b"STAYING BUSY AIBA put immense pressure on Brian and Allan toacquiesce to their plans. Brian recalls being summoned Whittles kept John very busy. The stratawith Allan to AIBAs head office in Sydney. John did not business was growing rapidly. It wasnt receive an invitation. 280 buildings anymore. It was probably over a thousand by then, and we were also gettingBrian says it was a surreal experience. involved in regional property management. Whittles stayed in the Magill Road office,This is where I learned about corporate gamesprobably one of the reasons I stayed in the bush. We while by 1994, MGA had relocated to an got there and they tried to exert their authority over office on King William Road. everything. We went up to the 19th floor. It was a big office in Sydney, a long way from Clare, and they made us wait a couple of hours in the corridor. We finally went in and sat at the boardroom table, a mile AIBA had its ideas about how to run MGA, and it from their CEO. The room was dark, so he got up and soon became apparent that John was not in thoseopened the blinds, and the sun came streaming in and plans. AIBA wanted complete control, and John was aalmost blinded me and Allan. The first thing he said to thorn in its side. AIBA tried to pry Allan and Brian awayus was, How would you guys feel if we got rid48 from their founding partner, appointing Allan as theof John George? We just walked out of there.CEO of MGA. This started a cold war to freeze John out of his business.The early 1990s was a tense time for everyone at the company. I went through hell trying to ensure they AIBA set to work looking for minority MGA shareholdersdidnt make decisions that would cut John entirely outwho would switch allegiances, giving the group majorityof the picture, says Allan, who was now doing Johns control. old job.Eventually, the EPAS joint venture partners threw Terry Daly, who became MGAs Port Pirie broker in their lot in with AIBA, effectively tipping the balance 1989, remembers the political nature of the battle of ownership.between AIBA and MGA. The head of AIBA tried many ways to soft sell his point of view to us, but we stuck Thats how AIBA got 51 per cent. That crowd over to our guns and didnt relent until John eventually got on the west coast, EPAS, we bought them out. Wethe reins back, he says.picked up a lot of business on the Eyre Peninsula, but they came in as partners in the company. They votedJohn Will says that almost all of the MGA brokers and against me,' John recalls. employees stayed loyal to John during the crisis. He Eventually, the EPAS joint venture partners threw their lotin with AIBA, effectively tipping the balance of ownership."