On Monday, the two Dunedin men will mark 45 years since they began work at the construction company.
Despite the remarkable coincidence, they are not the longest-serving staff members. That honour goes to crane operator Peter Findlay, who has worked there for 48 years.
It was the first job for both Mr Oats (62) and Mr Crabbe (61) after leaving school and they were among an influx of about 17 apprentices. They were each given a tool-kit — both still have parts of it — and after a briefing, they were allocated jobs. Fast forward four and a-half decades and the pair remain with the firm, although the hand tools they first used have largely been replaced by much more modern technology.
Mr Oats said that for him, the attraction had been a very people-oriented company and that business philosophy had continued throughout his career.
It was the people that got him "out of bed" every day; not just those he worked with but all those involved in the construction industry. They were a "good bunch" of people.
"The friendships you acquire over that amount of time is just huge. I consider all the guys working at Naylor Love as a friend," he said.
Joining Naylor Love had also flowed on to lots of opportunities for the two men: Mr Crabbe moved into a foreman’s role, while Mr Oats started looking after jobs at the end of the third year of his apprenticeship and was now construction manager.
It had been a great time and if he had his time over again, he would certainly spend it with Naylor Love, Mr Oats said.
Mr Crabbe said he could not fault his time there. He had been "everywhere" with the firm, including to Naylor Love’s first jobs in Christchurch and Queenstown.
When it came to memorable projects, Mr Oats said "you name it, I’ve built it", from airports to hospitals and hotels.
But the most rewarding job he had been in charge of was the restoration of Dunedin’s Municipal Chambers building.
He was very proud to see it "brought back to its former glory".
"There’s a fair bit of me in that building," he said.
Mr Crabbe cited the Wall Street mall as his most memorable. But then, he said, he would drive down a street and say "I worked on that one, I worked on that one", indicating various Naylor Love projects.
