Vale Matthew Materia, the Smiths pioneer 

Avionics engineer Matt Materia who features in the Smiths chapter of Cool Mavericks and played a leading role in the British instrument company’s foray into mobile air conditioning in Australia,died in Melbourne on 24 October, 2024. He was 94 years of age.

Cool Mavericks co-author Ken Newton interviewed Matt after research uncovered his role in a secret Australian government mission to fit an autopilot system to the Canberra bomber, Australia’s major air defence. That was the real reason Smiths set up operations in Australia, but they subsequently went on to become one of the showcase pioneers of vehicle air conditioning systems in the early years.

Matt ultimately became managing director of the whole Smiths’ Australian operation through to its sale to Diesel Kiki, and its eventual departure from Australia in 1991.

In the weeks just prior to his death, a copy of Cool Mavericks was presented to the Materia family, and his daughter Dr Chrissie Materia Rowland reported that reading the Smiths’ chapter brought back many fond memories for Matt.

Matt was a key figure in the decision by Smiths to get involved in vehicle air-conditioning. The company had imported half a dozen Mark IV air conditioning kits from the John E Mitchell company in Texas, not to sell, but to check them out. On the expectation there might be a future in air conditioning, more kits were imported and Matt believed Smiths entered the national market with under-dash units around 1958. A year later, Matt was on a plane to Texas with two agendas – to explore the possibility of a manufacturing partnership with John E Mitchell for their air conditioning kits, and to investigate a similar arrangement with the big Torins fan company, also in Texas.

For those who worked or dealt with Matt, the family have provided the funeral arrangements: Wednesday, 6 November at St Joan of Arc Catholic church, Middle Brighton, Rosary at 10.30am, funeral at 11am, followed by a wake at 2pm at the family home at 54 Champion street, Brighton.