In the present financial climate no doubt many of you reading this are feeling that your great dream is falling into the impossible category. Here in America where I live the American Dream is really taking a beating. I feel well qualified to talk to you about impossible dreams because Belizean Mike Usher and I had a mother of all ones.

In 1984 I went as a geologist to Belize to try to find oil. Five million US dollars later, (a serious amount of money then), it all ground to a halt, with no result. In 1988 I met Mike Usher, a Belizean. Mike believed that there was oil in Belize and if it could be found the country would be transformed. Then the world would take notice of Belize, an English-speaking country the size of Wales in Central America, with a population of around 297,000 people. It would bring investors, increased tourism and ultimately modernize the country to the high standard of living he wanted for all Belizeans. Mike talked about his dream to anyone who would listen.

“ The background to this story is that 50 oil companies over a period of 50 years had all searched for oil in Belize, spending $450 million USD – and failed.“

I believed in Mike’s dream. I went with him to Belize and over the next fifteen years we searched. Twelve and a half million US Dollars later we still had nothing. The background to this story is that 50 oil companies over a period of 50 years had all searched for oil in Belize, at a cost of $450 million USD and failed. More and more our great dream for oil and a new Belize seemed impossible.

Then we learned about Tony Quinn and went to his Educo seminar. Although Tony had never met Mike and knew nothing about him, he singled him out from the other seminarians and said that he could work with him. Of course once Mike talked with Tony he immediately set about convincing him that there was oil to be found in Belize. In turn, Tony set about convincing us, as wonderful as the dream was, that it seemed to be more in the conscious mind and that what was necessary was that it had to move into the deeper unconscious part of the mind. What all this meant became clearer as the seminar progressed. The essence of Tony’s approach is where he helps people to super-concentrate their mind power and focus it on their major goals. He maintains then that the goals will be installed in their deeper unconscious mind and the desired results will follow.

MORE DREAMERS

After the seminar we were convinced that we now had the secret to success and we founded a new company, Belize Natural Energy (BNE) and its parent company International Natural Energy (INE). The only problem was that we had no money. It would take millions of dollars to drill but at this point the major oil companies had completely lost interest. So we began to tell the dream to people who had also attended Tony’s seminar and understood that we needed to be of one mind to form what he calls A Clear Invincible Vision. Over time 76 people became investors in our Belize project through the parent company INE. None of these people knew anything about oil. My husband Alex Cranberg’s company CHx, was the only oil company to invest. We also persuaded Tony to work with the people who were to drill so as to super-concentrate their minds on the goal of finding oil. While all of this was going on Mike began to feel unwell, then over a 3-month period he quickly went downhill and then died. We were all shocked by Mike’s death but by this time his great dream had taken on a life of its own.

TWO NEEDLES IN A HAYSTACK

In January 2003 we purchased a lease on approximately 500,000 acres of land in Belize over 8 years. This left us with just enough money to drill 2 wells.

“ We had just enough money to drill 2 dinner plate sized holes on 500,000 acres.“

We were going to drill 2 twenty-inch wide holes in 500,000 acres. This is the size of 2 dinner plates.

Drilling commenced on June 24th 2005, the first anniversary of Mike’s death, and that evening at 9 o’clock we struck oil. We had done the impossible - an oil strike in one! The excitement was unbelievable, we were ecstatic. Could it get any better? Then, amazingly, the impossible happened four more times in a row. Now the excitement was off the scale. We were living our dream. You have heard the saying that all our birthdays had come at once, well this was it and more. There was no question as to what to name the wells – Mike Usher One, Two, Three, Four and Five. The first oil field in Belize, Spanish Lookout, was a reality. You know, in the oil business on average you have to drill 15 wells before you strike oil.

THE OIL BUSINESS

With the oil discoveries, we were suddenly plunged into big business and trying to play catch up. Frankly, as you can well imagine, we were caught unprepared and a whole new set of business skills was necessary. The staff quickly grew to the present number of over 300, of which 95% are Belizean. I was made chairwoman. Tony, who is used to working with businesses, put together a business structure for us. His business acumen, guidance and directorship have been crucial in all facets of the business from the beginning.

A Chief Executive Officer was needed to head the company, one who knew the country and its people. Above all, someone who believed in Mike’s dream of a new and better Belize and could carry it into the future. In September 2006, Dr. Gilbert Canton, a Belizean, became the CEO. He has proved ideal for the job and is totally committed to the mission of the company. To date the company has not paid out any dividends to investors. Instead, all the money goes back into the company and into drilling for more oil.

“Today, BNE is pumping 5,000 barrels of oil per day - with a gross revenue of $112 million USD in 2008, even with the present low price of oil.“

The oil itself is at a shallow and accessible depth and is Light Sweet Crude, the best oil to be found. Normally it takes about three years to export oil from the interior of a country, (a jungle with no infrastructure), but here the local people and BNE came together and achieved the objective of exporting the oil in record time, just four months. Today, BNE is pumping 5,000 barrels of oil per day with a gross revenue of $112 million USD in 2008, even with the present low price of oil. BNE is now the number one revenue generator in the country. We are living our dreams and playing our part in making a difference to the whole country and every person in it.

The Spanish Lookout field where the oil was first discovered has increased over the last two years from 6 million to 12 million barrels of ultimate recoverable oil - and growing. Predictions have been of 20 million barrels of ultimate recoverable reserve for this field. At present we have a total of 10 wells producing oil.