T h e m ag a z i n e f o r t h e R e i g at i a n c o m m u n i t y
Day 6 Games to make a qualifying solo crosscountry flight, which conveniently took me over Reigate. This was a great opportunity (at the risk of infringing Gatwick ATC) to practise some forced landings, directly over the rugby pitch at Wallfield, conveniently exactly at the time that my classmates were playing rugby and Dai Griffiths coaching. With his game interrupted three times, he was not impressed and our relationship was back to square one. Where do you call home? Not an easy question to answer. Whenever I have been “home” I have been plotting my next move, and dreaming of finding the perfect place to live (and still dreaming). I guess you could say Kuala Lumpur because I have a track record of nearly 25 years there, on and off, that is far longer than anywhere else, albeit interspersed with long spells in Korea, India, Philippines and more recently Bali, where since 2014 I have been renovating a resort hotel and villa. Add to that time we spend in Melbourne, where our children are studying, Bali, visiting my elderly mother who now lives in Reigate close to RGS and another holiday home in Lake Como, Italy. What is your proudest achievement since leaving RGS? In general, I am at my proudest when I have achieved my desired outcome against all odds, or when I have succeeded where others have failed, and where I was reminded of the importance of persistence, sticking to one’s own beliefs and having a thick skin. There have been many such occasions in my business life and a few in my earlier years that are worthy of mention…one of which was the RAF Flying Scholarship mentioned earlier (I kept up my pilot’s licence for the next 25 years and flown many hundreds of hours in (almost) all continents, for some years I was a member of the Tiger Club, at the time based at Redhill Aerodrome) Another was being awarded a place at
Cambridge. Initially I applied to Clare College partly because the Master was a Lord Ashby, thinking that the name connection might work, but it didn’t. I had given up any hope of a place when at the eleventh hour I received an offer letter from Trinity Hall. Whist at Cambridge, I became chairman of the Cambridge University Industrial Society (CUIS) which at the time had run out of funds and was facing closure. Its role was to connect students (looking for jobs) with industry and business (keen to recruit). I assembled a new committee, and embarked on an intensive promotional campaign, raised sponsorship from dozens of corporations, and organised a record number of activities culminating in a lavish year-end garden party. We transformed CUIS into one of the most popular and profitable societies in Cambridge. And finally….how do you relax? I don’t relax very easily. I need to be active or doing something constructive during all my waking hours. My interests are many and varied, unfocused by another word, I enjoy reading, movies, art and photography, skiing when I can, and of course travel faraway places. In 2012 accompanied by my son (age 17 at the time), I decided to climb Kilimanjaro simply because it was there, inspired by an earlier successful “assault” of Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in SE Asia (4,096m) and Mount Fuji years earlier. We made it but only just, another hundred metres and we may have flunked. Our wonderful inspirational guides and perfect sunny weather contributed also, luck was very much on our side. More recently I have turned to investing in holiday property for rental, I choose places with wonderful views amid beauty and tranquillity where I hope I might one day truly relax. Our first investment was an apartment on the shores of Lake Como, with great views of the lake and George Clooney’s
home in the far distance (telescope required), and which has received stellar reviews on Trip Advisor. This positive experience encouraged us to take on our next project, beach resort with a restaurant on the north coast of Bali (mayoresort.com), a place where guests can enjoy the best sunsets on the island, even more so with a mojito or glass of wine in hand. What began as spare-time passion has been a near full-time job – running a small hotel and restaurant has its own challenges, especially in a foreign country where language and cultural differences are a major hindrance, and a sense of urgency nonexistent. But it has been an immensely enjoyable experience. The main source of satisfaction has been the incredibly positive feedback from our guests. A Fawlty Towers of the tropics we are not, in spite of a number of real-life situations that will you remind you of an episode or two, and a passing resemblance between the owner and John Cleese! We invite you to join us at any time, hopefully it can be the scene of an organised Reigatian Gathering at mayoresort.com
21