Forum Archive Index - January 2002

["tennyson@caverock.net.nz" <tennyson@caverock.net.nz>]

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On 19th December 2001 Air New Zealand Shareholders voted for the New 
Zealand government to take an 82% stake in the airline.   This bail 
out brought to the close Air New Zealand's effort to become a global 
size airline, a result the hasty snatching of control of Australian 
airline "Ansett" some 9 months earlier had been meant to bed in.  
Ansett subsequently collapsed.  

Control of Ansett by Air New Zealand was originally sought when the 
previous Australian Government had reneged on the open skies policy 
that would have allowed Air New Zealand to operate within Australia 
in its own right.  Sir Selwyn Cushing, chairman of both Air New 
Zealand and Brierley Investments, and a prolific professional 
director of many other companies, has now stood down as chairman of 
both Brierley Investments and Air New Zealand. 

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The doors of the saloon swung open and there stood the diminutive 
dapper frame of Selwyn Cushing.   He swaggered over to his usual 
stool, sweat dripping from his brow, as the rest of the saloon went 
silent.   There was once a time when any of the patrons would 
have bought 'Sel' a drink.  But since the near collapse of the Coach 
Company he had headed, the townspeople, many of whom had put up their 
own gold to back 'Sel', had grown colder towards their once favourite 
son.

'Sel' winked at the barmaid as wearied words pursed his lips:
"The usual please."
Sel's wink became a quizzical expression on the barmaid's face.  She 
searched for the solace of a solution to her dilemma, perhaps a nod 
in the right direction from the head barman?  Just what 
was the usual?,  she thought.

'Sel', you see, was a man who had wide tastes and interests and liked 
to have his fingers in lots of pies.  He was the sort of man, whom if 
you had asked the question: 

"What sort of pie would you like best for lunch: mince, steak and 
kidney, chicken, steak and mushroom, pheasant and cranberry, or bacon 
and egg?"
 
would simply have answered "Yes".   

'Sel' sensing the awkwardness of the moment, answered the 
question that the barmaid wasn't game to ask.
"A chardonnay draught"

The uneasy ambience was finally broken by Bill, or 'Bil' as he had 
become known, after he had lost one of his legs in a struggle.

"Tough day at the office Sel?"

Sel swung around.  For a fleeting moment that voice that 
addressed him sounded like his own.   Then his glance shifted 
downward to the adjacent high roller poker table before meeting 
the stoic face of his former number one backer 'Bil'.  In happier 
days Bil and Sel had been the best of mates.   It was Sel's 
triumphant return to Bil that had lead to the setting up of a big 
bonus profit share plan for Sel, a fact that Sel was very proud of.
But that was then and now was now.

Bil normally wore a big stetson, which completely shaded his 
features.  So much so, that sometimes it was hard to figure out just 
who you were talking to when you were negotiating with Bil.   But 
with his stetson hanging from its string on the back of his chair it 
was now apparent that Bil was of Asian extraction.  Today Bil's face 
was hard, searching and uncompromising, yet only months before it had 
seemed that talking to Bil was almost like negotiating with oneself!

Sel wasn't phased.  He had dealt with tough characters all his life.  
There were small fish like that rival coach company operator Euan 
Wilson, gunned down in a fair fight.  Fair that is, if you can regard 
seeing off an opponent who prefers to drink microlight beer as fair 
opposition!  At this thought a wry smile cracked the tension in Sel's 
harrowed face.  Then there were the big fish -like Governor 
Keating from the neighbouring state.  One of the more vocal anti 
royalists, Keating had started his own state funded coach-line 
somewhat provokingly named 'QueenToss'.  But it was Keatings own boys 
that had ended up on the wrong end of the skirmish on Sel's home 
patch.  Yessir, Sel had dealt with allcomers.  Perversely it was 
Sel's counter venture into Keating's neighbouring state where Sel 
himself had ended up wounded.   

Sel's weakness turned out to be a woman, a hairdresser by the name of 
Ann, from the neighbouring state.  Somewhat awkwardly as the dice had 
now landed, Ann had previously been in a relationship with Bil when 
she had operated a satellite business just down from the saloon right 
here, in Sel's home town.  It was Ann as she was setting her own 
hair, that came up with the idea of setting up her own homespun 
coach-line.   She somewhat unimaginatively named this 'Ann-set'.   
When Sel wanted to muscle in on the coach market in Keating's state, 
he was given an ultimatum.   

"You can marry our woman, or get lost."

One thing was certain.  Sel wasn't the kind of man to let some 
upstart hairdressing outfit from a neighbouring state ruin   
his own business ambitions.  Ruth Richardson was a state 
senator that Sel had long admired.  And dapper young Sel had been in 
love with Ruth Richardson's daughter 'Tina'.  But faced with the 
threat of being a big fish in a small pond forever, he was sure Tina 
would understand.  There was no alternative!  

Sel's Mom had always told him that due diligence was the key to a 
lasting relationship.  Nevertheless our tuxedo suited businessman 
dived into his relationship with Ann with all the enthusiasm 
and haste of a penguin diving off an ice shelf having eyed up that 
illusive fish.  Little did Sel know at that time that, like the 
penguin, he would be diving into equally cold icy waters!  

You know the rest.  The marriage lasted a matter of months.  The 
governor of the neighbouring state was never going to let rival 
coach-line 'Queentoss' be squeezed!  History has shown that usually 
experience is a prerequisite for success in business.  But in markets 
that are changing fast sometimes it pays to be the Virgin.

Snapped from his thoughts and back to reality, Sel realised this was 
the first time he had faced Bil since his marriage collapse, and Bil 
was not happy!
"I'll come back with you Bil, to your new base in Bermuda."
"We'll sort something out- an arrangement..."
As those words left his lips he thought of the ugly love triangle 
 that hung over his predicament and wished, as he closed his 
eyes, that the whole nightmare affair would just disappear. 

Sel opened his eyes, but Bil was still there.   Only now Bil was 
standing, and had his arms folded firmly in front of him.  Sel felt a 
lump come to his throat as he slid off his bar stool.  There was a 
clamminess in his hand and more moisture on his brow as Sel realised 
that now was not the time to ask Bil about the fate of his bonus!

SNOOPY










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