Murray Mason, L.AIRAHBorn in Melbourne in 1938, Murray Mason, L.AIRAH, has had a rich career and lasting impact on the Australian HVAC&R industry – particularly in the development of software for building services designers. He studied at Mentone Grammar, Aberfeldie State School, and Essendon Technical College. He then completed both a diploma and a degree in mechanical engineering at Footscray Technical College and Melbourne University, respectively. Mason worked in Department of Works’ Victorian office for 22 years, joining as a cadet and – in the mid 1970s – becoming involved in the development of its CAMEL computer program. He would also work on the first of a number of technical resources; titles that would eventually become the basis of AIRAH’s Design Application (DA) manuals. In 1973, Mason and his family travelled to Southampton, UK, where he undertook a master’s degree in noise and vibration. He then spent six months driving across the US, visiting several leading companies specialising in acoustics. |
What brought you to the HVAC&R industry? My engineering education and involvement with the Department of Works led me into the building services industry at a very early stage. The keen interest that I developed in the detailed design of building services led me into the HVAC&R industry. How long have you been a member of AIRAH? Forty-three years. What's your favourite HVAC&R-related memory? I have many fond memories of the industry, ranging from the many people that I have met and dealt with over the years, both in Australia and overseas, through to the many technical challenges that I have had to overcome in the ongoing development of programs. |
What’s something everyone should know about you, your work, or the HVAC&R industry? From a handful of mainframe users to the thousands of users that are now using the programs, I would like to believe that many people – both in Australia and overseas – appreciate the amount of work that has gone into their ongoing development and the countless hours that have been devoted to ensuring they have kept pace with the changes that have taken place over the years. How do you see the HVAC&R industry developing over the next 100 years? Over the next 100 years, the industry will see a lot of changes. There are very few people that have the ability to continue with the work that I and my workmates have been doing. Evidence of this can already be seen in the “dumbing down” of many of the engineering courses in our universities, with less and less emphasis on the theory behind the calculations required. |
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