Progress

Sometime in 1977 I took on the role of Chief Petroleum Engineer. That probably happened more because so many experienced people had already been transferred out than because I was a good candidate. Whatever the reason, being in the right place at the right time seemed to be an attribute of mine. However, the position was sort of the linchpin — or maybe the meat in the sandwich — between the national oil company ADNOC and the western shareholders. I think I got two to three phone calls every day from ADNOC telling me what they wanted, and then had to balance that against the technical direction from vastly experienced professionals from Shell, Esso and the rest. It was a constant grind.

Mike, Simon and I had imported the very first water-ski boat into Abu Dhabi. Of course that opened the floodgates and speedboats became de rigueur. Anyway, we used the boat every weekend to camp out on a sandy mini-island to drink beer and Pimm's. We did become very proficient waterskiers and of course learned to perform a variety of tricks — skiing seated on a chair, rounding the island doing a full Monty, forming a pyramid of five. By 1977 both Simon and Mike had become parents, and in May Liz and I became the proud parents of a baby boy.

When we first arrived in Abu Dhabi there was a beachside building called The Beach Hotel — what else. This place provided the nearest experience to European living that it was possible to have: a dance floor, a band and an excellent menu all situated in "the ballroom". I think they even had a wine menu! Anyway, all this was a little over the top for Abu Dhabi and so after a year or so it closed. Years later it was turned into the very first maternity hospital in the country, outfitted from the UK with all the necessary gear and staffed with well-experienced nurses. It opened a couple of weeks before Pierce was due and so he was among the first — if not the first — baby born in the new maternity hospital. It was hugely exciting to bring mother and baby home. We threw a big, big party to celebrate and I think I had ordered some 60 bottles of champagne. Anyway, we ran out, the ADPC General Manager was at the party and noticed, and as we lived near his house he was able to call in reinforcements! We also baptised Pierce in the small church which nonetheless belonged to the parish of Jerusalem. And although there were a number of cameras present, I believe none had any film in them!

Fun days were taking Pierce to the beach and letting him splash around. Less fun nights were spent driving up and down the corniche so that the car's air conditioning would help to settle him to sleep. We had a live-in maid from Goa named Roman, and somewhere around now we moved house again to finally live on the compound beside the office. After eight years, we had finally arrived! The office of course was now four times the size of the original. By this time also the shareholders were placing their own people into the company, so there were cliques of French (from Total), Dutch (Shell) and Brits (BP) — life, and especially social life, was interesting.

Even more interesting was the arrival of a beautiful baby girl in 1978, also delivered in the Corniche maternity hospital. Aisling was a placid, happy baby in contrast with her bigger brother. Around about now I think the other partners in the boat had been transferred out, so there was far less boating and beach going. When the Mobil people would come through I would ask — beg — to be taken out of Abu Dhabi, and I do think they tried. But the local company management was somewhat new and I was allegedly too critical to move out. Bah, humbug.

Then in 1979, the Islamic Revolution occurred in Iran and the expat staff from there were evacuated to Athens. In due course we absorbed four or five Americans from Mobil and Exxon, which I welcomed.

In February 1980 my father died of cancer. I don't think I was at the funeral, but I don't know why. And then, amazingly, I was transferred to Mobil's head office in New York City sometime in the summer of 1980. You might say that was a move from the ridiculous to the sublime!