industry & reform
“Even in the early stages, he seemed to know a reasonable
amount about ships and the potential problems he could face,”
Cookson tells me. “It’s not something that’s just sort of come out
of nowhere. It’s a progressive and structured process that he’s
been through.”
In March, the Sidlers took a tour of their preferred ship, and were
happy with what they saw.
They invited several architect firms with experience in innovative
aged care design to take a look at the ship too. One of these is
Brisbane-based ThomsonAdsett – one of the world’s largest firms
specialising in seniors living – and the others are two New Zealand
companies, Avery Team Architects and Ignite Architects.
All three vouched for the ship as having great potential to
be refurbished for its intended use. Assessment reports were
submitted by the New Zealand companies, with a common
bottom line.
“Effectively the first sentence was, ‘Yes, absolutely’,” says Andre.
“‘This can be reconfigured to be compatible with any aged care
facility that you’ll find on land.’”
Kerry Avery, of NZ-based Avery Team Architects, attests to
his firm’s confidence – with the caveat that his responses were
based on pre-outbreak opinions. Professing a long-held fantasy
of booking out an apartment on The World – currently the only
cruise ship on which passengers never have to leave – he sees
the Sidlers’ vision as a “logical next step, in particular for the vast
ageing Baby Boomer market, of which I am proud to be one”.
He has no qualms with the projected timeline, and asserts
that the ship is suitable “to accommodate almost any element a
floating aged care facility and home on the ocean could imagine”.
Designed to be capacious, the doors and hallways of the cruise
ship are already wide enough for those bound by wheelchair or
walking frame. The elevators and bathrooms are large enough to
meet the standards too.
“There’s still work to be done, but a lot of it is cosmetic,” says
Andre, “like more ramps, making sure that there’s no stepping over
entryways in doorframes, more handrails in showers. Those sorts
of things you would find in your normal aged care facility.”
The preferred ship is no spring chicken, and may not last
more than 10 to 15 years at sea – particularly with the maritime
industry’s crackdown on fuel inefficiency and sulphur emissions,
endemic to older vessels. Andre recognises this, Cookson affirms,
and is already thinking about fitting the ship with fuel scrubbers or
paying for cleaner, higher quality fuel.
They’re not ruling out the two other ships either – which are
available as early as 18 months
from now. Their prize ship remains
under the seller’s ownership
until July 2023, with money yet
to change hands, and a strict
confidentiality agreement in place
until then. The terms of payment
for this multimillion-dollar boat are
yet to be fully negotiated too – but
Cookson says the unique function
of Elysium might work in the
Sidlers’ favour.
“If I own a cruise ship and
it’s coming to the end of its life,
as a ship owner, I am looking for
somebody to buy that ship. What
I don’t want is for somebody to
Taesega Sidler on her
89th birthday. Photo: Supplied
buy that ship and then compete against me in the same sort of
market,” he says.
“In this particular case, the ship owner can rest assured that
there’s going to be no competition. I’m not saying they’d ask for
less money, but they might be more inclined to say, okay, you
can pay us over a period of time as your funding comes in. They
may be less inclined to demand the normal 100 per cent upfront
payment when you buy a ship.”
The business
With Andre’s background in aviation, and Avril’s in customer
service, neither have aged care experience to bring to the
table. Securing industry credibility was a vital step to ensure
accountability and peace of mind for their customers.
To this end, the founders are consolidating a partnership with
one of the leading nursing home providers in the United States,
with a letter of intent in its draft stage and underway, pandemic or
no. While a strict non-disclosure agreement precludes them from
disclosing the name of this organisation, Andre says it currently
manages 500 nursing homes in the US and 11 in China, with a
turnover of about US$4.7 billion ($7 billion) annually.
“When we approached them, they got it immediately,” Andre
says. “They thought this was great for their brand to take it global
because you’re not landlocked. It appeared they weren’t just talking
about one ship either, they were interested in bringing their brand
across several – especially since they’re looking to penetrate into
middle Asia.” Meetings in Hong Kong with the CEO and senior vicepresident
of international operations they hope will develop into an
arrangement where the provider essentially has brand ownership of
the cruise liner, and manages the ship’s aged care operations.
While currently holding all the shares of Elysium, the Sidlers
encourage investors to come on board. Founding investors are
entitled to 30 per cent equity profit of the inaugural ship for 10
years “conservatively forecast at US$70 million ($107 million) ROI
for only three parcels of US$1 million ($1.5 million) each”.
An investment of US$1 million also guarantees first choice of a
luxury stateroom configured to a décor of choice. (Other, larger
investment packages are available, with larger perks too.)
The launch
Should Andre and Avril’s opulent aged care vision be realised, the
first Elysium Cruise Line Residence ship will be launched in four
years: first in Auckland, then in Sydney. Taesega, who is turning
90 this July, will be honoured as godmother to this inaugural ship.
International guests who have reserved their cabins will be flown
in, with the founders already envisioning partnerships with airlines
like Qantas and Air New Zealand.
One day, years from now, the Sidlers hope to join them.
“For my wife and I, the exit plan is to end up on one of our ships
in 20 years’ time. That’s what we want. I think this is a fitting way
to spend the last few years of our life: having 24/7 care, only two
minutes away from surgery if need be.”
And as for Taesega, who inspired it all?
“I give glory and honour to God for all the blessings of my life,”
she says. “I have used my life to serve and love others and leave
this as a legacy and blessing to my family.”
An orphaned immigrant, sent from Samoa to New Zealand
to work as a seamstress, Taesega now stands at the prow of
an uncertain future, ready to bless the craft that will set her on
her final journey on earth over sea – and to bless the dauntless
ambitions of a devoted son. ■
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