Batesville native Peter Hillenbrand was beleaguered by hurricanes this fall as owner of the Southern Cross Club on Little Cayman Island in the British West Indies 400 miles south of Miami and Walhill Farm in rural Batesville, which was started by an uncle, George Hillenbrand, in the early 1960s.

“I was hit by three hurricanes on Little Cayman – Gustav, Ike and Paloma,” recalls the single 46-year-old. “Ike brushed past Little Cayman (it caused no damage, but made everything dirty and wet) and then moved up here and hit me again in Indiana. Walhill lost a bunch of shingles and gutters in the storm. On Little Cayman, I lost my dive and fishing docks to Gustav.

“Paloma was the worst, passing over Little Cayman on the evening of Nov. 8 as a Category 4 hurricane, packing 140 mph sustained winds. The Southern Cross Club fared well, but electricity was knocked out around the island. My resort is back up and running, welcoming guests back since Nov. 20, but each of the storms has delayed the construction process. I have been shuffling Bruns-Gutzwiller workers (from Batesville) back and forth to the construction site since early August.”

“They have been good old Indiana rock solid fantastic in some very difficult situations,” including hurricane cleanup. “To a man, it has been an honor and a pleasure working with these guys.”

A milestone has been reached. “We are celebrating our 50-year anniversary this week with a big blowout party with a bunch of our repeat guests and a few of the old timers. Little Cayman has been hailed as one of the best places in the world to scuba dive and Southern Cross Club has been rated one of the best dive resorts in the world.” Hillenbrand has hosted a number of celebrities, including Burgess Meredith, Michael Keaton and Jean Michel Cousteau.

After graduating from La Lumiere boarding school in LaPorte in 1980, he went on to earn two Bachelor of Science degrees – in political science at Boston College and in biology at the University of Michigan.

My love of Walhill: I spent a good deal of my formative years playing with my cousins in the warm environment of Walhill’s Sulky Lodge .... I love southeastern Indiana. It might sound odd, but my being in the Caribbean working is just a job. It is where my career took me. I have always intended to move back to this area.

Buying the farm: In May 2004 I bought a 1979 GMC pickup in California and drove it back to Batesville. When I arrived home, I saw a sign saying Walhill was being auctioned off the next day. I ended up buying 141 acres, including all of the buildings and barns. Harold Weiler bought the 350 acres of Walhill’s farmland that is across the street. Everyone was pleased that Walhill and all its strong, inspiring memories had stayed in the family ... I had a full-time job managing my resort, so I mothballed the buildings and sat on it for awhile .... The fact that it was created by my family and is located in a part of the world I love makes me an incredibly fortunate and very proud fellow.

Fixing it up: I have made some renovations like a large handicap accessible bathroom so I can host large numbers of people. There are other projects on the books and I am always looking at ideas, but what renovations I make are being dictated by what people are looking for – what the market needs. Right now I am considering renovating the horse barn into a large banquet hall.

Another quick decision: In 1993 I was working in Joplin, Mo. I decided I was going to go back to school and change careers. I was going to become a biologist. I inherited my father’s keen delight in scuba diving and fly fishing. I had visited the Southern Cross Club on Little Cayman a few time with Dad over the years. Just as I was applying to graduate schools, I found out the resort was for sale. In May 1995 I abandoned any ideas of finishing my doctorate. I bought the resort and moved to Little Cayman.

Best achievement: To call Joan and John Hillenbrand II my mom and dad is what I am most proud of.

My greatest challenge in life: There have been many. If you go after things you want, and do not wait for something to come along and find you, you will always be challenged and, hopefully, happy.

Caribbean lifestyle: Living on the beach ain’t bad, and the steady supply of sun and warmth are nice, but I miss the changing of the seasons. Spring and fall are so fresh and beautiful. However, once January and February arrive, it has its advantages to be back in my beach house taking guests out diving and fishing.