Page 32 - Climate Control News Magazine December-January 2022

HVACR Leadership Awards
HVACR Leader of the Year Award winner
HE BEGAN HIS CAREER AS A HUMBLE TECHNICIAN BUT IN THE PAST
50 YEARS HAS TAKEN AUSTRALIA’S HVACR INDUSTRY TO NEW HEIGHTS.
KEVIN O’SHEA WAS the founding director of both ARBS and the Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC). He is a pioneer that led the indus- try throughout the formative years and was in- volved in setting up the course for refrigerant handling for the CFC phase out.
He has always been a major contributor to vo- cational education and skills development.
Kevin’s primary concern has always been strengthening the trade which is why he is the president of the Refrigeration and Air Condition- ing Contractors Association (RACCA).
The joint HVACR Leader of the Year winner says he knew nothing about the trade when he began his apprenticeship at the tender age of 15.
“I’ve seen many changes over the years, espe- cially with refrigerants,” he says.
“During my apprenticeship we were convert- ing methyl chloride to R12(CFC) then we changed to HFC's and now to HFOs.
“Ammonia has always been there and the use of CO2 has greatly increased, which is good to see.”
In 2019, Kevin was appointed a Member (AM) in the general division of the Order of Australia for significant service to the refrigeration and air conditioning industry.
His long list of achievements are impressive but Kevin says his dedication doesn’t show any signs of waning.
“WE NEED TO ATTRACT THE RIGHT CALIBRE OF APPRENTICE THAT CAN BE TRAINED INTO A HIGHLY CAPABLE TECHNICIAN.”
“The biggest challenge for our industry is having competent tradespeople available for employment. We have always had a skill short- age and that's not going to change anytime soon; so there is still plenty of work to do,” Kevin says.
“We need to start attracting the right calibre of apprentices that can be trained into highly ca- pable technicians.
“We have to make our industry sexy and ap- pealing and we need to do this by making it more visible as it is a great industry to be a part of. We just need to spread the word.
“I'm still going into the office each day and can’t see that changing anytime soon.”
In between advocating for industry Kevin ac- tually found time to set up his own business, Cold Rae, which provides design, installation, commissioning, maintenance and servicing of air conditioning and ventilation systems.
ABOVE: Leader of the Year, Kevin O’Shea.
LEFT: Kevin O’Shea is an industry pioneer and worthy award winner.
CLIMATECONTROLNEWS.COM.AU
32