Deception - 29. Dec Chapter 29

“I might be able to make up a sort of rail system from the beach to the gazebo, a timber track, with one carriage going up and down the track on a counterweight system” Jack suggested, “Yes that sounds perfect if you can manage that” I said to Jack who smiled before heading up to help his sons with the southern extensions to the boardwalk. “After lunch, I think we all need to go up and help jack and his boys with the boardwalk” I said to everyone in the room after a long silence, and the boys said that’s fine.

The rest of the day we were all kept busy, and as we returned to the house to relax, we heard the sounds of the Mallee fowl calling, “I hope they don’t cause to much of a noise problem for our guests” I commented as we approached the stairs to the house. Everyone was a little tired but cheerful after a busy day, and after dinner, Bryce went up to the library to so some reading, Jack’s boys went for a stroll along the boardwalk, Jacob, Tom and Ethan began playing Monopoly in the living area, and I retired to the office to do some research for the extensions to the house.

The following morning, Jack and his boys started early on the boardwalk extensions, and after breakfast, Tom and Ethan went to do their school work, and Ethan went to help Jack. I had gone back into the office after getting up, and that is where Bryce found me shortly after 8am. “I thought I would go to Port Lincoln a little earlier, so I can get that wine and anything else that we have forgotten, so I will be leaving in about half an hour” he announced to me, “Take Jacob with you, he’s up with Jack at the moment, and don’t forget to be in uniform” I commented, and he set off to find Jacob.

Back in the office, I called the company that built the house, and I said that I had another building project for them, and after about twenty minutes of discussions, the call ended with plans to be delivered for the new house extensions, so they can start right away. I gathered the laser surveying equipment and headed off to the other cavern to get accurate measurements for the extensions, and once I had them I emailed them to the building company.

The laser measurements showed that the ledge was actually 26 metres long and 9 metres deep, and there was also room for a partial upper level, 12 metres long and 7 metres deep, so with the email, I suggested a similar design as the main house, with two guest bedrooms with a shared bathroom upstairs, and 4 guest bedrooms with two shared bathrooms, and a central lounge room on the main level. When the extensions are complete, I planned to make one of the bedrooms on the upper floor a private lounge, so it becomes an executive suite for special guests like Sam Yeoman.

I also thought that the main level bedrooms could be used by Jack, Amos and Lloyd, and if he wants Jacob can have the last bedroom in the extension, leaving just Bryce and Ethan in guest bedrooms in the main house. After Bryce and Jacob had left to collect supplies and the first lot of guests, I went and checked on the boys doing their school work, and they were busy doing research online, so I left them to continue with that, and headed up to the top to check on Jack and his boys, who had managed to set a lot of support posts and strut beams in just a short time.

Walking to the shed, I collected a quad bike and went to do final checks on each of the Eco cabins, to make sure that they were ready for the guests, and I found that Bryce had already been to each one this morning to make sure everything was fresh and ready, including a small vase on the coffee table in each of the 4 eco living areas containing a fresh orchid flower and a fern leaf, an unexpected but excellent touch for the guests.

On each of the king size beds, where white fluffy towels, with small soaps on each towel, and a hibiscus flower and fern leaf bouquet, I was surprised at how much detail Bryce had done to ready each Eco tent for the guests, and impressed at what he had done. Returning to the gazebo, with the trailer attached, I left the quad bike there, and returned to the house, entering shortly after 11.30am.

“Boys, time to get into uniform and get ready for the guest’s arrival” I announced loudly, and the boys came down the stairs in uniform with big smiles on their faces, “Wow, well done guys, I am proud of you both, have you finished your school work for today?” I asked them, and both nodded their heads as they headed outside. I went to my room and quickly freshened up and changed into my uniform, and headed outside as well. I could hear the hovercraft approaching in the distance, as I walked quickly towards the gazebo to join the boys.

When the hovercraft came around the southern point of the island, we walked down the stairs to the beach to greet them, and to assist them off the hovercraft once it had stopped high up on the beach. “Welcome to Louth Island Retreat, my name is Gres and I am your host, make your way up the stairs to the gazebo, and we will guide you to your Eco Tents, our porters will bring your luggage to your tents shortly” I said with a big smile, as the 8 guests stepped off the hovercraft onto the sandy beach.

When Bryce appeared with two large esky’s and a 12 bottle carton of wine, I walked up to the hovercraft to assist, “As a special offer for them, being the first guests to the island, I have offered them a BBQ lunch at the gazebo, I have cooled wine, BBQ packs and two lots salads in the esky” Bryce said to me quietly, and I smiled “Good thinking mate, I will get the BBQ going while you bring up the supplies” I said and I followed the guests up the stairs.

“As your hovercraft pilot mentioned before, we will have your BBQ lunch ready shortly, the toilets are located just over there along the boardwalk, and you are free to wonder around while waiting for your lunch, please remain on the boardwalks at all times” I announced as I reached the gazebo. I had the BBQ fired up and heating up as Bryce brought up the esky, and he produced a cardboard carton containing glass wine flutes, which he placed on the bench, and he opened a glass of white wine.

The boys squeezed past the guests with the luggage and carefully loaded it onto the trailer, once this was done Bryce handed the boys a sheet of paper, which was a list of the guest’s names and which Eco tent they had been allocated, and they slowly drove off along the boardwalk turning onto the newest extension, towards the Eco tents. Meanwhile Bryce had set out the plates, cutlery and napkins and set out the bowls of salads on the bench beside the BBQ, and while doing so he quietly mentioned to me that he had arranged with a supermarket in Port Lincoln to put together, lunch and dinner packs

When they had delivered the luggage, the boys returned the quadbike and trailer to the shed and locked the doors, before returning to the gazebo about twenty minutes later, by that time the guests were eating their lunch, and enjoying the wine.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you are enjoying your lunch, your hovercraft pilot – Bryce, has mentioned he has kindly arranged Lunch and Dinner packs for you all, that will be delivered to your Eco tents a little later, when you have finished your lunch please let one of our porters – Jacob, Thomas and Ethan know, so they can direct you to your Eco Tents. Once you have arrived at your accommodation, you will be given your privacy and freedom to explore the northern half of the island, along the boardwalks.

At sunset one of the porters will call in to check if you have everything for the night, and provided your dinner and lunch packs, they will check in at 10am in the morning to service your Eco tents. You are welcome to go down to the beaches on Carl Cove below the gazebo, or you may like to try the two smaller beaches on the northern end of the island. At present, we have new boardwalks starting to be constructed at the southern end of the island, we ask that you not go in that area as it is a construction site” I announced to the guests.

“Excuse me, could you tell me if you have any kayaks available? one of the guests asked, “I’m sorry not at present, but we will do our best to have some available for you tomorrow” I replied and I looked towards Bryce who smiled and nodded, and I walked to the shed and waited there for a few moments before disappearing into the shrubs, and walked quickly towards the house, hoping that I wasn’t spotted by any of the guests.

Once in the house I did a web search for kayak sales in Port Lincoln, and I was pleased to see two stores in the city, firstly the boat store, which had a limited number of kayaks, with two different brands, over the phone I purchased two single kayaks, and two double kayaks and said they would be collected later in the afternoon, the second outdoor store, had three different brands of kayaks with different sizes, and I purchased another two double kayaks and two single kayaks.

Soon after I ended the second call, Bryce appeared, “I guess I have another trip to Port Lincoln to make” he said to me with a half-smile, “Yes if you don’t mind, from two stores I have purchased four double and 4 single kayaks, with paddles and PFD’s – Person Floatation Devices, which is a fancy name for life jackets, while you are there if you see any heavy duty 3 x 3 metre popup gazebos, can you get four of them too please, oh and anything else you think might keep the guests happy, can you check my mail box too please” I said, handing him the list of the purchases along with my credit card, “and take Tom, Ethan and Jacob with you” I mentioned as Bryce was heading out of the house.

Back in the office, I checked online for communications stores in Port Lincoln, and I found one store that had what I was looking for and I called them. They had UHF base radios and UHF hand held radios, so I purchased two base radios, and 6 hand held radios with belt clips, paying for them over the phone, and informed them that a staff member will be collecting them this afternoon. Next, I called Bryce on his mobile, and Ethan answered it, and I asked him to let his dad know he had to collect some purchases at the radio communications store as well, and I heard Ethan relay the information to Bryce.

Once I had done this, I went back up to the top to help Jack and his sons with the support posts for the boardwalk, and when I heard the distant noise of the hovercraft returning, I asked Jack and his two boys to come with me with the quad bikes and trailers to the west beach. Once the hovercraft had stopped, Tom opened the main door, and he handed me a large cardboard box, which stated Radio Communications equipment on it, and I placed it on the back rack of the quad bike, with everyone’s assistance we had the 8 kayaks, and three popup gazebos out of the hovercraft cabin and loaded onto the two trailers and tied down.

Two large boxes contained all 12 PFD’s, and wrapped in bubble wrap were 12 paddles, with Ethan and Tom electing to drive the quad bikes, Amos and Lloyd elected to walk alongside the trailers to make sure nothing falls off, and Jack, Bryce, Jacob and I carried the remaining bundles by hand. I had decided to store all the kayaks in the shed, along with the gazebos, and I asked Jack if he could install one base radio inside the shed, with a small hole and a bracket on the outside to hold the microphone, and the aerial to be placed on the roof directly above, I also asked if he could install the second base radio on the verandah wall just outside the kitchen in the house, with the aerial to be placed on the framework of the solar panels, up top.

Once the boys had finished putting the equipment away, they headed to the house to relax for a little while, and Bryce and I unpacked and assembled the hand-held radios, installing the rechargeable batteries and setting up the recharging bases in the office. Once we had finished, I called Jack on his mobile, suggesting choosing channel 12 for the two base stations, and all hand-held radios, with channel 6 as the alternative channel.

After I hung up the phone, I heard Jack’s clear voice coming over the radio, “Shed to Main base do you copy, over” he said, “Base to Shed, receiving you loud and clear, over” I replied, “Mobile Amos to base, do you copy over” came a second voice, “Base to Mobile Amos, receiving you, what is your location? Over” I responded, “Amos to base, my current location is the gazebo, over” he responded, “Mobile Lloyd to Base, over”, came a new voice, “Base to Lloyd, receiving you, what’s your location, over” I responded, “Lloyd to Base, I am currently standing next to the hovercraft, over” Lloyd replied, “Very good, that is all for now thanks, over and out” I said as I placed the hand held back on the recharger base, and smiled.