It takes people to make things happen. These people come from different backgrounds, different upbringing, different schools and education. In any group of people sharing a common desire will be leaders, the visionaries and motivators, the implementers and doers, the practical, the academic and the followers. All of these are essential in the formation of a common interest body.

On the 28th of February 1951, a visionary scientists called together a group of like-minded people and implemented a vision that we still recognize today.  It said,

• a vision without task is the dream
• a task without the vision is drudgery
• a vision with a task is the hope the world

The vision was to form an institute of refrigeration and share knowledge. The task set for the steering committee required the doers to produce:

• a constitution
• aims and objectives
• a generally agreed upon plan of action to launch the Institute

A steering committee was formed, consisting of the following persons:

They began working on a new Institute and on the 17th July 1951, the South African Institute of Refrigeration (SAIR) was officially inaugurated at the Hotel Bordeaux, Cape Town, with 41 members.

At this inaugural meeting, the following committee was elected:

Dr. G.M Dreosti was a scientist and his interest was primarily in the food industry and its preservation by means of refrigeration. He had an engineering degree and in 1930 obtained his doctorate in engineering physics at the University of Utrecht.

He was a member of many institutions and societies, always willing to share his knowledge and learn from others. His dedication and commitment to totally involving himself in the formation of official bodies, where he believed they were essential to serve the sector, were shown in both SAIRAC and the Food Science Society of South Africa. He had over 300 papers published, on subjects in the fields of refrigeration, dehydration, canning and many more.

In March 1961 the Port Elizabeth Centre of SAIR was started. T.F. Longe and L. Broderick were elected Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively. Around this time it became obvious that air conditioning had an important role to play. Members and industry where making the significant and close relationship between the two.

In July 1962 SAIR broadened its focus and the South African Institute of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning was born. As a prelude to SAIRAC’s arrival, Cape Town Centre was formed in July 1961, opening the way for a national body to be created. The first Cape Town Centre committee consisted of:

The Transvaal (now Johannesburg) Centre was formed on the 25 July 1963, with Drs. Denkhaus and Hodgson as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively.
The Natal (now Durban) Centre was formed officially in 1967 with R.F. March and G. Alder as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively.

Over the years, SAIRAC continues to focus on its objective of providing on-going education for its members. Formally structured, properly researched, scientific and technical papers are regularly presented at meetings in all Centres.

In 1968, to provide for education in a print form, the Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Journal (HAR) was launched as the official mouth-piece of the Institute and published most of the papers presented at meetings across South Africa.   It is now called the RACA Journal.

The FRIGAIR Conference in 1980 was the start of a long history of conferences and exhibitions which is the highlight of the SAIRAC and Industry’s calendar.

1992 Frigair Conference, Goodwood Show Grounds, Cape Town: 09 – 12 September 1992 – jointly organised with SARDA and at the same as a Cooling Expo (South Africa’s first stand-alone refrigeration & air conditioning exhibition)

1994 Frigair Exhibition & Conference, Durban: 16 -18 March 1994

1996 Frigair Exhibition & Conference, Johannesburg:  06 – 08 March 1996

1998 Frigair Conference, Cape Town Civic Centre:  04 – 06 March 1998 with RAC Africa Exhibition in Culemborg Exhibition Centre.

2000 Frigair Exhibition & Conference, Johannesburg:  08-10 March 2000

2002 Frigair Exhibition & Conference, Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg: 13 -15 March 2002

2004 Frigair Conference, Cape Town International Convention Centre & Cooling Africa Exhibition: 02 -04 June 2004

2007 Frigair Exhibition, Gallagher Estates, Johannesburg

2010 Frigair Exhibition, Nasrec, Johannesburg:  08 – 11 September 2010

2012 Frigair Exhibition, Nasrec, Johannesburg:  15 – 17 August 2012

2015 Frigair Exhibition, Gallagher Estates, Johannesburg:  03 – 05 June 2015

2018 Frigair Exhibition, Gallagher Estates, Johannesburg:    06 – 08 June 2018