Notes of explanation:
Hue - pronounced WAY
Hui - pronounced Hughy
Hua - pronounced Huwa
Dati - IndoDutch term for Papa
Baki - IndoDutch term for Brother
Onkla - IndoDutch term for Uncle
Chapter 1 - AUSSIE POWER
Concho and Paul were met in Sydney by Milo Kerns and Albert Layson of Adelaide Power Project. They were immediately whisked off to the non-commercial part of the airport and all four men climbed into a helicopter with the APP logo on the side. The craft was too noisy for any conversation, so Concho and Paul settled in to watch the scenery go by. The helicopter set down at a small place they called Gawler, north and east of Adelaide. It was a community of some size and had a University Research Station there.
It had been a long and tiring flight, and both young men were running on adrenalin, so, after they had checked in at the Sheep Growers Inn, they told their hosts that they would meet with them the next morning. After they had taken a short nap and had a light supper, they sat down and reviewed the latest hot gas production numbers that they had been given.
Concho said, "These flows are only from a 2-inch pipe and their bore is 6 inches. I think, if they opened up the pipe diameter, the temperature would come up as well as the volume."
Paul replied, "Well, it is only a matter of changing the outlet nozzle. Right now, their hot gas temperature is marginal."
They continued their discussion until it was time to go to bed. It seemed still the middle of the night to them when the sun came streaming in their window, it was going to take a few days for them to become accustomed to being halfway around the world from their home. They met Milo and Albert for breakfast and showed them their calculations. Milo agreed that a larger nozzle would be easy to install and suggested they all go out to the project site and run some tests.
They drove out to the private airstrip for a short helicopter hop to the project site. The site foreman, Joe Franklin was a big, burly man with a friendly attitude toward the two young men and was willing to do anything they asked of him. They took gas temperature readings before they changed nozzles, the hot gas exit temperature that morning was 1800 degrees. It took a while to decide which nozzle to use, they ended up using a 5-inch straight nozzle. They welded a thermocouple to the nozzle lip and shut the hot gas valve off to install the new nozzle. They restarted the hot gas flow and determined that they had increased the flow by a factor of 12 and, after two hours, the gas temperature rose to 4200 degrees!
Paul did some rough calculations and said, "I think we have enough here to run a 500-megawatt generator!" He continued, "Let's run some more tests to see how sustainable this flow and temperature is."
Over the next week, they ran almost continuous tests at varying flow rates, but nothing changed that would doom the project. Each night, after they assembled the data, they e-mailed all their data and observations to Hue back in Hilo. Hue and Ian were sharing the information.
Ian had resigned his Chair at the University to devote his whole time to the new company and also Best & Sons Engineering. Hue had asked him to move in with him, but he had not yet made that decision.
At the end of two weeks, Paul and Concho had reams of data and they had given Milo and Albert a preliminary design estimate. They had cleared the figure with Hue the night before, he just told them that it was their project, go with it! Both young men were as nervous as a cat at a dog fight over that, but they gave them their best estimate, pending an actual written contract.
When Concho handed Milo the preliminary estimate of $108,000,000 USD to him, he said, "If your contract comes in at anywhere near this price, we will see you in coveralls and boots!"
Concho and Paul rented a car and took three days to 'see the sights'. That included the hair-raising experience of driving on the 'wrong side' of the roadway! Their drive took them over a varied terrain, from lush vineyards to raw desert, roaring cities to abandoned opal mines. They were amazed at the distances between just about anything, including gasoline stations! There had been a couple of hair-curling drives, wondering when the engine was going to sputter and die for lack of fuel, leaving them stranded in the outback.
Concho had picked up some 'interesting rocks' as mementos of their excursion. When they met Milo and Albert, just before boarding the helicopter to take them back to Sydney, he happened to mention the rocks he had collected.
Milo asked to see them and his face went wide as he picked up a large, oddly colored stone. He asked them to come into the restroom with him as he washed the dirt from the stone, "What you have here, Concho, is a very large opal!" He continued, "If you will allow me, my sister is a crafter and makes rings as a hobby. I would ask her to place this stone in a setting for you and have it ready when you return."
Concho asked, "Are you so sure we will be back?"
Milo replied, "Oh yes, as soon as you return a contract to us, I am sure you will be on a plane!"
They all boarded the helicopter and began the long journey back to Sydney. The two young men made their "Goodbyes" to their hosts and spent the night in the Airport Hotel before boarding the plane that would take them back to Honolulu. They both were still tired from their outback excursion, so they slept for the first few hours of their flight. The stewardess woke them for a meal and then they got their papers out and proceeded to 'massage' them for presentation to Onkla Hue.
They were nearly exhausted when they arrived at Honolulu International Airport and they just barely made their connector flight to Hilo. When they had retrieved their luggage at the Hilo Airport, they spotted Son James, Hue's Office Manager, waiting for them. Son waived and helped them carry their bags to the car then he drove them out to Puna, where Hue was waiting for them with Ian.
It was still early evening and Concho and Paul were wound up like 8-day clocks, they laid their papers out and showed both Hue and Ian what they had proposed. Both men were impressed with the depth of their report and Hue said, "Do your engineering and collect equipment costs, let's see what the project will look like."
Chapter 2 - AUSSIE MUD
Concho and Paul worked diligently collecting all the information to write a proposed contract for the Adelaide Power Project. They went back to Honolulu to work with American Piping and Boiler and they spent hours on the telephone with officials of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for a steam turbine generator and associated equipment.
When they had all their quotes, they sat down and wrote up the proposed contract. It came in at $109,750,000 USD plus T & M, at the breaker. APP was to be responsible for all power lines to connect the generating station to the utility network. They showed their work to Hue and Ian and Hue had Son fax it off immediately for Danny to review. If approved, it would be the largest project ever done by Best & Sons Engineering!
Danny must have been sitting beside the fax machine in Fairfield, Son had hardly returned from sending it and the telephone rang, Danny wanted to talk to Hue, Concho and Paul on a conference call. Son asked, "Mr. Ian, also?"
Danny said, "If he is right there, yes, include him also." Son set up the conference call and all four men were on the line. Danny said, "Uncle Neil is on with us."
They spent the next hour and a half discussing all phases of the project, as they were finishing, Danny asked, "Are Concho and Paul cleared away to manage the project?"
The two young men's jaws dropped as Hue replied, "Yep, as soon as APP signs the contract, they will be on their way back to Aussieland!"
Son volunteered to stay late to type up the project and have it ready to fax to Adelaide Power Project first thing in the morning. By the time they were ready to fax the documents to APP, it was the middle of the night in Adelaide, so they thought it would be some hours before they heard from them.
Ian, Hue, Paul and Concho were just going out to the car, as they were headed to Hilo for an early lunch when Son came screaming out the office door, "Wait, WAIT, the contract!" He handed the sheaf of papers to Hue, each section was signed and approved without changes!
Concho and Paul started to shake and Hue grabbed them both, "You ARE going to Australia and you ARE going to manage this project! Nobody else except you two. Do you understand me?"
All the two young men could do is nod their heads, they were beyond words.
Gil Dorman, the Branch Work Superintendent, began notifying his workforce and gathering tools and equipment they were going to need. With Concho and Paul, they developed a list of skills they were going to need from the Australian workforce, along with heavy equipment and materials. They also faxed Milo and Albert, asking about local contractors and their telephone numbers. By the end of the week, Gil had shipped three sea containers of tools and special equipment for the project. Contracts had been let to American Piping and Boiler for the boiler and all associated equipment and piping. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries accepted the offer to construct the turbine generator set, the condenser and cooling water systems as well as all wiring up to and including the main breaker.
Concho and Paul went in to talk with Hue, "Dati, Onkla," they started.
Hue held up his hands, "No guys, you can't back out now. This is YOUR project and YOU are gonna see it through!"
The two sat down, stunned that they were going to be in charge of a nearly $110 million project. Paul flew over to Honolulu to speak with Norm Anderson, the Owner of American Piping and Boiler about the conditions in which the boiler was going to operate. Norm said it made a difference if the boiler and the pumps were to be operated in the southern hemisphere, the carioles effect changed the pump suction dynamics.
When he returned, Hue had them fax Mitsubishi to remind them that the equipment was to be operated in the southern hemisphere. Both Paul and Concho flew to Tokyo to speak directly with the Mitsubishi Engineers. Mr. Okami Oto expressed his condolences, he had known Caleb and worked with him for many years. Mr. Oto took it upon himself to guide the young men around as they toured the Mitsubishi Manufacturing facilities. He told them that he would be the setup engineer for the turbine generator and was looking forward to working with Mr. Caleb's Grandsons. They flew back home, satisfied that the turbine generator would be delivered to the work site on time.
They walked into the office the morning after they had returned home and Son handed them a stack of paperwork containing invoices, schedules and advice letters for the equipment they were ordering. On the bottom of the stack was an arrival notice that the three sea containers they had sent with their tools and equipment had arrived at Port Elliot and were being trucked to Gawler. They notified Gil and told him to start the men to collect their personal items they wished to take with them, departure would be in two weeks or less.
The day of departure snuck up on them, suddenly it was the next day and both Paul and Concho had an extreme case of the jitters! It took the combined efforts of Son, Hue and Ian to calm them down. Hue and Ian took them out to dinner that night, their favorite place was the Yacht Club, where they all had the mahi mahi. They had a 6:30 flight the next morning, so they dropped them off at their apartment to finish their final packing.
The next morning Son was out front with the company car, ready to take them to the airport. Concho had flown in and out of Hilo so often, the security officers knew him on sight. They had 21 construction workers with them, they filled all but one seat in the Business Class. They had a direct flight from Hilo to Sydney and then APP was sending three helicopters to fly them on to Gawler. Most of the workmen and Gil were old hands at flying for the Best Family. As soon as the plane took off, they were asleep.
Concho and Paul went through their paperwork one more time just to make sure they hadn't forgotten something, not that they could do anything about it until they got to Sydney. Soon, they also were asleep. The stewardess had to wake them for their lunch that was surprisingly good.
Fourteen hours after they departed Hilo, the plane began to descend into Sydney. They went through customs and stood there while the officers and their beagles sniffed all their luggage and accompanied freight. APP had hired stevedores to transfer all the luggage and freight to the heliport and load it on the three company helicopters. After a quick meal, they took off for Gawler.
They had crossed so many time zones and the date line, it was early morning there, they gave up trying to figure out what day it was! Everyone tried to nap on the trip to Gawler, but every time they dozed off, the helicopter hit an air pocket and lurched, so, finally they gave up the effort and watched the desert landscape go by beneath them.
When they arrived, there were three Land Rovers, one each for Concho and Paul and the other for Gil. The crew was given a combination of Ford Expeditions and Ford 4-door pickups, Concho noted that everything was four-wheel drive. He asked Milo about that and was told, 'Rainy Season'. They didn't understand the comment until a week later when the rains began. There was sticky red clay mud everywhere, one could gain six inches in height just walking from the vehicle to the job office!
APP had placed trailers off to one side of the work site for the folks with Best & Sons to live. They were fairly comfortable and were fully furnished, with two bedrooms in each trailer. They had constructed a small room at each trailer door where the men could take off their muddy boots and dirty coveralls before entering. Concho looked at them and had a sudden attack of déjà vu! It took him back to when he had been a small, frightened child in the mountains of Peru.
Despite the rain, the work continued slowly at first, but as foundations were poured and walls erected, shelter from the driving rains helped speed the progress. The generator building was the first to be roofed, just in time. A messenger from the port brought paperwork that the turbine and generator had arrived and needed to be inspected before it was put on lo-boys for the trip to Gawler.
Paul got in Concho's Land Rover and they started out for Port Elliot, a day-and-a-half trip from where they were. The machinery checked out fine, there was no freight damage and all the containers were accounted for. They spent the night in Port Elliot, at a rustic hotel that seemed to cater mostly to cattlemen.
The next morning, they threw their overnight bags into the back of the Land Rover and started off, suddenly, Concho slammed the brakes on and looked behind him. Paul looked at him in question. Concho put his finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet. Concho got out of the driver's seat and walked quietly to the back of the vehicle. He lifted the tailgate quickly and grabbed the young boy who was hiding behind the rear seat.
The boy pleaded, "Please Mister, I's weren't hurtin' nuddings." The boy looked to be about 10 or 11 years old and was at least part aborigine.
Paul had gotten out and came around to the back of the vehicle and saw the boy, "Chito, he is hurt, his back is bleeding!"
The boy began to cry, "He hurted me, Mister, he hurted me bad."
Concho said, "Paul, the first aid kit, QUICK!" They cleaned up the boy and bandaged the wounds on his back.
Paul whispered, "Those are whip marks, Chito."
Concho held the boy until he had stopped crying, then he asked, "Who hurt you son?"
The boy replied, "Master wupped me."
Paul screamed, "There is no slavery in Australia!"
The boy cried harder, "He boughted me from my Papa."
Concho thought of the stories his Onkla Hue had told of his childhood and made an instant decision, "Paul, he comes with us, you drive."
They drove all day and into the night to get back to Gawler. Concho stayed in the Land Rover, holding the sleeping boy while Paul went looking for Milo Kerns or Albert Layson. He found both of them and asked that they come out to the parking lot. When they got there, Milo asked, "Now, what is this all about?" Concho stepped out of the Land Rover with the sleeping boy in his arms. He peeled the boy's shirt back and exposed the marks of a beating. He said, "Oh, the poor little tigh, what happened to him?"
Concho replied, "He told us his master whipped him!"
Albert about went into orbit, he told Milo to wait there with Concho and Paul, that he had a telephone call to make. In less than 10 minutes later, Constable Carey Lee arrived in a blaze of red lights. The Constable was very gentle with the child, who clung to Concho like a leech. After he got all the information he could, he reached for the child to take him to the Children's Home.
The boy screamed, "No, No, please let me stay with Mister Cho!" He had a death grip around Concho's neck and tears were flowing down the child's face.
Constable Lee asked, "Could you look after the boy tonight and we will get a Welfare Officer out to your place in the morning?"
Concho smoothed the boy's hair and said that would be fine. They made their "good-byes" and Paul headed the Land Rover out to the job site. They took the boy into their trailer and gently bathed him. They learned that his name was Samuel and, after getting some hot soup and a glass of milk down the boy, they found some shorts and a tee shirt that he could sleep in. They laid him on the couch, before going to bed themselves.
Concho was sound asleep when he was awakened by small hands holding onto his arm and a child climbing up, into his bed. Concho rolled over and held Sam, "You want to sleep with me tonight?"
The boy mumbled, "Yeah, me 'fraid." He snuggled into Concho's arms and was fast asleep.
Paul woke early and discovered the boy was gone, he went to Concho's room, thinking to wake him so they could search for Samuel, before he got too far away. He saw the child snuggled up to Concho, a big smile on both their sleeping faces. He thought to himself, Dati Concho? Onkla Paul?" He quietly closed the bedroom door and went back to his room and got dressed. He told Gil about what happened.
Gil laughed, "He IS Concho Best!"
By the time the Welfare Officer came out, they had cobbled together clothing for Sam and the little boy was happily eating his breakfast and jabbering away in a language only another little boy would understand. Paul intercepted the Welfare Officer, Constable Mel James, and explained the situation to him, including Concho's past history. He told the Constable, "You know, 'Chito Best could give that child a wonderful life and he knows himself what it is to be alone and afraid. Is there any chance...."
The Constable replied, "Well, he would need two Australian character references and we would have to examine him before a magistrate would rule." Both Milo and Albert were standing there and they both said that they would stand reference for Mr. Concho D. Best. The Constable asked Paul, "Are you part of the family?"
Paul smiled, "If you are asking if Chito and I are more than just friends, no. We were best friends and roommates at University and now we are Engineers employed by Best & Sons Engineering. If anything, Chito is the brother I never had and I would do anything for him." He continued, "Chito is the adopted son of Retired Admiral Daniel Best, the President of our firm."
The Constable was writing it all down, he was impressed by Paul and figured if his friend was the same caliber, that boy was going to be one lucky child! The Constable knocked on the trailer door and Concho let the man in. He saw Paul stand behind the Constable, with his thumb up in the air.
Sam saw the Constable and drew back in fear, "No, No I won't go back to Master, you can't make me!" He leaped into Concho's lap and buried his face in Concho's chest with a death grip around his neck.
Constable Lee smiled, "No, Sam I am not going to take you back. Master, or properly, Blakely Barnes has already been arrested and the other boys have been taken to homes in care." He continued, "Do you like Mr. Concho?"
Sam peeked under Concho's arm and said, "Yes sir, he is nice to me and gives me good foods and lets me sleeps in his bed."
The Constable said to Concho, "Sam is part Abo, but not enough to come under the tribal agreements."
Concho said, "Please Constable, don't use that word, I am a full-blood Andean Indian myself and that word is hateful."
The Constable looked chagrined, "I apologize to both of you, it is a hateful word and I am sorry. Let me begin again. Sam is part native Australian, but not enough to be covered by the tribal agreements." He continued, "Actually, that is good because I can remand him to your custody right now, pending a hearing with the Gawler Magistrate Court." He turned to Sam, "You know son, you have some pretty important folks pulling for you, would you like for Mr. Concho to be your Daddy?"
Sam shook his head, "Yes" and buried his face in Concho's chest again.
Concho took the day off and left Paul in charge as he went into Gawler to buy suitable clothing for Sam and toys for him to play with. They were in Myerson's Emporium and Concho was looking at the little boy's shoes. He had Sam on his hip and the little boy said, "I ain't never wored shoes before." Concho set the boy down on a chair and told the salesman that he wanted play shoes and some dress shoes for Sam as well as socks, a pair of sandals and some bedroom slippers.
Before their trip was over, Sam had been outfitted in shoes, trousers, shorts, shirts, pajamas and a rain slicker. The clerk was ringing up the sales and said, "We heard what you are doing, Mr. Best, 'tis a fine thing indeed."
Concho looked bewildered, "How .... Uh, how did you hear about this?"
The clerk smiled, "This is a small country town, Mr. Best and Constable Lee is my sister's husband." He leaned over and gave Sam a sucker and said, "You be a good boy for Mr. Best and grow up to be a fine young man."
TBC
This ends part one of our story about the Adelaide Power Project. Part two will tell how the new power station is completed and comes online. It will also tell how a small boy becomes part of the Best Family and his love for his Dati, Concho Best and his Onkla, Paul Duncan.