What a night: close to 500 industry professionals and end users gathered at the end of day one of RadioComms Connect to celebrate all that is good within and about the radio communications industry in Australia. This annual event, fast becoming an institution, was once again the winner.
The Industry Excellence Award presentations are always a highlight of the evening. In 2011, the most prestigious honour, the Jonathon Livingstone Seagull Award, saw Craig Ross awarded for his significant service to industry, through which he has made huge contributions to charity. One such contribution, highlighted by Ian Miller of ARCIA, was Craig’s efforts to refurbish and donate preloved radio pagers to the Cancer Ward at the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital where they were used by parents with children either in the hospital or awaiting procedures, so that they could be contacted and kept informed, enabling families to lead as normal a life as possible.
Martin Cahill, of Pacific Wireless Communications, was also recognised for his involvement with both the radio communications industry over many years and with ARCIA. On the night, Martin received Life Membership of ARCIA for his efforts, some of which are reflected in the growth of the association in recent years. For Martin, his motivation and belief in what was previously seen as a flagging industry are well rewarded when he sees the progress that has been made.
The night was also a showcase for the young, as Dylan Bucktrout was awarded a Sir Angus Tait Memorial Scholarship and Theo Goslett from ComGroup was awarded the Apprentice Trainee Award.
Mobile Masters offered Dylan an apprenticeship in December 2010 and throughout his work Dylan had expressed a keen interest in and passion for learning about the radio industry and is currently studying Certificate 3 in Electronics and Communications at polytechnic.
Theo was awarded for his attention to detail and strong problem-solving skills. In addition to being moved to the Victoria engineering and product development team after only 12 months, he has been recognised by his managers as having potential to become a leader of the future.
Another newcomer to the industry, Elisha McCann from Kenwood, was awarded the New Talent Award. Elisha was nominated for her dedication in providing excellence in service to her dealer channel, always going above and beyond in her level of service.
Other talented and respected award winners on the night included:
Jamie Baker, RF Industries, who received the Peter Wallace Award for his commitment to the industry. Many have come to rely on Jamie and his genuine and helpful advice; Damien Tyrell, the Professional Sales Award for his role at Motorola within the national minerals and energy sectors; Vanessa Rayner, Customer Service Award for her professionalism and willingness to go above and beyond for her customers at Mobile Masters; Nigel Porritt, AA Radio Services, the Technical Excellence Award for demonstrating his skills and talent in many different technical facets of the radio industry over many years and Neil Sutherland, the Engineering Excellence Award for his work at Nixon Communications, including the design and development of a proactive test station for the mining sector.
With both the ARCIA Industry Gala Dinner and RadioComms Connect a sellout this year, the strength felt within the industry about what it has to offer end users is clear. It appears to be a community full of passionate individuals who truly care about what they do and how they do it and, in the end, that can only benefit those looking for radio communication solutions.
Next year the dinner moves to a new home, ready for an bigger night with entertainment, awards and plenty of time for networking with industry colleagues, old and new.
For complete information on the 2012 ARCIA Industry Gala Dinner, see arcia.org.au.