‘If it moved and made noise he was interested’: Brendan McVeigh (1967-2026)

Saturday, 20 June 2026

Brendan McVeigh had an eye for spotting famous people in a crowd or on a street. It was a talent he took some pride in, one that on occasion inspired direct action.

Heathrow, 2004, was one such time. Brendan and his wife Angela were moving at their own pace, negotiating the airport in an otherwise normal manner when suddenly Brendan bolted, not saying a word. Whilst passing a pharmacy he had identified an iconic musician.

Queen's lead guitarist quite possibly was startled when a focused antipodean arrived at the shop's entrance way, at some velocity, then advanced toward him. Backed up against the shelving, Brendan gave the man no choice but to engage. A friendly hand was extended, together with a rhetorical query, 'Brian May?' When May confirmed his identity, Brendan announced, 'Queen was the first concert I ever went to: Auckland, New Zealand, 1985'. Returning his gaze, the musician replied, dryly, 'I remember it well'.

Brendan McVeigh liked telling this story. Proud of his Irish heritage, he loved a good yarn, held memories dear and was above all a people person who made friends easily, sustaining those relationships through selfless acts of kindness and practical assistance. A perfectionist in most everything he did, be it work or his multitude of sporting interests, he always had many projects on the go at once. It was a reflection of the range of people he knew and the value he put on their company. Says Brendan's son Connor, 'it was never about the job, it was about the time spent'.

Brendan McVeigh was born 10 July, 1967 in Cambridge, the eldest of the two children of Anthony (Tony) Joseph McVeigh and Iza Jacqueline McVeigh (nee Bisset). The date coincided with an important event in his nation's history: the formal adoption of decimal currency. Brendan would embrace the coincidence, making the story his own, the appropriation anticipating a more general character trait: the capacity to retain historical facts and tales and relay them often, always with the freshness of first telling.

Tony McVeigh was an Irish immigrant who instilled a love of the Emerald Isle in his son and indeed all his family, ensuring the connection to Ireland was unwavering. Brendan's personality was formed equally by his strong willed mother. He grew up with a considerable work ethic, a drive to be always active and a decided sense of humour, grounded in a distinctive way with words.

Raised on Forkett's Farm in Roto-o-Rangi, south of Cambridge, where his parents farmed and which they would later purchase, Brendan acquired practical skills that would always stand him in good stead. Motorbikes were an early passion that never waned. There was no shortage of cousins willing to risk exhaust pipe burns to ride pillion around the farm. The sole male child for a long time amongst his locally born cousins, young Brendan's exterior toughness seldom masked his protective, patient and diplomatic side. His was 'a perfect mix of the cheeky and the kind'.

One cousin remembers him as 'an incredibly smart' student at Roto-o-Rangi School, 'always with a smile on his face', good at sport and immensely popular. A fine student, 'all over' such daunting academic challenges as long division, he completed tasks efficiently, then moved on, a boy who 'just seemed to get things right all the time'. Later attending Cambridge Intermediate and Cambridge High School, Brendan excelled as a rower and was selected for a New Zealand Junior trial.

The end of his secondary education saw Brendan attempt full-time farming, working on his parents' property. He would soon decide to pursue a different vocation. Decades later, when farming beef on a lifestyle block, he would struggle with the ultimate fate of stock that he had reared and formed attachment to, always absenting himself on the day of slaughter.

Panelbeating became Brendan's trade of choice. He completed an apprenticeship at Cambridge's Lee & McMillan Panel & Paint. Subsequent employment drew on his love of the water: he spent a period selling boats at Cambridge Marine before returning to his trade, working in Hamilton for two and half years at Kevin Mills Panel & Paint. Still later, he would conclude professional panelbeating back where he first started, again filling a position at Lee & McMillan Panel & Paint.

For the last two decades of Brendan's working life he was employed as a motor assessor for the insurance company IAG. Says Connor, 'it suited him perfectly', drawing on his 'sharp eye, attention to detail and…strong belief that 'good enough' was never good enough'.

The philosophy extended equally to projects taken on outside the professional workshop. Brendan was often heard to say that he 'panelbeat the old school way' and continued to do as recently as a month before his death, cataloguing progress in the repair of his son's girlfriend's car with before and after photographs, all the better to illustrate the point. Capable of taking on large renovations of the family houses, Connor argues that a finer appreciation of his father's skills and attitude should stress his attention to detail, saying 'if you really want to understand Dad you don't look at the big things - you look at the small things…because if something broke, a car, a trailer, anything at all, you didn't get a minor repair, you got a full-on project'.

Brendan's recreational pursuits extended from the rowing of his school days to snow skiing, dirt bikes, motor cross and trail rides. 'If it moved and made noise', says Connor, 'he was interested'. The restoration of vehicles was a 'real passion': he had lots of cars and lots of car parts, a dedicated Holden man, with strong feelings about those who favoured Fords. He had an enthusiasm for aircraft and international travel. He enjoyed boating and fishing and weekends away with family, friends and neighbours at Whangamatā, where singing skills and karaoke prowess came to the fore.

Although only taking up the national sport at the age of 23, Brendan was equally committed to the oval ball game and was a stalwart of the Leamington Rugby Sports Club. He was also an integral part and long time committee member of the Cambridge Motorcycle Club, known in motor cross circles, as elsewhere, as 'Red' or 'Big Red'.

Brendan met Angela Ritchie through mutual friends in 1989. Married seven years later, Brendan and Angela were to have two sons, Connor and Neasan. A proud father who worked hard to provide for his family and to sustain a lifestyle in which he could share the things he himself valued with his boys, Brendan would gain satisfaction in the fact that both would ultimately find employment working with their hands, in a world he knew well. Family weekends away riding dirt bikes were particularly treasured memories for Connor and Neasan in their formative years.

Brendan faced his cancer diagnosis with a determination to keep enjoying life. Challenged by the disease for five years, he sustained the things that gave him pleasure: the company of family and friends, the capacity to tell stories, to take and archive photographs, to continue to travel, especially to Ireland, and to keep busy on repair and restoration projects, be they his own or work done for others.

Brendan valued people, he valued his relationships and he valued his communities. He worked hard, showed up, helped people, fixed things, built things and quietly looked after everyone around him. He was warm, genuine and loyal, loved openly and loved in return.

Brendan McVeigh died 15 April, 2026, surrounded by family, at his Cambridge home. He is survived by Angela, his wife of 30 years and sons Connor and Neasan.