Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham is welcomed by project owner Sonja Engelhorn, as he and members of Parliament on Grand Bahama arrive for the grand opening of the Deep Water Cay Club, East Grand Bahama. (BIS Photo/Sharon Turner)
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East Grand Bahama
– Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham lauded the work and investment
of the principals of the Deep Water Cay Club in East Grand Bahama this
weekend, as he officially opened the new and expanded development that
provides employment for over 40 Bahamians in the East.
The Deep Water Cay Club has
long been a fixture in the high-end bone fishing segment of Grand Bahama’s
sports fishing sector, and is recognized as an important employer of
Grand Bahamians, particularly those in and around the settlement of
McLean’s Town.
Prime Minister Ingraham said:
“I came to say to the people of East Grand Bahama, McLean’s Town
in particular, that you’ve got some wonderful people here who have
invested substantial sums of money, who did what nobody else I know
has done before and that is they paid your wages for a long period of
time while they did not own the place – they had no obligation to
do so; they wanted to demonstrate that they were people with a heart
and that they were interested in your welfare and your best interest.”
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham greets and is greeted by employees of the Deep Water Cay Club upon his arrival for the Club's grand opening. (BIS Photo/Sharon Turner)
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Less than two years ago, the
Deep Water Cay Club came under new ownership and management. Since then,
approximately $10 million has been invested in the refurbishment, expansion
and modernization of the development.
In meeting with the Government,
the new investors undertook to upgrade the facility, while paying deep
respect to its simple, environmentally sustainable origins.
On that score, the Prime Minister
also expressed his pleasure that the new investors are “conservationists”,
persons who he said would work to ensure that the development provides
no threat to the area’s fish and marine life.
“There are many places in
The Bahamas that would be envious of having this facility near them,”
he noted. “As a small place, this place is employing and providing
income for 40 or 45 people - these are the sort of things that we would
like to encourage in our Family Islands.”
Acknowledging the current existence
of bureaucracies as it relates to the operation of small businesses
in The Bahamas, Prime Minister Ingraham affirmed his Government’s
support for the Deep Water Cay Club, and pledged its commitment to enabling
the development to operate efficiently and successfully.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham is taken on a golf cart tour of the Deep Water Cay Club by project owners Sonja Engelhorn and Paul R. Vahldiek, Jr. (BIS Photo/Sharon Turner)
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Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, himself an avid fisherman, is shown a fly fishing demonstration at the Deep Water Cay Club. Also pictured is Eight Mile Rock Member of Parliament Verna Grant. (BIS Photo/Sharon Turner)
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Deep Water Cay Club owners Sonja Engelhorn and Paul R. Vahldiek, Jr., discuss with Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham the new features of the refurbished and expanded development. (BIS Photo/Sharon Turner)
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Deep Water Cay Club owners Sonja Engelhorn and Paul R. Vahldiek, Jr., show Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham the new features of the refurbished and expanded development during a golf cart tour of the property. (BIS Photo/Sharon Turner)
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Deep Water Cay Club owner Paul R. Vahldiek, Jr., shows Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham the facility's new infinity pool. (BIS Photo/Sharon Turner)
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