Daughters of missing Tauranga man Brian Davies pay tribute

The daughters of Brian and Mary Davies, pictured here at a family function, say their father loved helping people and "had a real sense of social justice". Photo / Supplied

Tauranga man Brian Davies will always be remembered by his two daughters as "a pillar of the community".

"He was a real people person," Rose Davies said.

"He loved helping people. He cared for people."

Liz Davies said her father "had a real sense of social justice".

Family were also important.

The sisters told the Bay of Plenty Times how every week, Davies would make a special trip from his Matua home to have a family dinner at Liz's house in Whakamarama.

Sadly, last Thursday, he never took his seat at the table.

The 85-year-old was reported missing on Wednesday, July 3. His body was found the next day after almost 24 hours of searching by police and search and rescue teams.

Liz said had her father made it to dinner that night, politics would have been the topic of conversation at the table.

"It was always politics," she said.

And if it wasn't politics, it was history.

Liz remembered a family holiday in the South Island where her father would stop every few moments to tell his daughters about the history of a specific building or monument.

"He loved his history," Liz said.

"History was his passion."

Davies taught history and geography at Central Hawke's Bay College in Waipukurau from 1962 to 1971 before moving to Palmerston North.

He became the head of history at Queen Elizabeth College from 1971 to 1977 before moving to Manawatu and becoming deputy principal at what was then called Feilding Agricultural High School until 1995.

When Davies and his late wife, Mary, moved to Matua in 1995, he began volunteering as a tour guide at The Elms in Tauranga.

He became a member of the Tauranga Historical Society, the local Probus club and was a big advocate for opening a museum in Tauranga.

Rose said her father was "gutted that it never happened".

"He really felt the people of Tauranga were let down."

Davies was also involved in the Model United Nations Assemblies, was a financial counsellor at the Tauranga Budget Advisory Service and a member of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists.

"He was very much involved in the community. For him and mum, it was all about making the world better," Rose said. "He was just a complete pillar of the community ... A life well lived."

Rose, who had travelled from Australia after hearing the news, said her father was a very academic man but joked he was sometimes not very practical.

"He went to fix my bike once and it fell apart, basically," she said with a giggle.

"He was a bit nerdy, but lovely and very compassionate ... A lot of men have very much a manly presence. He was himself, all heart. No ego, he was just himself."

The sisters said they felt lucky to have shared recent family memories with their father, such as celebrating his granddaughter Lucy's 16th birthday and grandson Ben's 18th birthday.

The family also spent Christmas all together at Mount Maunganui.

It is those memories the Davies sisters will cherish forever.

Liz and Rose thanked the police and search and rescue teams for helping them find their father. "He is with mum now," Rose said.

Davies also loved his bowls and was remembered by Bowls Matua president Cliff Osbourne as a "proper gentleman - very polite and a great bowler".

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Davies' death, which has been referred to the coroner.