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Brian Foley was always going to follow his father and become a plumber.
When a schoolboy, Albert Foley was replacing spouting at Brian’s school when Brian turned to his teacher and said ‘‘I’m going to be doing that one day, I’m going to be a plumber’’.
He kept his word and on leaving school, began an apprenticeship with his father. He had to run the business from his early 20s after his father had a heart attack in 1961, severely limiting his ability to work.
When Brian initially retired in 2005, he employed 15 staff and in his career, estimated he trained more than 150 apprentices.
His was a life built on a mix of mischievousness, kindness, compassion, a passion for plumbing, a love of working with young people and a realisation of the importance of community.
‘‘It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than to seek permission,’’ Brian said with a cheeky grin in a recent interview.
AG Foleys was formed in 1934 by Brian’s father Albert.
To raise sufficient cash to buy a plumbing business, Albert went to Napier to help with repairs following the 1932 earthquake and on his return he bought a Mornington plumbing business.
Brian was born to Albert and Mona Foley in 1940. He has an elder sister, Glenis, who was born in 1937.
Albert served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War 2 and one night Brian overheard his mother warning: ‘‘If the phone doesn’t ring we’ll have no work for Sam [the plumber they employed].’’
Brian, aged 5, decided to generate some work by turning off all the water mains in their street.
His misdeeds were soon uncovered and the next day was spent turning everybody’s water back on and checking it was running as it should.
‘‘I think they did quite a bit of free work,’’ he recalled.
Brian’s mother, Mona, managed the accounts and workflow, a role she maintained even when Brian ran the business.
He joined the business in 1955 and was not long out of his apprenticeship when his father fell ill. Brian already had some business experience.
‘‘We did a job, Alan Briggs and myself. We put a toilet and a basin in a bathroom, and we did it in a day. And I said ‘gosh, we must have made some money out of that.’ That night, I costed it all out. We made £1, and I thought, ‘I’m not going to be working this hard all my life.
‘‘Then I started pricing and doing the accounts, so when Dad had a heart attack and I took it over, it wasn’t so new to me.’’
Under Brian’s direction, AG Foley slowly expanded within Dunedin, growth he attributed to loyalty from having operated during the war but also from family recognition in the Mornington area.
‘‘Foleys were well known in Mornington. My grandfather managed the Mornington trams, and so we were all well known in Mornington.’’
Post-war was a golden time for the building trade as the government invested in housing and infrastructure, during which AG Foleys worked alongside building firms such as Gray Brothers.
Brian also understood his limitations and surrounded himself with people who had complementary skills, such as accountant the late Bill Baylis.
Other key appointments were Brian’s son, Craig, along with Chris Sutherland, who both started as apprentice plumbers but were promoted to management roles, and accountant Sarah Alcock.
All became shareholders and directors.
‘‘Over the years I brought on board or worked with a lot of good people who provided sound advice,’’ Brian said.
They helped Foleys move into commercial contracting, electrical and mechanical services, with the business named the 2006 New Zealand Master Plumber of the Year.
Brian’s ability to read people aided that growth.
‘‘It’s one thing to look at their skills on a piece of paper, but I was fortunate to be able to read the person and see if they were a good fit and if I could work with them.’’
Brian had three children, Craig, Sandra and Sharon. Craig followed his father into the business, Sandra works as a theatre nurse at Dunedin Hospital and Sharon lives in the United Kingdom.
Brian had a passion for working with young people and at one stage had identified shortcomings in the knowledge of young plumbing apprentices.
To address that issue, he started tutoring them at Otago Polytechnic.
He didn’t suffer fools.
‘‘I had them during the day, and they’d call me a stupid b..... or something, but I’d have them at night. So I had to make sure I was firm with them.’’
He could turn on the charm when needed.
In the late 1990s, he was heading to Australia to address a conference as president of the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drain layers Board, but on reaching the airport realised he had left his passport at home.
These were the days before airport security was more relaxed, and by flashing his presidential chains and using his charm, he convinced security to let him on to the aircraft with a temporary passport.
His charm got him off multiple speeding tickets.
‘‘If you are nice to people, you can get away with a lot,’’ he explained.
Plumbing jobs were not all straightforward.
One memorable call was to a malfunctioning water cylinder at the end of a row of stalls in a ladies toilet.
Brian was lying on his back wiring it up when a lady came in and started using the stall beside the one he was working on, oblivious to his presence.
‘‘I didn’t really know how to deal with it, so reached under the stall and tapped her on the leg and said, ‘excuse me, but I was here first’, startling the woman.’’
Another time, Brian and Craig were called to a Dunedin hotel to clear a blocked drain.
‘‘I said to Craig ‘I’ll push a pipe up as far as I can and I’ll let you know when to turn the tap on.’
‘‘When I told Craig to turn the tap on there was this almighty scream from a woman.
‘‘I went inside and what had happened was, she was sitting on the toilet and the pipe had come all the way through up into the toilet and had turned it into a bidet.
‘‘I suppose when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.’’
He initially retired in about 2005, but struggled without the stimulation of work and the camaraderie of the workplace, so went back part-time for another 15 years, finally retiring on October 6, 2023.
In retirement, he devoted his spare time to tinkering with his vintage Ford Model A car, taking it in rallies, and singing bass in the Royal Dunedin Male Choir.
Brian’s passion for the industry extended to 20 years on the National Executive of Master Plumbers, following his father into the role.
He was president from 1996-97 and awarded life membership of the Otago Master Plumbers and, in 2021, received the rare honour of national life membership.
Brian’s generosity extended to working with EnableNZ, a healthcare provider for Health NZ, which undertook housing alterations for clients with physical needs and disabilities such as haemodialysis installations, shower handrails and wet floor showers.
It was work he enjoyed, saying it made a significant difference to people’s lives.
He was active in Rotary for 45 years and president from 1988-89, with Foleys often called on to sponsor or support club activities.
For 20 years, he arranged meals-on-wheels deliveries in South Dunedin.
A compassionate man, Brian would willingly offer counsel, provide extra support for staff facing personal challenges or for complete strangers facing some difficulties.
His career was recognised in the 2024 King’s Birthday honours, when he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the plumbing industry and the community.
His citation said that being a good plumber meant being good to people.
A tribute from Master Plumbers described Brian as a dedicated member, someone who willingly shared his knowledge, wanted to help others and who encouraged apprentices.
Asked if he enjoyed his career choice, he said: ‘‘I wouldn’t have any hesitation, I would do it all again. Plumbing and Foleys has been my life.’’
When Brian George Foley, 85, died on June 9, he not only left behind family and friends, but a successful business legacy.
His grandson Nathan is now the fourth generation to work at AG Foleys.
Brian is survived by his family. — Contributed