From the president

June 10, 2025

Lessons from a legend

Many of us were saddened to learn recently about the passing of Simon Hill, L.AIRAH. Simon made a direct impact on those of us within the industry, both through his tireless work with Standards Australia and his passion for teaching.

His name is synonymous with engineering professionalism, excellence, and wisdom. The industry recognised Simon’s brilliance: he won AIRAH’s James Harrison Medal in 2011 and was accepted into the ARBS Hall of Fame in 2022.

As you talk to people in the industry, it becomes apparent how many of us remember a time when Simon helped us navigate a tricky situation.

I count myself lucky to have my own Simon Hill story from very early on in my HVAC&R career.

One of my first jobs as a fresh HVAC consultant was to design a kitchen exhaust hood for a kebab shop. I now realise that this is a true rite of passage, making the new engineer design a kitchen exhaust hood …

I dutifully headed to the referenced version of AS 1668.2. After reading Appendix E several times, I realised it was impossible for the design to comply due to the required height from the cooking surface.

Was the top of the cooking surface the bottom of the rotisserie? Was it the top?? Why was it not in the definitions?? Why was I getting hungry?? Seeking guidance from my boss, I was met with a bit of a shrug and some sage advice: “Hmmm, you should call Simon Hill.”

I was sceptical about reaching out to someone of Simon’s stature over a seemingly trivial matter like a kebab rotisserie. To my surprise and relief, Simon not only took the time to discuss my query, but also validated my concerns. He acknowledged that my observation had never been raised in the standards committee meetings.

I followed this up with a hilarious joke about the committee needing to drink more beer to uncover these issues. After all, plenty of us have gone on a 3am kebab run after a few brews …

Simon didn’t laugh. He did, however, escalate my query at the next standards committee meeting.

“Simon didn’t laugh. He did, however, escalate my query at the next standards committee meeting. ”

Mikaila Ganado, M.AIRAH

Kebab rotisseries are specifically noted in AS 1668.2 2015. My legacy!

While it’s a fairly a trivial example, my first exchange with Simon was typical of my future interactions. Simon was approachable, curious, and understood the value of the many voices in our industry – no matter their position or experience.

He taught me the value of always being willing to learn, and he showed me that my voice matters in this industry. These lessons have shaped the kind of role model I always aspire to be.