Nick Johns-Wickberg Events and conferences

AIRAH recognises SA’s finest

November 7, 2025

AIRAH’s 2025 SA Member and Apprentice Awards was one of the biggest in the event’s 60-year history.

Continuing six decades of tradition, AIRAH has recognised the best and brightest HVAC&R professionals in South Australia at a gala dinner attended by more than 80 people.

AIRAH Events Officer Lukáš Skaife says the event – which this year included several new award categories – recognises excellence in the industry.

“People might not be aware of the rich history of AIRAH’s SA awards, which have been going for around 60 years,” Skaife says. “This year’s event was among the biggest turnouts we’ve ever had.

“We’d like to thank all award winners, finalists, and attendees for turning up in such great numbers. We’d also like to thank our sponsors, without whom this wonderful event wouldn’t have been possible: our gold sponsor, Daikin, and our silver sponsor, Kirby.”

Award winners

Apprentices and industry leaders were recognised across seven award categories:

Rising Star Award: Ali Clark
Emerging Talent Award: Anthony Jun
Technical Leadership Award: Sonali Deshmukh, Stud.AIRAH
Professional Development Award: Nick Burston, M.AIRAH
Community Building Award: Chintan Mody, M.AIRAH
Airefrig Scholarship: Lane Talbot
2025 SA Apprentice of the Year: Jie Wang

Long-serving members

The awards gala also presented the perfect opportunity to recognise long-serving AIRAH members:

10 years: John Fellenberg, Affil.AIRAH
10 years: Carlos Dos Santos, M.AIRAH
20 years: Frank Bruno, F.AIRAH
40 years: Lawrence Lum, M.AIRAH

Event sponsors

AIRAH thanks the sponsors of the 2025 SA Member and Apprentice Awards:

Gold sponsor: Daikin
Silver sponsor: Kirby

2025 Adelaide Industry Night

The day after the SA Member and Apprentice Awards, AIRAH hosted its annual Adelaide Industry Night. AIRAH Events Officer Julia Bassal says it was the perfect opportunity for local HVAC&R professionals to connect, network, and come face-to-face with the latest technological breakthroughs in the industry.

“It’s been a record year for AIRAH’s Industry Nights,” Bassal says. “We’d like to thank all the exhibitors and attendees who made this year’s events the biggest and best in the Institute’s 105-year history. It was great to finish on such a high in Adelaide!”