He first came to Mauritius in 1993 to get married. He then met the CEO of Medine who asked him to do surveys of the golf course in Tamarin. O’Brian’s ideas and visions impressed him so he offered him the job of director last year…

Since his youth, O’Brian has been involved in sports through his family background. His father represented South Africa in fencing tournaments. The latter was also a great golf player, a cricketer and practised field hockey. Hence, O’Brian first held a golf club when he was four. Then, at school, he started playing field hockey and cricket and football.

Today, O’Brian runs the Tamarina Golf Estate & Beach Club situated on 206 hectares of land in Tamarin. Relaxed, friendly and open are the best words to describe him. Actually, these three words are the attributes for this job. “I think you must try to get friendly with people. I have a friendly disposition. Golf has taught me that you have to be friendly as most people who play golf are. This is why golf is called a gentleman’s game. Therefore, I try to live up to those principles.”

O’Brian’s hobbies are different from those he had in South Africa. Indeed, he likes diving, playing tennis and playing golf obviously. However, one of his favourite hobbies is cycling. “I love cycling. To cycle in Mauritius is wonderful. People tend to say that the roads are bad. They are not that bad. If you go early in the morning, there is no traffic, moreover, the countryside around Tamarin is beautiful. The only problem is that sometimes dogs run after me. However, it keeps me fit as they make me go faster.”

O’Brian was born in 1957, in Cape Town. He grew up in a little suburb called Pinelands where he did both his primary and secondary studies. He graduated in 1975 and, before going to University, he did two years of military service and went to the Universities of Cape Town and Miami.

Then, he started working in the liquor trade as representative for a big company in South Africa called Distell, despite the fact that he is not a heavy drinker. He married Sue in 1993 and they have three children -Nicky, Ashley and Sammy. He also has his business in South Africa, as a supplier of world-class products. The company - O’Brian Barber Promotions - has been operating successfully for twenty years.

But, where O’Brian stands right now, he has many reasons to keep him in Mauritius as he has many plans. “My long-term plan is to stay here. I want Tamarina to be successful. And I think this cannot be achieved within one year. I will see it though by setting the standards that we have planned and by making it the number one in Mauritius when it opens!”