A&G Engineering Celebrates 60 Years of Innovation as Founders Honoured with Riverina Legend Award

Riverina Winemakers Association honour the late Ron Potter and the late Lionel Irving with the 2025 Riverina Legend Award, for their contribution to winemaking

GRIFFITH, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, November 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Riverina Winemakers Association posthumously honoured the late Ron Potter and the late Lionel Irving with the 2025 Riverina Legend Award, recognising their extraordinary contribution to Australian winemaking and engineering.

The accolade celebrates two men whose partnership transformed the Australian wine industry and laid the foundation for two internationally respected businesses A&G Engineering and Flavourtech, both headquartered in the Riverina and still thriving today.

“This year, it stood out that there are some people whose work and life leave a very profound mark. So profound that they continue to be recognised generations later,” said Riverina Wine Show Committee spokesperson Carrah Lymer. “Their legend of innovation, work ethic, and excellence still lives on today.”

Celebrating a Legacy That Shaped an Industry

Founded in 1963 when Ron Potter, a newly qualified oenologist, began developing engineering solutions for winemakers, A&G Engineering grew from a modest three-person workshop in Griffith into a business of national significance. His partnership with Lionel Irving, whose commercial acumen perfectly complemented Ron’s technical brilliance, propelled A&G to global recognition.

Together, the two men pioneered breakthrough technologies that changed the way wine was made in Australia. Most notably, the Potter Fermenter, a revolutionary design that streamlined red-wine production and remains an industry benchmark to this day.

Their influence extended beyond manufacturing to education and community investment. Both men supported the establishment of the Ron Potter Centre at Charles Sturt University, helping to nurture future generations of Australian winemakers.

“Respected, revered, and remembered for their hard work, tenacity, ingenuity, and generosity, the ripple effect of their work has benefited countless people,” Ms Lymer added. “They have truly left a legacy that deserves to continue to receive the admiration of our region, industry, and community.”

A New Generation Looks Ahead

Today, that legacy lives on under the leadership of Tom Gallagher, Ron Potter’s grandson and current Chief Executive Officer of A&G Engineering. For Tom, the award is both a moment of pride and a reminder of responsibility.

“This recognition is a vessel for their legacy. A way to keep their values alive and embed them in what we do every day,” said Tom Gallagher. “Over half of our current team never met Ron or Lionel, but they work within a culture those two men built, grounded in honesty, fairness, and the belief that hard work creates opportunity.”

Tom recalls his grandfather and Lionel as “quietly proud men” who never sought accolades.

“They were driven by doing things the right way, not the easy way. I think they’d be humbled by this award but mostly pleased that the community, our people and their families continue to benefit from what they started.”

Building on the Next 60 Years

As A&G Engineering and Flavourtech continue to grow, the focus remains on innovation, education, and service to industry. Tom says the next 60 years will be guided not by what the companies make, but by how they think and act.

“We’ll always be in the business of helping customers grow,” he said. “The real inheritance from Ron and Lionel isn’t a product line, it’s a philosophy: do good work, look after the business, and it will look after you.”

He added that the award is an opportunity for reflection within the business:

“It’s helped us stop and remember what’s been built before us. The best way we can honour that is by keeping the spirit of innovation and integrity alive for future generations.”

About A&G Engineering

Founded in 1963, A&G Engineering is one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of stainless-steel storage and process vessels, serving the wine, food, dairy, brewing, and industrial sectors. With operations across the country, A&G Engineering remains a family-owned business committed to quality craftsmanship, innovation, and community.

Flavourtech, co-founded by Ron Potter and Lionel Irving, continues to be a global technology leader in aroma recovery and extraction systems for the beverage and food industries.

Michael Field
EvettField Partners
+61 417 900 109
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Facebook

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.