Known Throughout

“An Evening With John Inglis” highlights an extraordinary career for Australia native and world renowned elevator engineer.

The Lift Engineering Society of Australia (LESA) honored John Inglis of Sydney, owner of Amron Lift Resources, at a dinner on July 17 at the Norths Leagues Club in Sydney. Inglis has consulted on elevators, performed code work and made expert reports, mainly in Australia, for more than 77 years (having begun his career at age 16) and still consults, even at age 93.

“An Evening With John Inglis” was a huge success, Pam Strykowski of LESA told ELEVATOR WORLD. Seventy-two people from the elevator industry, the Scouting movement and Toastmasters International joined his family and friends to celebrate his busy life and many achievements and involvements. The latter not only includes those groups, but also standards in Australia and overseas.

Strykowski said of the event:

“The tributes and accolades that were both read out and given at this event were a wonderful measure of the huge amount of esteem and respect John has earned from all aspects of his activities. John is such a special person, a thorough gentleman, and we felt very privileged to be able to celebrate his life achievements with family, friends and colleagues. He deserves every accolade afforded him. He was given a standing ovation at the end of his talk about his life and achievements.” Inglis’ career began in January 1942 at Arnold

Engineering & Lifts in Chippendale, Australia, as an apprentice. His roles there over the next 33 years involved service work, installation

supervising and engineering managing and directing. He worked for Otis between 1975 (when Otis bought Arnold) and 1992. For his People Profile (EW, June 2018), Inglis said some of his mentors were EW founder William C. Sturgeon, who he said always encouraged him beginning around 1955; George Gibson, a longtime friend; Terry Davis, another Sydney industry icon during the late 1920s to the 1960s; and Jack R. Wilson, an electrical engineer, formerly of Otis, who was at Arnold from around 1947 until 1953.

Inglis has been involved with the International Organization for Standardization and Standards Australia for more than 50 years. In addition to consulting, Inglis is still involved with the Scouts and Toastmasters International, and still sits on Standards Australia’s Main Lift Committee. He has been an EW correspondent since 1958 and has a collection of EW magazines that rivals our own, exceeding 750 and dating from our second year, 1954.

Strykowski added that Inglis is a recipient of the Order of Australia medal for engineering and is:

“. . .considered our industry’s national treasure and is well known throughout the world for his involvement in a number of organizations, as well as locally for his involvement over almost as many years in the Scouting movement. John also presents for the National Roads and Motorists’ Association, helping older drivers retain their licenses, use mobility scooters, etc.”

Despite sustaining a bad break to his leg in a fall earlier this year, Inglis hasn’t slowed down, Strykowski said, other than when airport security stops him when the plates and screws added to his leg set off the alarms.

John Inglis: A Brief Timeline

• 1942: Started apprenticeship with Arnold Engineering & Lifts
• 1945: Became an assistant leader of the Roseville, Australia, New South Wales (NSW) Cub Scouts
• 1947: Became a leader of the East Roseville, Australia, NSW Cub Scouts
• 1950: Became leader of the East Roseville NSW Scouts
• 1952: Named engineering manager and director for Arnold
• 1960: Completed the challenging T1 Power Station lift project, which had the longest travel in the world
• 1966: Joined Standards Australia — Main Lift Committee
• 1970: Took a trip around the world for seven weeks
• 1973: Became district leader of the Central Ku-ring- gai Council, a local government area on the Upper North Shore of Sydney
• 1974: Named assistant training commissioner for NSW
• 1975: Started at Otis
• 1979: Named Cromehurst Scout troop leader
• 1981: Trained as a branch commissioner leader at Otis
• 1986: Joined the International Association of Elevator Engineers (IAEE)
• 1986: Joined the Lift Engineering Society of Australia (LESA)
• 1987: Represented Australia at International Organization for Standardization meetings
• 1989: Received the Order of Australia award for Service to Engineering
• 1994: Received the Standards Australia award for service
• 1995: Named honorary commissioner of NSW Scouting Branch Headquarters
• 1997: Made a life member of LESA
• 1998: Joined Toastmasters International
• 2006: Joined the National Roads and Motorists’ Association Presentation Team
• 2008-2009: Named district governor of Toastmasters International District 70
• 2013-2014: Made District Toastmaster of the Year by Toastmasters International
• 2015: Made president emeritus of IAEE