<<< Actor Tom Selleck on cover of Cigar Aficionado.
Cigar Aficinado is a millionaire’s dream magazine, which tells the rich and rich wanabes where the real treasures of the world are hidden. In a special feature written by Carrie Gaska titled, Travel Millionaire Hideaways, Kamalame Cay’s owner Brian Hew tells his story. The article features three island owners, with all telling stories of their ‘tropical paradises’.
Bahamas Press read with interest on what was being said by the developer of beautiful Kamalame Cay, and thought we should also invite our now 200,000 daily readers to read it also. You see, many of the people who read this website were the former owners of those 96 acres that were given to Hew by Hubert Ingraham.
The Prime Minister of the country LIED TO THE BAHAMIAN PEOPLE WHEN HE SAID, “THE FNM GOVERNMENT NEVER SOLD THE LAND!” But here in this article, ‘LICK GUNSHOT’ HEW gives us the story as to who now are the real owners of the cay today, or as he boasts, “SANDBOX”. Hubert Ingraham sold all 96 acres of public land to this Jamaican born developer for a mere $350,000. Today, Hew is ‘flipping land’ on the cay at $1,000,000.00 [million] per 0.75 acre. Who sold the people’s land HUBERT? hmmmmmm!
Brian Hew — Kamalame Cay, Andros, The Bahamas
For Brian Hew, work, life, pleasure and everything in between blend together and Kamalame Cay, the island he owns in the Bahamas with his wife, Jenny, is where it all happens. Unlike many private island owners, Hew lives a stone’s throw away from his island full-time and does everything from clearing brush from the beach to building guest villas.
When Hew meets another private island owner, he often asks, “How big is your sandbox?” “It’s kind of childish really, isn’t it?” he says, with a gleam in his eye and a boyish grin. “But as you grow older, it’s good to keep your youthful playfulness, too.” With three miles of white sandy beaches on Kamalame Cay, Hew’s sandbox is bigger than most men his age. So is his 7,000-square-foot home, which sits opposite the cay on land that is connected to Andros by a sand road.
The 49-year-old Hew, who also manages the Compass Point hotel resort in Nassau for an outfit called Island Outpost, lived and worked in Miami and Canada before he, Jenny, 49, and their son, David, 22, settled down on Kamalame Cay in 1994. Looking to connect with the outdoors, the Hews made a deal with the Bahamian government in the mid-1990s. The government wanted a number of islands developed as resorts to increase tourism. It would sell land cheaply, with the understanding that it must be developed before the buyer could take over the ownership of the island. So, the Hews had to put in infrastructure and buildings and get the island up to resort status before the transaction would be officially completed and they’d be the official island owners (which occurred in 2001).
“It gives a whole new dimension to remoteness and a challenge, you know.” says Brian. “Out here we’re responsible for our electrical needs, we’re responsible for our water, the roads—all of those things. I think it’s more a matter of exploring…it’s like, Don’t stop the carnival.”
Mechanics and logistics occupy much of Hew’s time. Living on an island means learning how to improvise; one of his biggest challenges was figuring a way to get materials to Kamalame Cay. The first thing Hew built when he arrived was a 12-by-36-foot barge named Sandbar Sally. All the building materials for the villas, which house a total of 18, were brought from Andros to the island on the barge.
Because Kamalame Cay is a resort, Hew spent a lot of time training his staff. “Anybody can build anything, but whether people come to your island is a matter of the people [you employ]. The people are what it’s all about,” says Hew.
Perhaps the biggest reward Hew has reaped from developing Kamalame Cay is the difference that it has made in his workers’ economic and social development. “When I first came here ten years ago, I met kids who were 13 years old who are now 24 years old and I’ve trained them to be fishing guides to landscaping supervisors to management-type people,” says Hew.“The type of guests that come here and the exposure these people have had—these are people I wouldn’t meet otherwise and neither would the staff. It’s part of the experience.”
Hew is content to let royalty, celebrities and sports figures come to him. “I don’t travel a lot. I’m [totally] enveloped in my own little world. The world comes to me. They come to see what it’s like and they enjoy it.”
We as Bahamians need to become more involved in the process of growing our nation to the extent of mass protest to show our disapproval of this cockeyed running of the country. There is only this one Bahamas, land is something we must hold on to closely because once its gone we have nothing else. I propose that the government of the Bahamas give every Bahamian citizen 1 acre of property if we are going to give foreigners a whole island my goodness man what about its own people who put them in power every 5 years.
Are we being pimped by the way things look the answer is a definite yes
I have to agree with all the statements here. I simply cannot understand why it is so hard for us to see that under an FNM government the divide between rich Bahamians and poor Bahamians increases. Even if there weren’t issues with the global economy, the outlook would still be the same. We have a PM that only looks out for his bosom buddies and kicks the average Bahamian in the face. Altec, you are certainly right with the statement that those families are dominant in so many areas in our country.
As far as the FNM supporters go, my conclusion is that they are in denial. It takes a lot to admit that you’ve been duped with your eyes open. It takes a lot to admit that the FNMs trust agenda was worthless. And you have diehards that would rather pretend as though they haven’t been affected than admit that it was their vote that got them right where they are, while the Kellys, Carrons, Symmonettes, Solomons, Roberts, and the like are smiling all the way to the bank……hindsight is 20-20, but ignorance is bliss!
Now you can all see why I continuosly criticise HAI who am convinced has an inferiority complex thus the loud talk,insulting language and complete indifference to the Bahamian people.The best stimulus for any Bahamian is to be given crown land to get started.Foreign ownership of Cays promotes us being in servitude forever.It is time to give Bahamians the means to now possess the land.Yes I do remember HAI calling professionals crooks but a poorly run Gen Elect campaign failed to remind the populace of this.Crown land giveaways now this.Anyone who wants to continue to support HAI should have their heads examined.
Ronica7, your right. The Kelly’s, Symonette’s, Solomon’s, and Robert’s clans holds the major share of wealth in this country and control the money bags for the FNM. The Greek Bahamians and the Depuch’s clan have some cash but not like the the others just mentioned. These families in total controls the SHIPPING PORTS, the AIRWAVES, major FOOD STORES, a major BANK, and the REAL ESTATE SECTOR.
HI and his crew are simply front men. These families also are the descendants of the leaders of the UBP. the UBP aint dead, they just have different front men.
We cant forget that the UBP not only treated the black bahamians like crap, they treated poor whites like crap too. Its called class warfare and thats how the elite in this country want it to stay. Thats why they hated L.O.P. he tried to break the monopoly. L.O.P took us all out of Egypt and we need a Joshua to lead us into the promise land.
My prayer: Moses dead, so Lord send us a Joshua!
LOL!
BP
That is why as a black, bahamian businesswoman i cannot support the fnm!
The removal of the shipping company to arawak cay is to appease his financiers. Could you imagine a man-made island with containers, sitting across from one of the remaining foreshores. Saunders beach is one of the last remaing beaches. Enjoy it folks it may not be their soon!
Mr. Ingraham certainly delivers for the “rich white bahamian”!
@kevin mckenzie
Well the Kelly’s are his earthly gods, that is a small price to pay.
Examiner again you are right.I have been hearing a price of between $12-$25 million dollars.This will be very interesting since the prime minister told us $23 million was too much money to spend on a top class world renown straw market.
Yes Kevin your points are well taken and I tend to agree with you on all of them. Like I said before I don’t know what we do Hubert Alexander Ingraham, but he seem to have a problem with us.
What about the proposed purchase of the Kelly property on Bay Street?.
Mr.Brian Hew is a believer in that old adage that “when you meet a donkey you ride it.”I repeated over and over again on this blog site that Mr.Hubert Alexander Ingraham doesnot have any confidence in Bahamians,indeed he has told us in the past that he was ashame of us.Mr.Ingraham loves and looks after only foreigners and rich white Bahamians.Please notice i didnot state white Bahamians since i am aware that many white Bahamians are struggling to make ends meet.I will list some examples of mr.Ingraham’s love of foreigners and rich white Bahamians.1-Cable television licence and 15 year monopoly given to Canadians.2-Edward St George and sir Jack Hayward given thousands of additional acres of land in Grand Bahama when The Hawksbill Creek Agreement was extended.3-When Bahamian bankers and accountants attempting to offer some suggestions to mr.Ingraham during the blacklisting in 2000 mr.Ingraham said to them that he doesnot listen to thieves.What an insult to Bahamian professionals.4-Numerous foreign consultants.5-Mr.Ingraham wants to sell Bahamians, service lots for $40,000.00 and up but sells beach front properties to foreigners for under $3,700.00 .6-Mr.Ingraham now seeks to sell BTC to foreigners and he said once that is completed he will sell BEC.7-Rich white Bahamians able to buy huge beach front acreage on Norman’s Cay with a bond.I will end here but i think you will be able to get the point.
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