Gauge Refrigeration Management Ltd
Women in Coolings:
I started my refrigeration career straight out of high school at 16, I always wanted to work with my hands, and I wanted to travel the world – university wasn’t for me. I worked after school at a hydraulic manufacturing company. I asked the foreman for an apprenticeship, but he told me no – not because of my effort or performance but because he said he wished he was a refrigeration technician.
I asked for information from the school councillor, and they basically said it (RAC) was a dead-end job, and I should go to university, but Dad knew a man in the game and teed up an interview. After the man’s spiel about the work and job security, the travel, money, and brand-new vehicles, I was sold.
I put my big boy pants on at school to get good grades as requested, and I signed up with Sabroe Refrigeration later that year. I showed him my grades for engineering, maths and science, and he psychologically threw them in the bin and said, “grades don’t mean a thing; this job is all about attitude and willingness to learn.”
My school councillor couldn’t have been more wrong. This career path has provided me with a constellation of opportunity, experience, and knowledge, not to mention a mass of skills that very few vocations can offer.
I have been fortunate enough to work in some pretty mad places and some challenging environments; some were a real struggle, but mostly, they were an absolute blast. I enjoy helping people succeed and assisting business meet their objectives.
These days, I am more or less off-the-tools; I have transitioned into the industry’s people and process safety field. I have continued my education and specialise in compliance, risk management and training which includes; senior leadership teams, production staff, technicians and engineers. My number one goal is to play a pivotal role in reducing Anhydrous Ammonia (R717) incidents so the unjustified stigma can be removed, and its use can be adopted in more applications rather than more harmful and less sustainable alternatives.
www.ammonia.co.nz
