Following a joint-venture agreement with KSL Capital Partners (KSL) signed late last year, Baillie Lodges has this week brought Silky Oaks Lodge in Tropical North Queensland into its portfolio, and appointed a senior management team.
To lead the property’s transformation, Baillie Lodges has appointed Sonya Boaden as Silky Oaks Lodge Manager. Sonya comes to the team with a wealth of experience working across the tourism and hospitality space, including extended tenures with Quest Serviced Apartments, P&O Australian Resorts and Accor Hotels, as well as operating her own small tourism business consultancy.
Southern Ocean Lodge Assistant Manager Angelique Helmchen has been appointed Assistant Lodge Manager at Silky Oaks Lodge and will head to the tropics from her current Kangaroo Island home in early June. Originally from South Africa, Ange was working at the prestigious Singita Private Game Reserve when she met James Baillie as a guest in 2014, who quickly decided Southern Ocean Lodge was the perfect place for her. Four years on, the call of the rainforest and a warmer climate has tempted Ange’s move to Queensland’s tropical north.
Longitude 131° Executive Chef Mark Godbeer has chosen to trade Uluru-Kata Tjuta’s red desert dunes for the lush Daintree Rainforest to take on the role as Executive Chef at Silky Oaks Lodge. From cooking for high-end guests on private charter yachts to opening and operating a rooftop restaurant in New York City, Mark has discovered a wide range of cuisines and cooking styles. Mark plans to embrace the local flavours and incredible tropical produce available in north Queensland. Mark’s wife Staci, who currently works as Lodge Duty Manager at Longitude 131° will join Silky Oaks’ Treehouse Restaurant team.
Baillie Lodges General Manager Craig Bradbery said the inter-lodge staff movements reflected the fantastic new opportunities becoming available for Baillie Lodges’ employees as the collection evolves in its new partnership with KSL Capital.
