Never walk alone- Walk on - 36. Chapter 36

They boarded the golf carts and drove the short distance to the clubhouse, situated on a low rise overlooking the course and directly below, a small lake, approximately one kilometre long by maybe a half kilometre wide. It sat in a bowl between the hill that the clubhouse stood on, and another, taller, hill opposite that curved down lower at either end. On the right, the river that flowed through the resort emptied into the lake over some rapids, and continued on its meandering course through the mountains at the far end, spilling over a weir.

They purchased soft drinks at the bar and then made their way down to the boathouse built over the water. A short jetty had a dozen pedalos tethered to it as well as some kayaks and some wider, more stable rowing boats that were available for hire.
Due to the conservation status of the resort, no motorised equipment was permitted on the lake, with the exception of a single engined speed boat that also bobbed at the end of the jetty. This was only to be used in the event of an emergency on the water and had large RESCUE stickers emblazoned all over it and could be piloted only by Larry, Clive or Warren, Clive's assistant. In the normal course of events, either Clive or Warren would always be in the immediate vicinity of the clubhouse should anyone get into difficulties while out on the lake. The boathouse also contained six windsurfers and six paddleboards that guests could hire as well.

They were advised that Clive had reserved their pedalos as arranged, two four seaters, and they were on their way in no time at all. Cameron insisted on sitting up front with his dad, relegating Janice, Fiona and Rascal to the back seats, while Andrew and David sat upfront on the second pedalo with Jamie and Elizabeth in the rear. Although the pedalos had canopies, the dads made sure that they and the four children were well covered with sun protection lotion and they all wore caps or sun hats.
They cruised leisurely round the lake for an hour and a half before returning the pedalos and, with Cameron once again complaining about being hungry, they entered the clubhouse and took seats at the windows in the air-conditioned restaurant/halfway house. There were six salads on menu, four with meat and two vegetarian. The adults all had salads, the men all opting for meat or fish, while Janice had the blue cheese, pear and walnut salad, which Andrew tasted and it was sensational. Jamie and the girls had toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches with fries, and Cameron wolfed down a huge cheeseburger. Poor Rascal literally got the scraps, much to his disgust, although Cameron did give a a chewy meat stick when they got back to the room.

"I think our little boy is growing far too quickly", Andrew whispered to Ryan, who nodded in reply, his blue eyes wistful as he gazed at his eldest son.

It had been quite warm out on the water, so they headed back to their rooms for an afternoon siesta in air-conditioned comfort. Everyone except Andrew, who sat on the veranda with his laptop on the table in front of him and studied the financials of the four lodges and the proposals he had sent to them, planning his strategy, focusing on the two 'problem children'.
His fingers danced over the keyboard as he made notes on each lodge with the final notation being a figure - one that he was prepared to offer and not a single cent more. He was very aware that by the end of the week he was not going to be the most popular person within certain circles in the hospitality industry, but, he suddenly realised to his immense satisfaction, he actually didn't give a shit! The two problem owners had brought it on themselves. He had bent over backwards to persuade them to adopt the Devlin-Major corporate philosophy, to no avail.

The lodges themselves were lovely properties, situated on the same block in a leafy suburb, a few properties apart but very different in ambiance.
One was a very traditional older building under thatch with beautiful terracotta paved floors and patios, huge public areas and bedrooms and expansive outdoor patios and gardens with huge trees. The other was a fairly new construction, a very modern double storey with sharp angles, huge full length windows in every room and a flat roof with patio. It also sat on a large piece of property with a water feature on the circular paved driveway and lots of flower beds surrounded by modern paving. Two huge palm trees were the only ones on the property.

A bit later, after they had all showered and changed for dinner, they strolled down to the buffet restaurant, taking advantage of the perfect evening that nature had provided. The pilots were sitting on the patio with long Coca-Colas in front of them, and declined the invitation to join them for dinner having already dined in order to get an early night as they would be up early on the Sunday to perform all the checks that were required before depar-ture.
Dinner was indeed slightly more upmarket than usual, not only due to the menu choices, but a four piece band was in attendance as well in place of the usual piped music.
While the hors d'oeuvres and salads were mostly the same, the difference was evident in the main course and dessert offerings. The usual roasted topside had been replaced by roasted whole sirloin of beef with Yorkshire puddings and creamed horseradish. The leg of pork remained while the leg of lamb was replaced by grilled lamb cutlets that a chef was grilling as required. The daily curry was fish based, and the casseroles were Chicken thighs Coq au Vin and Bobotie. The feature vegetarian main was an amazing looking Mushroom, Butternut, Spinach and Chickpea Wellington which Andrew had a serving of and was pleasantly surprised that the puff pastry was not at all soggy as he feared it might be. Two other vegetarian mains comprised a Lentil Bobotie and a Chinese Vegetable Stir Fry.
For dessert, an ice cream bar had been set up with six flavours and a myriad of toppings and additions for guests to enjoy. Fresh fruit salad, profiteroles with Crème Patissere, cheesecake, Black Forest gateau and a baked Malva Pudding with custard rounded off the dessert choices. And the usual cheese board was available as well.

Larry was very much in evidence, working the tables and chatting to all his guests, leaving his bosses very impressed at his long day. Needless to say dinner was, once again, a triumph.
Despite the temptation to linger and enjoy the music - some of the guests had started dancing in an open space in the centre of the restaurant - they were well aware that Sunday morning would be a fairly early start in order for Andrew to make his flight to Johannesburg, so they headed for their rooms soon after finishing dinner.

On Sunday morning, the Devlin-Majors were the first guests in the restaurant when the doors opened. The pilots were waiting too, not looking very happy.
Departure was scheduled for 8.30, although Mother Nature was not being very cooperative. Thick mist shrouded the valley right down to the ground making it impossible to perform a safe take-off. Andrew was a bit concerned, fully aware that there were only a handful of flights from Pietermaritzburg every day. He took his laptop with him to breakfast to check on the later flights. He had hardly sat down when his mobile chimed with a message and on opening it, he groaned.

"What up Drew? Problems?", Ryan queried.

"Yeah, you could say that. It seems Pietermaritzburg is also socked in like we are and they are not expecting it to lift any time soon. The incoming flight from Johannesburg has been delayed until the fog lifts so my flight has been cancelled. Airlink want to know if the afternoon fight will be acceptable instead. This whole thing is turning into a shit show! Damn!!"
He opened his laptop and typed hurriedly then scanned the screen. He looked up at their pilots.

"If we can get out of here, can you fly me to Durban. I can get a flight at 11.10am. What is flying time to Durban? I think it was about thirty minutes the last time we flew that route?", he asked them.

"Closer to forty minutes", Scott, the captain replied. " But sure, Durban will not be a problem. Provided we can take off from here. We'll need to have you on the ground no later than 10.30 to make the 11.10 flight"

"Okay! Let's finish up breakfast, check out and go to the airfield. As soon as it looks like this crap is lifting, and you guys think it is safe, we can get going . I'll make a reservation in the interim and then just cross my fingers, and I'll send an email to your office advising them of the change to the route. They can bill me the difference", Andrew replied, looking around the table. He glanced up at the door as Larry walked into the restaurant. He scanned the room and then headed straight for their table when he saw them.

"Morning everyone. I'm guessing you are probably concerned about this fog and getting out of here", he said in greeting.

"Morning Larry", Andrew replied, "Damn right! It's thrown a real spanner in the works. Pietermaritzburg Airport is closed as well because of fog as well. My flight has been cancelled. I need to get to Durban by 10.30 latest to get a flight to Johannesburg from there. How long do you think it will be before this starts lifting?"

"Well, it generally disappears quite quickly once the sun is up from behind the mountain. Which has already happened! It is already slightly brighter than it was thirty minutes ago. I would guess by nine or nine - thirty you should be good to go", he replied.

"Nine thirty is too late!", Andrew said. "It's forty minutes flying time to Durban and I still have to check my luggage to Johannesburg. I was just saying we need to check out and go to the airfield so that we can be ready as soon as this stuff thins out"
Larry nodded.

"Don't worry about checking out! I'm sure you're not going to run away!", he replied with a grin. "I'll forward your bill to you via email".
"Okay family. I hate to rush you but we have places to be. Finish up and let's get going".

A few minutes later they were on the way back to their rooms. The pilots were headed to the plane. Larry arrived on his golf cart with a porter to assist with the loading of the luggage and not long after the three cart convoy were trundling through the murk en-route to the airfield.

On arrival at the small terminal building, which to everyones surprise was spacious and very comfortably furnished with couches and armchairs, it was evident that the fog was already beginning to thin, with almost the entire length of the runway visible, but the pilots wanted to wait for it to clear a bit more, boarding the aircraft to prepare for departure while they were waiting and supervise the loading of the luggage.
Just before 9am, Scott approached his waiting passengers.

"I would like to suggest that you board and get settled so that we can take-off as soon as the conditions allow. It's looking better by the minute, so with a bit of luck we can getgoing shortly"

They all trooped out to the plane, stopping for Rascal to have a short ablution break, then got themselves comfortable with seat belts secure. Danny, the co-pilot ran through the safety briefing and then returned to the cockpit. Andrew anxiously kept an eye on the time, knowing that it was now becoming quite tight. Fifteen minutes later Danny left his seat and secured the boarding door just as the port engine began its starting whine. The second engine followed suit shortly after and Andrew breathed a sigh of relief as they moved off to the end of the runway. Scott didn't waste any time, and opened the throttles as soon as the turn at the runway end had been completed. Engines howling, the rushed down the runway and lifted off, entering the misty murk almost immediately before breaking out above the mist a minute or two later into clear blue, sunny skies.
When Andrew was sure he was going to make his Johannesburg flight, he went online and checked in so that he would only need to drop his luggage at King Shaka International Airport. He also called SAA customer services to advise them that he had a reservation on the 11.10 to Johannesburg but that he was still inbound on a private charter and to please hold closing the flight as late as possible, and he called the car rental company at OR
Tambo International to advise them of his later arrival.
He was still a bit anxious and knew he would not fully relax until he was seated on the Airbus to Johannesburg.

The time passed quickly and Andrew became aware that they were descending, and he caught a brief glimpse of the airport as they banked to starboard to begin the final approach
Scott had also been busy, advising ATC that they had VIP on board who had to make the SAA 11.10 to Johannesburg and so, when they eventually landed and taxied to the FBO, a vehicle was waiting to whisk Andrew to the main terminal. He lingered just long enough to watch the King Air start up and turn to the runway and was able to see the takeoff as the car drove him to the terminal. A few minutes later his luggage was on its way to the jet and he had just enough time to grab a cup of tea and a Danish pastry in the lounge before the last call for boarding was made. He was the last passenger to board and they literally closed the door behind him as he moved into the small business class cabin, dropped into his seat, gratefully accepting the ice cold bottle of mineral water the stewardess handed him, and only minutes later the jet was taxiing to the runway.

Andrew occupied himself with his laptop, once again going over his notes and making a few changes. He ate the snack the was served, barely taking note of what it consisted of, and then they were on approach to OR Tambo International and the stewardess was requesting him to move his seat into the upright position and to stow his tray table.
His luggage was already circulating on the carousel when he entered the arrivals hall, his vehicle took only a few minutes to collect and he was on his way. On this trip he had elected not to stay at any of the lodges but had instead made a reservation At the Protea Balalaika, preferring its olde-worlde charm to the glitzy glamour to the bigger, andnewer, high rise establishments that were also available. The calm serenity of the hotel reminded him of Blue Bay Lodge, just a lot bigger and even more opulent.
Check-in was only from 2pm, so after a quick call to Craig and Donna to find out if they were home, he drove to their home in Sandton, not too far from his hotel. They accepted his offer for lunch with alacrity, and then followed him to his hotel to have lunch in the Bull Run, the hotels main restaurant.

As Andrew was arriving at Craig and Donna's home, the, King Air with the rest of his family was just touching down at a very windy Cape Town International Airport. The southeaster was in full cry, and the approach to the runway was rocky, to say the least, and they were all very relieved when the landing gear thumped down onto the runway. A short taxi to the FBO, the luggage was unloaded, Ryan handed each of the pilots a generous gratuity, and they were on their way home less than fifteen minutes after touching down.

Up in Johannesburg, lunch over, Andrew's room was available and he was able to check in. The Kentons left for home and Andrew went to his room for a quiet afternoon of relaxation and destressing. He unpacked and then lay on the big double bed and napped for a couple of hours. He woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the negotiations waiting for him in the week ahead. He had a fairly early dinner and then returned to his room. He briefly contemplated going over te proposals again but then decided they were good to go. Instead he opened up his laptop and had another look that the three aircraft that were still in the running for the fly-in safaris at the game lodge.

Of the three options, one only one was familiar - the Beechcraft King Air 360 that they had flown in on a couple of occasions, including this last trip to Drakensberg Resort. The remaining two were the Viking DH6 Twin Otter, used extensively in East Africa to connect the game lodges in the area with the major airport gateways. It was very work
man-like and incredibly reliable, but its main attraction was its STOL capabilities (short take off & landing), one of the main criteria that had been considered. Third candidate was the exact opposite of the Twin Otter and could never be described as workman-lik,e. In fact, in Andrew's humble opinion, the Piaggio P180 Avanti Evo was one of the sexiest aircraft he had ever seen. The only problem was it was smallest of the three, seating a maximum of ten passengers with one passenger seated alongside the pilot. But in every other aspect it ticked all of Devlin-Majors boxes. Operating costs were lower than the other two, while its speed was higher, which meant shorter transfer times. It was also greener, with lower carbon emissions thus fitting in perfectly with the aims of the game lodge. So while his head was telling him the Beechcraft or the Twin Otter would be best from a purely operational point of view, his heart was urging him to go for the Piaggio. It was very different from the other two, having been partly designed by Ferrari. It was sleek, and looked fast, but it's most notable features were the small wings on the nose and the twin engines that faced backwards, pushing the aircraft instead of pulling it as most other aircraft do. The engine position, effectively behind the passenger cabin, also meant a quieter ride.
One decision that had been made, in consultation with Dan Kinley, was that whatever aircraft was selected, the aircraft would be wholly owned by Devlin-Major and Kinley Enterprises. They had negotiated a deal that it would be based at Rand Airport at one of the charter companies and be made available for charter on the days when it was not required for transfers to and from the game lodge. Ryan had initial concerns about the arrangement, but after chatting to Vivian at the game lodge, who told them that the vast majority of reservations were made at least three months in advance, and therefore knowing well beforehand which of the guests would be requiring air transfers, his concerns were allayed and the deal with the air charter company was struck. The other huge advan-tage was that the charter company would procure the pilots although Devlin-Major would cover their renumer-ation. Devlin-Major would, in return, receive 60% of any charter fees, although they too would cover the cost of fuel. The charter company would use their in house technicians to handle any normal maintenance. Anything major would be negotiated.
Now all they had to do was find an aircraft and to that end, Andrew desperately wanted to see the Piaggio in a Devlin-Major colour scheme. He stared at renderings of the three options in their colours, and knew which one he was going to push for with every ounce of persuasive ability he had. For once he was going to allow his heart to rule over his head.

The week in Johannesburg passed very quickly. Taking one lodge on each day, Andrew sealed deals on the two 'easier' lodges on Monday and Tuesday, with both owners and their wives agreeing to remain as managerial couples.
On Wednesday, he tackled the thatch roofed lodge, appropriately named, Thatch Lodge, and was surprised when the deal came together remarkably quickly. The owner, an elderly gent named Henry, Andrew discovered, was actually not as difficult as he had thought. He was just old school and very set in his ways. Andrew also discovered that Covid had hit the unit hard, having had a major outbreak early on. Not only had the owner lost his wife to the epidemic, and barely pulling through himself, but almost 60% of the workers had been decimated as well. The owner gratefully accepted Andrew's offer to purchase, especially as Andrew undertook to take on board all the outstanding debt thatpertained directly to the lodge operation. It pushed his total purchase price slightly above what he had initially aimed to pay, but his heart got the better of him wanting to leave the bereaved owner with some dignity, at least. There was also room to expand the lodge, which factored into his reasoning, as well the owner agreeing to stay on as a temporary manager until a permanent appointment could be made.
To his credit, he admitted to Andrew that he had been stubborn in not implementing Andrew's recommendation for the staff incentive scheme, and that in the long run, it had cost him dearly.

The final lodge did not go as well, the owner proving to be very arrogant and combative. He turned the deal down flat, and by now, Andrew had had enough. He simply packed all the papers away, picked up his laptop and walked away. His final words to the owner being,

"You know what, I've had you in chunks! Take your bankrupt lodge, do whatever you want with it, and stew in your own juices. Devlin-Major are not longer interested in doing a deal with you. I'm out of here"

On the way to his rental vehicle, a group of the staff were waiting for him and begged him to help them. They had obviously heard the owners raised voice and had correctly guessed that Devlin-Major were pulling out. Aware that he would need to replace staff at Thatch Lodge, he handed them business cards with Henry's contact number. Once he was in his vehicle, he called Henry to advise that he would be seeing some staff from Fountain House, who were interested in joining Thatch Lodge, advising him of how many he wanted with a view to the expansion project. It meant that, at least until the new rooms were ready, the lodge would be slightly overstaffed, but Andrew felt that , in the long term, it would ultimately be worth it.

He had left Friday morning open in case their were any outstanding issues to be sorted out, but with the negotia-tions complete, he had Friday morning free. On a whim, he decided to take a drive out to Rand Airport to chat with the charter company and to have an up close look at the a Piaggio they already had on their inventory.
Once he explained who is was, the manager almost fell over himself to be of assistance. They showed Andrew the entire operation, explaining all the facilities they offered and then took Andrew to the white and blue painted Piaggio that stood on on the apron in front of the hanger. Andrew could not resist the grin that split his face. The unconventional configuration took time to get used to, but he had to admit that, up close, the plane was even sexier than the photos and videos he had seen.
It was fairly low slung, sitting quite close to the ground. The cabin door was open and was divided in two, the top part being the main cabin entrance while a small section at the bottom hinged downwards and had two steps to allow for easy boarding. The cabin,with better height and width than the other two candidates was configured in an eight seat layout but to his bitter disappointment he had to admit it wasnt big enough for their needs.

There was another aircraft parked nearby that peaked his interest, however. An enquiry revealed it to be a Pilatus PC12,which the manager spoke very highly of. It was single engined, but had the capacity and the necessary level of comfort that Andrew was looking for, as well as the required short field take off and landing capabilities.
In his opinion, it was basically a single engined King Air, with a slightly better STOL performance. It biggest drawback was the single engine, but it was a definite possibly.
He left the airport feeling a bit deflated, in the knowledge that the Piaggio was just not the practical choice, but at least they still had options.

He drove directly to OR Tambo International, knowing he was going to be early for his flight, but at least he would be able to relax in the business lounge while he waited. When he checked in, the agent advised him that there were still seats available on an earlier flight that was about to start boarding, and f feed to change his flight should he wish to. He jumped at the opportunity arriving in Cape Town shortly after lunch. Instead of dragging Ryan away from the office, he called an Uber, surprising Helen and Ryan when he walked into the office .

"Drew! You're back early! Is everything alright?", Ryan asked, taking Andrew in his arms and kissing him.

"Yeah, just missed you and the children. And home! Also, there's work to do". Ryan and Helen followed him as he walked to his office, set his bags on the floor and then perched on the edge of his desk, looking at them.

"We officially own another three lodges, one of which we need to find a manager and we need to get all three up and running again. I'm going to give all three a big push on the website and arrange some additional advertising. Also look very carefully at the rates. I'm damned if I will let them fail again while directly part of Devlin-Major"

He then proceeded to tell them about the events at Thatch Lodge and his refusal to accept Fountain House back into the fold and the arrangements he had made for the staff there.

That night at the house, sitting quietly on the couch in an almost darkened lounge with the children all safety tucked up in bed, Andrew told Ryan about his excursion to Rand Airport and his conclusions about the Piaggio.

"My personal opinion", he told Ryan in conclusion, " is that we go for the King Air, which we both know well, or the Pilatus. To be honest, I think the Pilatus is probably the way to go, except for it having only one engine. But that's just because I am used to the King Air with the twin engines"

Eventually, ten days later after discussing the options with Dan Kinley, and him getting some feedback from his contacts at home, Devlin-Major /Kinley Enterprises purchased the Pilatus PC12 for the game lodge fly-in safaris. The aircraft was ferried from the factory in Stans, Switzerland to Rand Airport two weeks later, having gone into the spray shop to have the Devlin-Major livery done.
Two days after its arrival in the country, Andrew and Ryan flew up to Johannesburg on the first flight out and drove to Rand Airport to officially take delivery and sign all the documentation that would allow the aircraft to be chartered when Devlin-Major were not using it. The contract also included a clause that if, for some reason, the Pilatus was not available for the flights to and from the game lodge, the charter company would provide a suitable substitute.
They were both stunned on seeing the aircraft for the first time in the Devlin-Major livery. The botton of the fuse-lage below the windows was painted cream, while the part above was painted in their signature burgundy with just a hint of metallic gold. Three cheat stripes in metallic navy blue, cream and burgundy completed the livery running from the nose, over the boarding door and along the line of cabin windows before sweeping up in widening stripes up onto the tail. It looked very smart indeed and was a worthy addition to the Devlin-Major Portfolio. The interior had two single rows of five plush, leather covered seats in cream down either side of the cabin on a navy blue carpet with a cream and burgundy design. A small, but perfectly formed toilet/washroom was positioned directly opposite the boarding door . A bonus was that an extra passenger could be accommo-dated in the cockpit as the aircraft only required a single pilot.
They were also advised that the factory had replaced the usual five-bladed propeller with a new seven-bladed model that increased fuel efficiency and decreased cabin noise, as well as take-off and landing distance.
They were also introduced to Howard Bentz, the pilot who would be in command of the plane, a tall, gangly man who his colleagues referred to as HB or Pencil. He grinned as he extended his hand in greeting.

"Good morning gentlemen", he said, his deep voice rumbling in his chest." It's a pleasure to meet you both, and to be given the privilege of flying this baby. She's gorgeous. She's all tanked up and ready to go. If you have the time, what say we make a quick trip to the lodge and back, just as a sort of proving flight. I have been up to have a look at the airstrip in one of our smaller planes, but would love to be able to do a landing and take-off before we start passenger service".
And that's exactly what did, surprising Vivian when they buzzed the lodge prior to landing. The were both very impressed with Howard's landing, as he set her down very softly on what was still a runway that was very new to him. Vivian was equally impressed when she saw the plane and even more amazed when Andrew and Ryan emerged from the cabin. They stayed just long enough to enjoy some refreshments at the lodge before heading back to Rand. Howard's take-off was just as competent as his landing, the plane showing off its short take-off prowess. All in all it was a very successful proving flight and they were happy that the plane, and their guests, were capable hands.
While in Johannesburg, Andrew also confirmed arrangements with the company that would be handling the game lodge guest transfers from OR Tambo International to Rand Airport. He had arranged for a small luxury bus to be available for their guests, although the transfer would only take roughly fifteen minutes. With everything in place to his satisfaction, the first fly-in guests flew up to the lodge a week later.