The recent celebrations held for Bin Moosa & Daly's 50th anniversary were as much a celebration of Michael Daly's father's life and Abu Dhabi's recent history as it was about the company.
Mr Daly often argues that his father, also called Michael, was “the first Irishman in Abu Dhabi”, having arrived in 1958 while working for BP to teach engineering skills to young Emirati students.
Mr Daly senior played a significant role in expat society as Abu Dhabi grew. He helped with the construction of the capital's first church after Sheikh Shakhbout granted land for the building that became St Joseph's, which opened its doors in 1965. He also played a hand in the setting up of The Club, a private members' club in Abu Dhabi founded in 1962 on land donated by Founding Father Sheikh Zayed, and became its first elected chairman.
“He was well known in Abu Dhabi - played a lot of golf, knew everyone,” says his son, Michael, who is Bin Moosa & Daly's managing director.
“So when you’re having a 50-year celebration a lot of it was about my dad. There was a 95-year-old lady there, Mrs Henderson. Her husband died long ago. He was an ex-British ambassador. But she is still here - courtesy of the Royal Family.”
Another guest was Fr Eugene Mattiolo, an Italian priest who has served in the region for decades.
“He knew my dad for 50 years,” Mr Daly says. “He’s still working in Mussaffah. I said, ‘Fr Eugene, you are 86, you are 60 years a priest - all of it in the Middle East. Isn’t it about time you retired, went back to Italy and enjoyed yourself?’. He said, ‘I’d get bored’.
“He retired two years ago, and then came out of retirement. He’s an amazing man.”
Many of the other guests were from companies whose equipment Bin Moosa & Daly supplies in the region.
“A lot of these are family businesses,” Mr Daly says, explaining that relationships with some of these firms stretch back almost as long as the company’s own history. The Australian company Davey Water Products has been supplying the company with water pumps of all sizes since 1969, for instance.
“We’re their biggest overseas customer,” he says. “We’ve been dealing with them since 1969. In 2005, they had just finished making their four millionth pump. They made two gold-plated pumps. They kept one in their head office in Melbourne and they gave one to me.”
Mr Daly says he had initially planned to follow in his father’s footsteps by working for BP after graduating from university in England, but eventually decided to go into the family business.
“To be honest, if you worked for a big company in those days you could get sent anywhere. I could have been sent to Alaska or Venezuela, and I just didn’t fancy being sent here and there.
“I was brought up here. I spent a lot of time here. It’s an unusual place. It’s unique in the Middle East. There is nowhere else like it. The tolerance, the lifestyle ... I’ve been working here for 42 years and I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
Mr Daly turns 64 this month and although his son Luke is involved in the business running the Dubai showroom, he says he has absolutely no plans to retire.
“I don’t retire - it’s a family business and I want to stay. Like my dad, they’ll take me out in a box.”
business@thenational.ae
SPECS
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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