A group of five young men among the first generation of Emiratis who went to the U.S. for higher studies in the early 1970s made an arrangement to get the only English newspaper from Abu Dhabi for their regular reading in New York.
Little did they know that an American friend, who was reading that newspaper along with them, would be curious to know more about a young nation established in 1971.
Martin Corrado, the American, says he never imagined that the colourful stories presented by his Emirati friends and the newspaper would attract him to the young Arabian Gulf nation to spend later part of his life here.
Friends and newspaper attract to Emirati culture
Well before his first visit to the UAE in January 1977 and joining a job here after a few months, Corrado was already familiar with people and places in the country from the conversations with his Emirati friends and reports he read in Emirates News, the English daily published from Abu Dhabi.
News reports on new infrastructure projects and investments from newly created oil wealth, sporting and cultural events displaying unique Arabian culture, especially horse and camel races, attracted the young American’s interest.
He and his wife Mary had picked up some Arabic from Cairo, where the couple first met as American overseas students, and they refreshed the language with their Emirati friends in New York. The youngsters told them stories about Emirati society and their dreams to build a great nation.
“Even I used to enjoy reading classified advertisements in that newspaper, which gave me an idea about jobs, market condition, and even some people’s interesting traits as well,” says the 75-year-old with a smile in an interview with WAM in his Abu Dhabi office.
He was referring to some strange classified advertisements he had come across during 1970-74. Foreigners had started settling in the young country and some of them were leaving as well as it occurs today. Some expatriates, especially westerners, who were leaving the UAE, were selling their household furniture and other items as usual. “One day I noticed a classified ad to sell a big bottle of water for AED1. They did not want to waste that AED1 before leaving the country!”
First visit to Abu Dhabi
That engagement with a distant Arab land continued until his Emirati friends returned to Abu Dhabi in 1974 after completing their undergraduate studies at New York University, where Corrado was also doing his MBA.
The Emirati friends who reached Abu Dhabi occupied top positions in government and they kept in touch with Corrado. One of them was Nasser Al Nowais, currently Chairman of Rotana Hotel Management Corporation.
Al Nowais chaired for 14 years the Abu Dhabi National Hotels Company. He was also Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Fund and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance and Industry.
On the invitation of Al Nowais, Corrado and his wife visited the UAE in January 1977. Apart from Abu Dhabi, he travelled to all other Emirates. “I was surprised to see a Hilton hotel in Fujairah, far away from major cities!”
Travel delay changes destiny
After a two-week long stay he planned to visit Cairo, but his flight from Abu Dhabi was delayed due to some unrest in Egypt’s capital caused by people’s protests against food price hike. “Apparently it was caused by cut in food subsidies. I followed the BBC news on a Sony transistor radio!”
The change in travel plan would later transform his entire life. During the delayed stay in Abu Dhabi, Al Nowais introduced him to Sheikh Suroor bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, a member of the ruling family who occupied important official positions.
“Sheikh Suroor thanked me for ‘taking care of Al Nowais and other Emirati students while they were studying in the U.S. and discussed many things related to finance and investments,” Corrado recollects.
After a few months, he received a telex from Sheikh Suroor, asking whether he was interested to be his financial advisor. Corrado’s wife was also interested in moving to Abu Dhabi and it was the beginning of a long-term association since April 1977.
New life in Abu Dhabi
The couple came with their daughter; a son was born at Abu Dhabi’s Corniche hospital in August 1977. “We had a wonderful family life here.”
Corrado had worked on the planning and financing part of building many major landmarks in Abu Dhabi, including ADMA-OPCO office, Etihad Towers, and many others.
Asked about his expectations about the UAE’s future when he landed here in 1977, Corrado says, “I knew it would be developing. But I did not think it would be to this extent. What we see now is amazing. It has been a dream come true for so many people.”
The major achievement of the UAE is not its material progress, he adds. “I think it is the good will Emiratis have created across the globe – that is the most important thing. There is a genuine spirit of giving – people helping people. That is the most important contribution of Abu Dhabi.”
