MIRI: David Atthowe from Norfolk England, now here and covering 86 days of his 2,500-km walk from Tawau the north-eastern tip of Borneo, is confident of raising greater awareness on environmental and humanitarian issues to the people that he meets and to the world community at large.
David happy to arrive in the Miri City yesterday after a 15-km walk from Senadin.
(From left) Musa of MNS, David and others members of the local nature societies exchanging views on environment and humanitarians.
He said since Day 1 of his environmental and humanitarian projects in Borneo, on Aug 22 in Tawau, walking and relying solely on the help of people they meet along the way for food and hospitality, he had received overwhelming response from the authorities and the general public.
“In Brunei in particular, in the last two weeks, people from all walks of life offered tonnes of food which I couldn’t possibly eat, and also accommodation and sponsorship. Similarly in Sabah and here in Miri although today is my second day here, the reception from the people too is overwhelming,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
On arrival in Miri on Thursday evening, he visited the newly established Piasau Nature Reserve where he was met by members of the Piasau Camp Miri Nature Society (PCMNPS) and the Miri Chapter of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) led by Musa Musbah – chairman of MNS and deputy president of PCMNPS. They also exchanged views and ideas on environmental conservation and humanitarian.
Yesterday, he visited several places including shopping malls where he was warmly greeted by the public and acquaintances including local artist Tan Wei Kheng .
“I am glad to be able to meet them including the nature societies and this is in line with our objectives for the walk. Borneo, including Sarawak, is certainly a haven for environmental conservation, there is still plenty of forest and its people have diverse and colourful cultures compared with Semenanjung Malaysia where our first and similar project was held,” he said.
David, the founder of Nomadic Lion, was earlier accompanied by Yusep Sukmana, 24, from Bandung Indonesia for the walk in Sabah but from Miri for the rest of the remaining journey to Kuching, he is accompanied by another Indonesian, Gilang Ramadhan.
He said their planned journey totalling 2,500-km walk covering Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei, will take about five months and will be made into a documentary focusing on positive environmental and humanitarian projects and solutions.
The project in Borneo is the second walking mission for the duo after completing a 1,100-km walk in Peninsular Malaysia in February
To date, David’s cause has received an increasing number of followers on social media, including its website (www.nomadiclion.com),Facebook and Instagram.
“Some say we are crazy, but many are very supportive. We are very passionate about raising awareness as we progress on the walk via our website, social media activities and engaging local people every day, to talk to them about local positive projects. Even when I see the real nomadic Penans later, I will only talk about their life and not about logging or timber or anything negative,” he explained.
Several members of the public interviewed in Miri were full of praise to David for his strong determination and bravery in facing all the challenges.
“I hoped that through this environmental and humanitarian walk, more people too would be aware of the needs especially the less developed community like the Penans in Sarawak,” said Tan, a self-taught artist famous for his artworks, particularly Penan paintings.
Kelvin Liaw, a staff of a local oil and gas company, said “David is a shining example of youth who is full of confidence, very determined and brave in facing challenges even when he has to walk alone to achieve his goal to help mankind and the environment”.
Throughout the journey, David and partner will visit a number of conservation projects, education projects, community empowerment projects and national parks including the Lambir and Niah National Parks in Miri and Mount Kinabalu National Park and Danum Valley Reforestation Project in Sabah.
Meanwhile, members of the public In Miri are welcome to take part in the Good Will Walk on Sunday starting at 6.30 am from a club house “Beach Republic” to the Sikh Temple in the Miri City Centre. Admission is free.