spread information , which they do through technical talks , regional courses , strategic exhibitions and conferences , such as Frigair every three years .
“ We ' re performing a service for our industry , providing a roadmap for its growth . The organisation is today stable and we ’ re all very proud of our 60th anniversary given we ’ re all volunteers .”
He lists one of the most notable conferences that SAIRAC Johannesburg holds as being the Dreosti Memorial Lecture , which is named after the first president . The lecture brings international speakers to talk about topics relevant to the industry . This year the focus is on climate change .
All photos by © Eamonn Ryan | RACA Journal
Robert Fox thanking a speaker at one of SAIRAC Johannesburg ’ s regular Tech Talks .
A recent site visit – another of the regular events organised by SAIRAC Johannesburg .
“ SAIRAC ' s stance is to progress towards natural refrigerants , and this is evident in various technical talks held each
month . The organisation ' s vision is to extend knowledge to the younger generation of technicians and newcomers
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I June 2023 9