Allan Coombs Admitted into ARBS 2010 Hall of Fame
13th Apr 2010
At tonight’s ARBS Industry Awards, Allan George Coombs was recognised for his significant contributions to the air conditioning industry in Australia by being admitted into the ARBS 2010 Hall of Fame. On receiving the award at Sydney’s Convention and Entertainment Centre, Allan’s son Philip Coombs acknowledged “It is a great honour to have my father’s work recognised in this way”.
Allan was born in Melbourne in 1920. He completed his apprenticeship at the age of 20 and five years later, in 1945, he founded A.G. Coombs. Initially the company operated out of a garage at the rear of his family’s home. By 1953 the company had grown quickly and had purchased a property in Moorabbin, Victoria. The company had developed from a plumbing company into a specialist hot water, heating and ventilation engineering business as well as a metal manufacturing operation.
Over the 1960s through to the 1980s, A.G. Coombs Pty Ltd grew to become Victoria’s leading air conditioning, refrigerated mechanical services company. During this time Allan still continued to make significant contributions to the development of industry. He was instrumental in:
· Establishing the Airconditioning and Mechanical
Contractors Association (AMCA)
· Establishing the industry standard for the
manufacturing of duct work through the adoption of the
Sheet Metal and Airconditioning Contractors National
Association (SMACNA)
· Establishing the Australian National Environmental
Balancing Bureau (NEBB) Charter in conjunction with the
AMCA in 1982.
In 1979, Allan received an Order of Australia for his contributions to the industry and training including the apprenticeship system. While he passed away in 1997, his influence and legacy in the air conditioning and mechanical services industry lives on today.
Today, the business he founded, has expanded into the A.G. Coombs Group of Companies and has grown beyond Victoria with current works in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra. The business has also grown in its range of offerings, now providing specialist technical services throughout a building’s complete lifecycle from:
· High end advice and consulting
· Concept and detailed design
· Specialist procurement
· Installation and Commissioning
· Tuning and ongoing maintenance
· Technical operations and management.
According to Russell Telford (Managing Director, A.G. Coombs Group), “while much has changed in the company, Allan’s legacy of continuous improvement, innovation, training and industry leadership continues to this day”.