4th August 2017
On August the 4th Asia Pacific Aerospace (APA) celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary of its establishment. Originally set up to support sister company, Pacific Helicopters, fleet of Rolls-Royce M250 powered helicopters, APA has since grown into an SME supporting not only Rolls-Royce M250 Series engines but also the GET700 line of engines. Since 2002 APA has been contracted by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to support the GET700 engines installed on its fleet of Blackhawk and Seahawk aircraft. In addition APA is now one of only three companies approved by GE as a Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for the T700 engine worldwide.
To celebrate this auspicious anniversary the staff and family members of APA embarked on a crusade to the remote and rugged coastlands adjacent to the Gold Coast to savour the pleasures of Couran Cove Island Resort. Some of our intrepid staff chose to make their own way to the remote ferry outpost whilst many, believing in safety in numbers and perhaps not trusting their own navigation skills, chose to travel en masse in luxury transport to wit one bus. As many of the self-navigating folk arrived at the ferry terminal in order to board the 09:30 ferry it soon became apparent that one vehicle had not arrived. The Bus. The peace of the tranquil terminal was shattered by the shrill ringing of a life support device the ubiquitous mobile phone. Mr Peter Faunt’s dulcet tones then informed one of our intrepid leaders that the trust placed in the transport company had perhaps been misplaced as they were at the wrong marina. Fortunately they were only delayed by ten minutes and the merry band of revellers boldly set sail for Couran Cove.
On arrival the team were ushered to Spa Island where a sumptuous morning tea was served complete with hot and cold beverages, Devon and Cornish cream scones (depending whether you put the jam or cream on first) and other delights including muffins. The children in the group soon found the various water amusements including swimming and wading pools and delighted in trying to make each other as wet as possible. Others found the jumping castle and others still set off in exploration of this rugged and vast wasteland.
Hardly had morning tea been consumed when low and behold the bar was open and lunch was served. Soon plates were adorned with all of the bounties of the sea including plump prawns and mussels as well as meats and salads of great variety. A quiet descended as both adults and children alike enjoyed this veritable feast. Sadly the silence was shattered as someone mistakenly handed a microphone to one of our intrepid leaders. Thankfully his speech was fairly short and only disturbed for a little time. The children then embarked on a “scavenger hunt” and were taken off by a band of Pirates intent on finding hidden treasure. Most if not all did return some time later festooned with treasure mostly consisting of gold wrapped chocolate which along with the cordial already consumed kept them lively for the rest of the day.
Some of our intrepid explorers decided to strike out for the ocean and others enjoyed the delights of the Virtual Reality Centre. Sadly the day was soon over and most of the party prepared to depart this wonderland of fun and adventure.
On a more serious note great thanks and appreciation must be conferred on Carol and Elaine for organising what was a memorable and extremely enjoyable day. They even managed to arrange for perfect weather which clearly demonstrates how much influence they have in the affairs of APA.
