Stephens offers to leave Sabah as solution to crisis
Published on: Saturday, February 19, 2022
By: British North Borneo Herald
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The crowd at Tg Aru Airport waiting for Connery
Stephens suggests he, Mustapha and Khoo let younger breed take over
1967: Dato Donald Stephens offered to leave the country to enable younger leaders find a solution to a common problem - how to bring back political sanity and stability to Sabah.
He suggested in what he called a “Sabah New Deal” that Chief Minister Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun and Works and Communications Minister Dato Khoo Siak Chiew should also do likewise.
“Let us leave it to the Harris Salleh, Ganie Gilongs, Pang Tet Tshungs and Yap Pak Leongs and their like to work it out.
“And when I say go, I mean go, fade out of the political picture and be physically absent from Sabah for at least six months to allow the New Sabah Team to work out a non-partisan national Sabah-wise solution to the problems in the State.”
NOVEMBER 20
Catching a glimpse of Sean Connery
1966: Over 1,000 people, mostly teenagers from as far as Papar, turned up at Jesselton Airport for a glimpse of Sean Connery, better known as Agent 007.
Connery was supposed to have landed in Jesselton for a 45-minute stopover, but the star was not on board.
The report of his impending stopover in Sabah was reported in a local newspaper. Many of the fans had rushed to bookshops to buy pictures of the star hoping for autographs.
First local to do his LLB externally
1977: Magistrate Mark Koding and DPP Richard Malanjun were admitted to the Bar before Justice Datuk BTH Lee.
Richard was the first Sabahan to get the LLB External. He did his LLB in Mara and served at the Attorney-General’s Office before going to London to complete his Bar in four months.
The judge reminded Sabah’s young and growing number of legal practitioners that “many are called but only few are chosen.”
Flying Club founder scores a ‘first’ over Mount Kinabalu
1966: Founder of the Sabah Flying Club, J Wallich, became its first member to fly directly above the summit of Mount Kinabalu.
Wallich, the Manager of Guthrie and Co (Far East) Ltd in Jesselton, flew a single engine Piper belonging to the club at an altitude of 14,955ft - or 1,500ft above the peak.
He said the view reminded him of photos of the moon’s surface he had seen with “all those huge craters and boulders.”
Wallich founded the Sabah Flying Club upon arriving in Sabah in 1964. The club was established five months later when it got its first aircraft.
Bishop’s ordination
1970: The new Sabah Bishop, Rt Rev. Peter Chung, received his pastoral staff from the Principal Consecrator, the Rt Rev. Bishop James Buis at the Sacred Heart cathedral.
Crocs draw the crowds in Sandakan
1960: Several crocodiles were spotted in town in front of the new Forestry Officers at Leila Road. The news saw people from far and near converging near the place for a closer look.
When police and firemen failed in their attempts to search and kill the crocodiles who went into hiding beneath a long culvert, a local medicine man, Dillah Marabong, jumped into the drain in an attempt to capture the crocodiles like Tarzan.
The crowd watched in awe as he searched the length of the drain with his bare hands and feet. He then went through the culvert and, upon coming out the other side, claimed he saw several crocodiles inside.
NOVEMBER 16
Mustapha opens new Tshung Tsin block
1968: Chief Minister Tun Datu Haji Mustapha declared open the $400,000 new Tshung Tsin Secondary School building along Jalan Tuaran.
The Government provided a 9.2 acre site for setting up the school, whose primary aim was to provide a chance for over-age students who could not gain admission to government or govt-schools.
Tambunan folk hold memorial service for expat priest
1966: People came from every district in Tambunan for a memorial service for the late Father Martin Connolly, who died in England after having served 38 years of his priestly life among locals in the district.
The St Teresa’s church built by Father Connolly was packed with men, women and children.
First specialist English Language teacher
1960: John Scadding, the first of seven specialist teachers of English, arrived from Britain.
Scadding would, among others, supervise and encourage English teachers being recruited from neighbouring countries to teach the language in rural schools, as well as trained local teachers who have already learned some English.
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