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The Sabah Society publishes an annual journal containing articles written on topics relevant to the objectives of the Society. These Journals are available for purchase by members of the public from the On-line Shop here.

We will be placing all our available journals in reverse date order as and when the information is scanned and written up.

Vol 26 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2009)

This issue of the Sabah Society Journal presents six articles covering a range of subjects and interests.  P.S. Shim, a regular contributor to our Journal on topics of local and native history, provides an interesting account of the well-known Arabian traveller Ibn Batuta’s voyages in South East Asia.

Stephen Sutton in a comprehensive commentary on the Copenhagen Climate Conference analyses its failures and achievements and also their implications for Sabah.  His incisive closing comments that a world civilization based on nation-states may prove inadquate for tackling global issues such as climate change should provide food for thought.

Ditch Townsend, in a short article, gives us a glimpse of seven possibly new fish species that have been sighted in the waters of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. The new finds await final taxonomical classification.

Danny Wong delights us with his racy account of the early history of horse-racing in Sabah.  He also traces the history of using ponies on ceremonial occasions to the colonial era.

The paper by Eric Wong on the first ever ascent of Kinabalu from the north in 1988 is important for it is also the first recorded account of this important milestone in the climbing history of Sabah’s iconic mountain.  The challenges faced by Eric and his small band of intrepid climbers in this uncharted territory should provide an impetus for more such expeditions to the largely unexplored northern side of Kinabalu.

Ho Coy Choke and his team provide us data on their research on the diversity of actinomycetes and microfungi in soil samples obtained from the pristine forests of Danum Valley.  Although this paper is very technical and may not interest the average reader, its findings would be of great value to researchers in the pharmaceutical industry working on antimicrobial and anti-cancer drugs.  It is for this reason that the editors decided to publish the entire information including the soil sample data.

The Society remembers Dr Andrew Bacon, a long time member who passed away on 11 December 2009 after a protracted illness.  Dr Bacon served the Society as a committee member and in other capacities.

Vol 25 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2008)

Dr. Lim Pitt Ken and Nicholas K.M. Tan – The North Borneo Picture Postcards of Philippe B. Funk of Sandakan. Lavernita Allysa, Pedro Bingku, Maxentius Donysius and Darrel Webber – Funding Conservation Efforts through Voluntary Conservation Levy (VCL) By WWF-Malaysia’s Kinabatangan-Corridor of Life Project. Joannie Jomitol, Kertijah Abd. Kadir and Azlin B. Awang – The Potential for Using Wild Strangler Fig Seedlings in Wildlife Habitat Restoration Projects in Kinabatangan.
J. Quentin Phillipps – Status Changes of Two Sabah Birds.
Tan I, Ho Wei Loon, Heng Hong Lee, Liew Yan Choon, Tan Joon Sheong, Tan Pei Pei and Ho Coy Choke – The Rich Biodiversity in Ulu Padas, Sabah: A Case Study for Bioprospecting and Conservation.
S.H. Foo, S.H. Puah, S.M. Ong, C.S. Hew, K.H. Mak, I. Tan and C.C. Ho – Screening for Inhibitors from Actinomycetes and Myrmecodia tuberosa in Ulu Padas, Sabah against Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphatases, and Ras/Raf Interaction in Yeast and Isocitrate Lyase in Mycobacterium.
Wilfred Tok – The Sport of Climbing.

Vol 24 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2007)

The 2007 issue of the Sabah Society Journal brings you six articles on a range of subjects. The longest of the papers by Fausto Barlocco, a social scientist from the UK, deals with the growth and development of Kadazan nationalism and the role played by the media and the state in fostering its growth.

Geoff Davison, distinguished ornithologist and a former editor of our Journal, gives a short but interesting account of his study of the bird population on the island of Mataking, off the east coast of Sabah, during a Society-organized field visit.

Wilfred Tok, an accomplished mountaineer from Singapore, who has made Mt Kinabalu his base for several interesting activities, gives an account of the new climbing sport that he has introduced on Sabah’s famous mountain. Via Ferrata, a new method of negotiating steep rock faces using iron rails, rungs and cables, provides access to amateur climbers into parts of the mountain that were until now open only to professional rock climbers. His paper, profusely illustrated with photographs, gives us a glimpse of the excitement promised by this new adventure.

The other three papers and the pull-out provide the principal focus of this issue — climate change. KK Chow, a former Director of the Malaysian Meteorological Service, gives us an insight into the science of global warming and the principal implications of climate change for living beings on this planet. Gurmit Singh of the Centre for Environment Technology and Development, Malaysia outlines the difficulties involved in creating awareness and activism on this looming danger, among NGO’s and the citizenry. The last of the papers on climate change, by Annadel Cabanban, provides information on the possible impact of warming of sea-water on corals and other forms of marine life. In keeping with the Society’s concern and interest on the subject, we have included a four page pull-out on what we, members can do in our own daily lives to minimize the prospect of climate change.

Vol 23 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2006)

Table of Contents Tan Sir Datuk Seri Panglima Simon Sipaun – Has SUHAKAM made a Difference in the State of Human Rights in Malaysia? Richard Nelson Sokial – The Tambunan Bamboo House in Local and national History. Danny Wong Tze Ken – The Kinabalu Guerrillas in Local and National History. Annadel S. Cabanban, Rebecca Jumin, Lanashree Thandauthapany and Rahimatsah Amat – Balambangan Island: A Treasure Trove of Endemic Species.
Anna Wong – The Current Status of Biodiversity Conservation in Sabah: Issues and Challenges.
Marja Azlima Omar, Ramli Dollah and Fazli Abdul Hamid – The Flow of Goods and Remittance in Sabah: An Overview.

Vol 22 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2005)

The bulk of this journal comprise a miscellany of articles and essays based on recent dedicated research into Sabah’s still nebulous past. These articles are largely tributes and descriptive accounts covering the pre-colonial and colonial era before 1950 and are significant for their contribution in filling the still large gaps in Sabah’s historical record. The highlights of this journal would be the commemorations and tributes to the people and personalities who have in different ways enriched Sabah’s history.

The year 2005 is a landmark year for the Sabah Society for it embarked on perhaps its most ambitious project to date. To mark the 60th Anniversary of the infamous Sandakan-Ranau Death Marches in 1945 The Society organized a commemorative march which followed as close as possible along the original route taken by the ill-fated POWs. The march was specially organized to pay tribute to both the people of Sabah for their many personal sacrifices made during World War II and the POWs who died in the forced marches. A group of 34 people took part in the commemorative march which began in Sandakan on 16 August and ended in Ranau on 25 August, 2005. A plaque was placed at the Ranau memorial and a dedicated information leaflet by The Sabah Society to commemorate the event was distributed at the closing ceremony of the march. The leaflet contained little known information on many local unsung heroes who deserve mention, and for that reason it is reproduced in this journal.

The Sabah Museum also celebrated this year the centennial of the Atkinson Memorial Clock Tower, one of Kota Kinabalu’s few remaining historical monuments of any significance, with a revamp of its internal mechanisms and outward appearance. The history of this once definitive landmark is described in the commemorative article on the clock tower.

The reappraisal of the “Pirate Priest” reflects the painstaking research that has been carried out to vindicate this much maligned character of Sabah’s earlier pre-colonial history. The author’s chronological narrative and explanation of the character and fascinating circumstances of Don Cuarteron’s life succeeds in casting doubts on the spurious label for the priest.

G.C. Woolley’s chronicles of life in North Borneo through his diaries, miscellaneous collection of plate photographs and artifacts are irreplaceable historical treasures for the state, providing also a continual resource for research. The explanation in the article on his missing diaries help de-mystify the gaps and presents a more revealing account of life in the months leading to the war, and in closing months after that.

Exploration into the early opium trade in North Borneo provides additional glimpses into the nature of the business when it was legitimate in the early days of the Chartered Company administration. The opium trade was very lucrative and provided an important channel to raise Government revenue despite its known deleterious effects on the users, rampant especially among the labourers at the time. Use of the drug was finally banned after the war.

The lighter side of malaria research is revealed in this intriguing expose of how it was conducted in the early days of the programme in Sabah. The pioneering research into the habits of the mosquitoes transmitting the parasites and causing the disease was initiated before the war. Continued efforts to control malaria after the war resulted in the establishment of the Borneo Malaria Research unit in the late 1940s, and its activities including its pre-war prelude provide the principal source of this witty account.

The article on the Dulit Partridge illustrates the importance of good documentation and maintenance of biological specimens as historical resources for research in the future. The evidence in historical records and specimens which was overlooked for more than a century now confirms that the Dulit Partridge is also found in Sabah, that the bird is not just confined to the mountains of Sarawak.

The Sabah Society would like to thank the authors for their contributions in this journal which has evolved into a largely historical issue, and also to Ms. Stella Moo-Tan for her valued editorial assistance in this volume.

Vol 21 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2004)

L.W. St. John-Jones – The Kuching Prisoner-of-War Camp 1944-1945: Heroism and Tragedy. P.S. Shim – Japanese Occupation and the Sungai Manila Tragedy. Dale Straughan and John Bakar – A Comparison of Vertebrates Recorded in 1990-1991 and 1999-2004 from the Sukau Region of the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain, Sabah. Book Review: Bornean Diaries 1938-1942. I.H.N. Evans (ed. A.V.M. Horton) by Mohamed Yusoff Ismail.

Vol 20 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2003)

Ross Ibbottson – Domesticated Elephants in Borneo. Shim P. S. – Another Look at the Bornean Elephant. Jojo M. Fung – The Muruts: Spiritual World, Rituals and Shamanism. Shim P. S. – Life and Times of Datu Menteri Babu. Stephen Chia and Peter Koon – Recent Discovery of an Ancient Log Coffin In Semporna, Sabah.
Stephen Chia – Obsidian Sourcing at Bukit Tengkorak, Sabah, Malaysia.
Caroline Pang – Creating a Conservation Vision for the Kinabatangan: A Corridor of Life.
Letters to the Editor

Who Was J. Valera? (P.S. Shim).
Who Was Johanna? (P.S. Shim).

Vol 19 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2002)

Yamamoto Hiroyuki – Sports, Beauty Contests and The Tamu Besar: the origins of Harvest Festival in Sabah (North Borneo). Christine Chong – The Sad Case of Robert Burns-his life and end in Borneo. James Sarda – Last of the Bobohizans. K. Ravi Mandalam – Mount Tambuyukon, Sabah’s mystery mountain. Fung Tzee Ping – The Development of Air Travel in Tawau, 1930-1970.
Stella Moo-Tan – A Potrait of Agnes Newton Keith – Noted Author, Survivor, Heroine

Vol 18 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2001)

Allen R. Maxwell – William Hood Treacher’s 1884 Brunei salasilah. Chin Shui Hiung – In the Footsteps of Sir Hugh Low.

Vol 17 – The Sabah Society Journal – (2000)

The year 2000 marked the fortieth anniversary of the establishment of The Sabah Society. By some standards this is not a very long time, but for the State of Sabah forty years constitutes a considerable proportion of its history. The State’s independence, and entry into Malaysia, came three years later than the formation of the Society. Many non-governmental organizations and voluntary associations were formed before independence, but few can claim the track record and success that The Sabah Society has had in promoting an interest in, knowledge about and love of Sabah and its heritage.

The Sabah Society has every reason to be proud of its many worthy achievements. The Society was one of the principal organizations involved in establishing the Sabah Museum, which is the State’s showcase of its historical, natural and cultural heritage. Through its journal, The Society has made substantial contributions to the recording of various aspects of Sabah’s heritage, which might otherwise have been lost. The journal has provided anavenue for local enthusiasts to write about aspects of their own culture, Sabah’s history, its geography, languages, fauna and flora.

Members of The Sabah Society, in their various official and private capacities, have been responsible for the creation of another important institution, Sabah Parks. We have today become the fortunate beneficiaries of that early foresight to initiate a system of parks, and preserve what has become a world renowned landmark and national tourism icon, Mount Kinabalu. Of course, since then five more parks have been added to the system, at the Crocker Range, Tawau Hills, Pulau Tiga, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and Turtle Islands.

The Sabah Society has the potential to be a powerful organization with a great deal of influence to assist in the formulation of government policies and their implementation, with respect to the environment, diverse aspects of Sabah’s heritage, and their preservation. It can do this in various ways through representation, and through its membership network. As in the above example of the creation of Sabah Parks, the role of The Society can be acted out through its members, not necessarily as a body independent in its own right but also through networking, coordination and provision of a forum for the exchange of views and ideas. The Society has proven to be an effective and powerful instrument to facilitate the recording, documenting and disseminating of knowledge about Sabah. The State of Sabah has, indeed, greatly benefited from The Society through its various activities ranging from publishing, slide-talks, field trips and outings acquainting members and guests with the diverse aspects of our heritage. The Sabah Society has become an institution that cannot be taken for granted.

In its fortieth anniversary year, on 4 November 2000, The Society held a celebratory dinner at which many of its members were present. The dinner was graced by the presence of the Minister of Tourism Development, Environment, Science and Technology, Datuk Chong Kah Kiat. In his speech, Datuk Chong touched on some of The Society’s solid achievements.

“Without a doubt”, said Datuk Chong, “The Sabah Society and the activities it has promoted and carried out over the past 40 years have enriched our society in intellect and literature. The Sabah Society has been notable in its contribution towards the development and enhancement of the tourism industry through its various publications and field trips. I am indeed pleased to have been witness to the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents’ recognition award to The Sabah Society to acknowledge this contribution, in July this year. I have been informed that the widely distributed Pocke Guide to the Birds of Borneo has become synonymous with The Society, providing a distinctive flagship publication for the State of Sabah as well. The Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo provides another window to the rest of the world on the natural wonders and endowments of Sabah, and of Malaysia as a whole. Likewise, its landmark publication Kinabalu: Summit of Borneo will remain a classic, epitomizing the superlatives of Sabah’s natural history manifest in Mount Kinabalu. As you may be aware, this remarkable mountain and its park environs have been nominated for listing as Malaysia’s first World Heritage site. This is a grand acknowledgement of Sabah’s outstanding and splendid heritage.”

“Apart from these publications on the flora and fauna of Sabah, I am also pleased to see that The Society has ventured into publishing aspects of Sabah’s cultural heritage. Sabah’s demographic landscape boasts of more than 30 indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, with a diversity of cultures and traditions. While several books about this variety have been published, there is till a need for more. Books that not only educate and inform, but re sensitive illustrated have wide public appeal, for both local people and for visitors from abroad who wish to bring back a tangible reminder of their visit to Sabah.”

The Minister went on to point out the rich natural endowments of Sabah. Few cities in the world can claim to be in such close proximity to both remarkable and outstanding terrestrial and marine landscapes. The City of Kota Kinabalu is located only ten minutes’ boat ride from Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. Mount Kinabalu, with its lush flora and fauna, is less than two hours away by road. Within a 40 kilometer radius in the districts of Penampang and Tuaran the visitor can also view or even take part in age-old and enduring cultural traditions of local indigenous peoples.

The forests of Sabah provide a shelter and refuge for a diversity of animals and plants, and habitats that in many parts of the world have disappeared. Danum Valley is home to most of the lowland fauna, such as the spectacular hornbills and pheasants. Big mammals such as banteng, elephant, orang utan and rhinoceros still occur in many areas. Many of us are familiar with the image of the dense, forbidding jungle of North Borneo, stretching from the coast to the interior highlands. There are few places left with such a landscape. In Sabah, we are still fortunate to have tracts of such uninterrupted forest, stretching from Darvel Bay on the east coast to the deep reaches of Danum Valley and on to the heights of Maliau Basin. Here are the basic ingredients of the legend, of the classical jungle experience. These continuous tracts of forest provide the basis for a secure future for plants and animals, for water supply, and for the development of the tourism industry as a mainstay of the State’s economy. It is therefore important to maintain the integrity of this contiguous corridor of forest.

“As I stand in front of you all this evening,” said the Minister at the 40th Anniversary Dinner, “I am encouraged and comforted by the knowledge that this Society has been instrumental in informing many people in Sabah and beyond about how wonderful and beautiful the State is. The Society has, indeed, excelled in promoting Sabah. The Society’s motto, TO KNOW SABAH, is so appropriate. In this respect I would also like to thank The Sabah Society for making a special effort to promote the Visit Sabah Year 2000 which was part of the State’s tourism promotional campaign to position Sabah as an exciting destination in the new millennium. I note with great pleasure and appreciation the slogan and campaign banner published in your newsletter. Through your extensive network of members dispersed around the world, you have effectively promoted Sabah.”

This occasion set the direction for various developments in the future of The Sabah Society. In the fortieth anniversary year, The Society became increasingly active in linking the natural and cultural heritage to the State’s economic development. The Society’s newsletter was revitalized. A website was set up, so that information about The Society could be made more accessible to a wider public. In a healthy financial position, and with a slowly but steadily expanding membership, The Society is well placed to strengthen its role in offering policy advice and recommendations; to expand its range of publications; to ensure that its activities promote responsible development, conservation, preservation, investigation and recording of cultural, historical and natural features; to offer outdoors experience to as many people as possible through field visits and outings; and to strive for ever increasing relevance in a rapidly changing world.