Mindil Beach, Airport Development group leaders to leave NT

The departure of a prominent Darwin business couple will leave a void in the Territory’s corporate landscape. Read why they’re heading south.

The Top End’s business landscape is set for major shake-up with the departure of two popular and influential longtime Territory leaders.

Mindil Beach Casino general manager Avril Baynes and Airport Development Group executive Ross Baynes are leaving Darwin for Adelaide next month after a collective 47 years in the Territory.

The couple’s move south for family reasons will spark a major Top End talent search as well as a reshuffle at the top of the Darwin Major Business Group and Tourism Top End where Mrs Baynes holds senior roles.

Avril and Ross Baynes with Darwin’s cutest dog Charlie, at their Fannie Bay home. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Baynes is ending his 13-year tenure as executive general manager property and terminal with Airport Development Group but will stay with ADG in a non-executive role working remotely from Adelaide.

Mrs Baynes’ Territory journey began in Darwin when she was 17 studying a business degree at the old Northern Territory University before a move to Alice Springs to take up a traineeship with the ITT Sheraton Group.

Time working in hospitality at Uluru was followed by her entry into the Territory’s business community in 1998 when she bought the famous Bojangles Saloon and Restaurant in Alice Springs.

“It was the wild west in the best possible way,” she recalled.

Avril Baynes’ role in supporting Territory tourism will be missed, with Crocosaurus Cove’s Penny Priest and Samantha Bennett from Tourism Top End.

After five years in law and government relations, she returned to the private sector as executive manager tourism food and beverage at SkyCity Darwin and then at the renamed Casino Resort when Delaware North bought the company in 2019.

Her succession as casino general manager as the world grappled with Covid-19 and the immense responsibility of shepherding one of the Territory’s largest private employers with a workforce of about 600 will always be a career highlight.

“I think during any significantly difficult time it really makes people stronger as a team,” she said.

“As well as individual resilience, it’s the collective resilience that gets people through these things.

“It’s when times are tough that people come together.”

Ross and Avril at the official opening of Kingpin Darwin in 2015.

Mrs Baynes will return to work with Adelaide’s SkyCity as general manager of hospitality.

Covid was also massive during Mr Baynes’ 13 years with Airport Development Group and meant his already vital role in property management had even greater importance.

He moved to Darwin from Sydney originally for four years under former airport chief executive Ian Kew and stayed under the new management led by Tony Edmondstone.

With airport passenger numbers at times down 97.5 per cent on pre-Covid figures, the airport pivoted to property investment including buying and redeveloping the two onsite hotels, which is just the start of a massive works program at ADG’s three Territory airports.

“We’re going through a period of enormous change,” he said.

“We bought the hotels and we’re spending many millions of dollars upgrading those and the new entry statement are only the first stage.

“It will start to look like a capital city airport with a proper entry statement.

“It will be landscaped and there’ll be a real focus on development of a community business precinct.”