By Eamonn Ryan
The Johannesburg branch of SAIRAC gathered at the Country Club, Woodmead, for what was billed as a luncheon – but it turned into something more like a campaign of inspiration.
Michelle Israel, motivational
speaker at the event. © RACA Journal
Between the celebration of the three SAIRAC Fellows present and a keynote that had guests alternately laughing, reflecting and dancing in their seats, it was a day that proved technical minds can also take a beating – of the best kind.
Saluting SAIRAC’s finest
Before the main address began, SAIRAC paid tribute to three stalwarts whose lifelong dedication to the refrigeration and air-conditioning industry earned them the title of Fellow – the association’s highest honour. The title Fellow requires a minimum membership to SAIRAC of 10 years and is awarded to those who have shown significant performance with recognised contributions to the industry (among other criteria).
Pat Burke, Alan Curry and Ricky Savvides were present, each recognised for decades of service, mentorship and professionalism that helped shape the HVAC&R sector.
Their contributions have influenced standards, education and innovation across South Africa, leaving a legacy the next generation continues to build on.
Amid the applause, it was clear that these awards represented more than individual achievement. They symbolised continuity – a baton passed from one era of excellence to the next.
The audience in attendance. © RACA Journal
Enter the motivator: Israel’s offensive of positivity
Then came Michelle Israel, whose energy filled the room faster than a centrifugal fan at full speed. From the moment she began, it was evident this would be no ordinary keynote. Israel’s style was part comedy, part life coaching and entirely engaging.
Her opening volley was simple but effective: “Say yes!” She had the audience on their feet, repeating affirmations, laughing and learning that the way we speak to ourselves sets the tone for everything we do. “What you say to yourself, you will become,” she reminded them – a line that landed like a perfectly tuned compressor hum in a quiet plant room.
According to Israel, the human brain is like an African Grey parrot: it repeats what it hears most often. If that repetition is negative – “I can’t, I’m tired, I’m not good enough” – it becomes self-fulfilling. Her antidote is deceptively simple: repetition of the positive: “Yes, I can.Yes, I will.Yes, I’m enough.”
Her message resonated deeply with an audience of engineers and technicians who are used to thinking in terms of systems, balance and efficiency. Israel translated those same principles into mental maintenance: check your inputs, release the pressure and clear the blockages – not of refrigerant, but of emotion.
The Fellows table. © RACA Journal
The chocolate bucket and the heavy load
In one of her more memorable metaphors, Israel introduced the concept of the ‘chocolate bucket’ – a humorous but powerful analogy for emotional release. Just as systems need relief valves, people too must find ways to discharge built-up stress.
“Imagine how heavy the bucket feels by December,” she laughed, “carrying all our clients’ nonsense and the nonsense we create ourselves.” Her solution: empty the bucket regularly through movement, reflection or laughter – before it overflows.
Israel drew laughter as she described working for a painfully slow boss who once “irritated the living daylights out of me” until she realised the lesson was patience. “The minute I got the lesson I just let go. That’s when growth happens,” she said.
The theme ran throughout her talk: that every frustration, whether it’s traffic, a client or a colleague, can be reframed as a lesson rather than a punishment. “When you’re angry, you won’t learn the lesson. But once you see the purpose, it all makes sense,” she warned.
The SARACCA table: Left to right (visible faces only): SARACCA NEC member Phophi Nematangari, RPM Engineering Group MD Barry Wallett, SARACCA executive director David Botha, your editor and Brett Campher. Image supplied by Michelle Israel
Mariet Pieterse, SAIRAC Johannesburg secretary and Michelle Israel. Image supplied by Michelle Israel
Lessons of letting go and looking up
Israel’s closing moments turned reflective. She spoke candidly about forgiveness – drawing from personal experience – and left the audience with a quote that lingered long after the applause:
“The first to apologise is the bravest.
The first to forgive is the strongest.
The first to forget is the happiest.”
She reminded everyone that mental health and personal growth are not luxuries but essentials for sustained success. Through her trademark humour, she encouraged the crowd to reconnect with joy, playfulness and gratitude.
As the event drew to a close, guests were left with more than just a good meal and good company. They carried with them a renewed sense of perspective – a reminder that while SAIRAC’s members might be experts in cooling systems, sometimes what needs the most attention is the system inside ourselves.
And on that day at Woodmead, Israel conquered SAIRAC – not with weapons, but with words.
