and his island

One man ... and his island

By Martin Tiffany

THE tall, distinguished-looking,

grey-haired gentleman strode briskly towards me with arm outstretched.

“Good morning,” he beamed radi antly as he gave my hand a firm shake, “welcome to the Wakaya Club.”

I was still halfway through a reply of thanks when he set off purposefully towards an impressive thatched structure soaring some 15 metres skyward.

A stunning sight from the outside, the

open-plan bar/restaurant is magnificent

on the inside, with its lofty ceiling made up of massive timbers covered with intricately woven magimagi (coconut fibre). The floor is flagstone and the walls are decorated with war clubs, sailing mats and other artifacts.

Later, I would reflect, the building was a symbol of the perfection which has kept the American resort owner, David

Harrison Gilmour, on the move.

Described by one magazine as a “mellowed financier”, 59-year-old Gilmour has slowed down just a pace or two when it comes to putting deals together and trading hotels, but his enthusiasm and zest for life is the same.

He has rubbed shoulders with many influential, rich and famous men and acquired or created many fine things.

The finest may well be the 2200-acre Wakaya which opened less than 12 months ago.

Possibly the most exclusive resort in Fiji, the Wakaya Club is the culmination of Gilmour’s globe-trotting career.

Canadian-born, he was sent to some of the best Ontario schools by his merchant banker father and his studies involved institutional management. He had a passion for travel and international achievements, and later went into ven ture after venture with Peter Munk, an exiled Magyar he befriended. They

bought oil wells, gold mines and hotels.

Wanderlust finally brought him to Fiji and Wakaya in 1969. The first people he met were the late Ratu Edward Cakob-

The man: David Harrison Gilmour

au, the late Arthur Leys and the then Minister of Tourism Charles Stinson.

He returned to his partners and bankers in England, Hong Kong and Australia full of confidence.

In the early 19705, with partners Munk, Birchall and Adnan Khashoggi, he formed the Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation. They built the multi million dollar Pacific Harbour Resort and Community in Fiji a hotel and residential complex with a Robert Trent Jones designed golf course.

By 1980 their Pacific network included ownership of about 50 hotels in Fiji, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, New Zea land and Australia, and Wakaya acquired for $1 million. They spent $l3 million more and announced it would become the ultimate South Seas resort.

A subsequent energy crisis due to an oil embargo meant planes over-flying Fiji, and fewer tourists meant Pacific Harbour was soaking up funds. A project to build a resort in the shadow of Egypt’s pyramids was cancelled, and Khashoggi

began to be a liability.

In 1981 the corporation sold all their assets. Gilmour paid more than S 3 million to become the sole owner of Wakaya. With his share from the other sales, he and a partner built a natural resource group in Canada and the United States.

Ten years later they now have two New York Stock Exchange companies American Barrick Resources, one of the largest gold mining companies in the western world, and The Horsham Cor poration. The latter controls American Barrick Resources, and has two oil refineries and 1000 gasoline stations in the United States.

These successes allowed Gilmour to channel more than Fs2o million into Wakaya, establishing Air Wakaya, the Wakaya Club Ltd, and Pacific Resources (which looks after shipping, real estate and some Suva investments.) Gilmour believes the Wakaya Club, at US$B75 per couple per day, attracts the type of clientele who are the future of

tourism. A special, high-quality experi

ence is what will lure the tourists of the year 2000, and make or break resort owners, he says.

Just before I left the island I asked Gilmour, out of curiosity, how much he was worth. He laughed and said; “Not enough for all the things Td like to do in Fiji. Numbers mean nothing, it’s what you do with this and this (touching his head and pocket).

“ I have a plan but I am at peace with myself, if I die tomorrow I’m happy with what I’ve done.” □

His creation: The Wakaya Club, an exclusive resort on Gilmour’s own island in Fiji