Marian Tolich from Barfoot & Thompson became an auctioneer 20 years ago after 10 years as a real estate agent. She’s one of around five female auctioneers in the real estate industry here, but as far as she’s aware, the only woman doing the job full-time.
Why did you want to be an auctioneer?
I thought it looked like fun. As a child, I did speech and drama – I had a loud voice and at school I was always the narrator in the school plays. When I was younger I wanted to be an actress and in a way there are similarities. It’s a bit like performing on stage with everyone is looking at you.
How did people respond to a female auctioneer?
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When I first started out the industry was very conservative. Somebody once said they didn’t want me to auction their home because I was a woman. It was as if they thought I wouldn’t be as good as a man. And back then I accepted it because that’s what you did.
But my colleagues have always been very supportive. There is real respect between everyone in the team of auctioneers I work with, and we also have lots of laughs. The worst thing is that they talk constantly about cars.
Did it take a while to gain confidence?
At the beginning there was a lot of self-doubt. I thought, I am so lucky as a female to have this job, they are going to find out that I am not as good as the men. It took me a long time to recognise that actually, I was as good or better than a lot of the guys.
I think women have an advantage in that we’re intuitive. It’s a very interactive role, you are not just standing there giving a speech. You have to be able to read body language of the bidders, be quick-witted and think on your feet. I consciously lowered my voice because when women talk loud we tend to end up screaming.
Have you always lived in Auckland?
My first husband and I lived in Australia then moved to Dubai for three years in the early 1980s, when he got a job in sales for an aluminium company. It was an adventure, it was quite primitive back then. There was a lot of sand. The guys played rugby on sand and when they played golf, they carried around a piece of grass to tee off from.
The rest of the time I’ve been in Auckland, and I have lived in a lot of different houses – I’ve moved a lot. I love doing up houses.
What was your first job?
I worked in my parents’ fish and chip shop in Symonds Street from the age of eight, wrapping fish and chips and taking money. It was useful because it got me used to dealing with the public.
My parents and grandparents were Croatian immigrants who worked very hard. My dad died when I was 12 and my mum was left with four girls on her own. It was a case of dig deep and get on with it. I think hard work is in my DNA.
After I left school I did horrible office work. It was not my forte. I got into real estate after we moved back to New Zealand from Dubai. We were selling our house and I thought some of the agents coming through were terrible. I thought I could do better.
Did you ever get to fulfil your acting ambitions?
I got to play an auctioneer in Shortland Street about 15 years ago. I was given lines to say and I said, “I can’t do this, it’s not what I would say.” There I was, trying to organise Shortland Street! You get used to taking control when you do auctions. In the end the director had to say to me, “Marian, you are not in charge. You have to do what we want.”
You give a lot of your time to doing charity auctions – is that important to you?
Very. Barfoot and Thompson sponsor Starship Hospital so I do a lot of work for them. I also help hospice and Cure Kids and a few other organisations. I did one last year for The Aunties, which helps women going through domestic abuse. It was a great night. Sometimes I like the smaller auctions where you are selling things for $50 or $100 instead of thousands of dollars.
Do you have any hobbies?
There’s no time because of the irregular hours we work. I like spending time with my grandchildren – I have five and my husband Tony Worsp, who was the auction manager when I became an auctioneer, also has five. I suppose shopping is a hobby. I think a lot of shops in Auckland have me on speed dial when new stock comes in. I love fashion and shoes, and I’m a sucker for makeup. I enjoy the creativity of putting a look together, and in this profession you have to look good and wear nice clothes. I am going to save a lot of money when I stop working.
You recently bought a house at auction – what’s it like being on the other side?
Normally my husband does the bidding because he’s much calmer than me. But I did it this time – I had only seen the house for the first time half an hour beforehand – and my heart was pounding. I really didn’t want to lose, I decided I was going to do whatever it took. I paid more money for it than I should but I was very happy to get it.
Are auctions emotional events?
Oh yes. I love seeing how happy people are when they get the house they want so much. But you also feel for those people who miss out. You can see that some of them are so disappointed.
