AIRAH Awards
LONG WAY ROUND After a taking winding road to a career in refrigeration and conditioning, Jessica Lonsdale, Stud.AIRAH, has won the AIRAH Student of the Year – Trade award. The story of how Jessica Lonsdale, Stud.AIRAH, started her refrigeration and air conditioning apprenticeship is a familiar one.
Coming from a scientific background, she also enjoys the technical aspect of the trade, and has been pleasantly surprised by the detail involved.
“To be honest I didn’t even know refrigeration was a trade!” she admits. “I applied for a fitters apprenticeship with BHP, but wasn’t successful. Then I was offered the refrigeration apprenticeship. I had a quick Google, found out that it looked all right, and just went from there.”
“The way refrigerant works on its own, there’s quite a bit of science behind it,” she says, “so I found that really interesting.”
Lonsdale is not the first apprentice who entered HVAC&R because it was the best offer on the table. But it she wasn’t your average recruit. “When I left school, I was working in medical research,” says Lonsdale. “I did that for about 12 years, but then the funding dried up. So I was left without a job.”
Some might think that being a female in a heavily maledominated industry would be a challenge. But Lonsdale says it’s been positive.
Next, Lonsdale went into the mines, and spent about 18 months driving a truck. Finally, she decided to look for something solid that could sustain her back in Perth. A trade was the ideal option. “When I was at school they said, ‘Don’t bother with trades, go and get a degree’,” Lonsdale says with a laugh. “It turns out trades are actually quite important these days.”
“Everyone I’ve been working with, they’ve all been supportive, helpful,” she says. “Even these guys who have been doing it for 20–30 years, they’re really excited to see females getting in there. Everyone’s been very welcoming.”
Once on board with BHP, Lonsdale’s apprenticeship was spent mainly in the mines. As well as her fair share of straightforward split installations, she also had the opportunity to work on recommissioning an ammonia‑based underground cooling system that had been in care and maintenance for several years after an earthquake at the site.
“I have faced several challenges on my way here, but each one of them has only strengthened me to make me the person I am today,” she says, “someone who sets her eyes on a goal and does not lose sight of it.” ■
Having already completed a Certificate III in Engineering – Refrigeration Trade, Lonsdale is undertaking a Certificate IV in HVAC and Diploma of Engineering Technical (HVAC) at South Metropolitan TAFE. And she’s now seeing even more of the industry in a new role as a field officer for the Australian Refrigeration Council. Further into the future, Lonsdale is eyeing a potential path into engineering.
Gordon Brothers worked on the project, and Lonsdale was able to shadow the team and soak up their knowledge. It also involved some mechanical work to refurbish the heat exchangers, which she loved.
“That would bring my two passions together,” she says, “refrigeration and science.”
“Definitely more enjoyable than just swapping out PC boards and things like that!” she says.
Overall, Lonsdale is loving her new career in HVAC&R.
WINNERS’ CIRCLE To see all the winners of the AIRAH Awards 2021, go to www.airah.org.au/awards
2021 AIRAH AWARDS SPONSORS AIRAH thanks the Awards Gala Sponsor, Daikin, as well as individual awards sponsors Mitsubishi Electric, Superior Training Centre, A.G. Coombs, LG, HVAC&R Search and Ecolibrium. Gala sponsor
Excellence in Innovation sponsor
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HVAC&R News
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Excellence in Sustainability sponsor
www.airah.org.au/hvacrnews
Future Leader sponsor
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April–May 2022
Student of the Year – Trade sponsor
Product of the Year sponsor
WR Ahern Award sponsor
