Rural airstrips built by missionaries
In this three-part series, we will look back at the 100-year history of aviation in Sarawak, which started from the Brooke era, through the Colonial and post-Malaysia Era.
In 1948, the Borneo Evengelical Mission (BEM) sent in Bruce Morton, a pilot turned missionary, with a newly-acquired light two-seater Aeronca 65-tac defender to fly into the remote interior of Sarawak and spread the gospel.
A Royal Australian Air force (RAAF) Flt Lieutenant during the War, Morton who was nicknamed “Panai” by the locals, flew to the newly built Ba’Kelalan air strip in 1950.
Soon after, another missionary, Ray Cunningham who was involved with the Allied forces invasion of Labuan, Brunei and Miri, trekked to Ulu Baram and built the first airstrip at the Kenyan village of Lio Matu.
Over the next 30 years, the BEM built at least two dozen air strips in the remote upper reaches of Lawas, Baram and the Central Highlands. Their planes were warmly welcomed by the people because it brought officials, goods to and from the coast, as well as villagers who needed urgent medical care.
One of the BEM’s major airstrips that was built on a drained swamp at Lem Baa’ and is still operating today is the upgraded Bario airport, which has a long history of natives who held the respect of the White Rajahs and colonial government.
A Kelabit chief, Penghulu Lawai Besara, who was the leader of the anti-Japanese guerrillas during the War was instrumental in establishing the airport. Lawai, who served under commander of the “Semut I” guerilla forces Major Tom Harrisson in March 1945, suggested to the Colonial government that it was essential for Bario to establish an air strip because it was cut off from the rest of the State.
In 1951, Harrisson, who had become curator of the Sarawak Museum, took up the offer and built the first Bario airstrip on a small soggy patch of land. Even though the site was not suitable due to a one-way approach with a hill and adjacent mountains, it was the only parcel of land large enough for an airfield.
After the airstrip was built, it was deemed too dangerous and was closed down. A year later, the Bario airstrip was taken over by the BEM which improved the airstrip to accommodate light Tri-Pacer aircraft (known as “Kapal Misin” — mission aircraft) for missionary work.
However, in 1953, the colonial government’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) started building a new airfield in Bario. By the late 1950s, there was an aviation boom in rural Sarawak with the opening of the Marudi airstrip on April 28, 1959.
Two months later on June 14, Sarawak Governor Sir Anthony Abell landed in Bario on the inaugural Borneo Airways commercial flight into the Kelabit highlands. With his small entourage, the aircraft made a “brave, difficult and successful” landing in a plane piloted by Captain T.M. Robertson.
The Sarawak Tribune (July 1, 1959) reported “The airstrip at Bario is very small and the surface is not good enough to be used after heavy rain. It was therefore very fortunate that the Governor was able to land there at all and all thanks are due to the very skillful piloting by Captain T.M. Robertson, Managing Pilot of Borneo Airways Limited.”
Upon landing, the aircraft came to a halt in the soggy airfield as Penghulu Lawai and a large crowd of Kelabits watched in anticipation. After disembarking, the Governor and his entourage trugged through the mud before being accorded a traditional welcome.
As the Governor left for the longhouse, the strongest Kelabits helped to pull the aircraft out of the mud as its tyres were stuck. During the official function that night, Penghulu Lawai suggested that the government move the airstrip back to the original site.
To build the new airport, the tributaries at the confluence of the Merariu and Arur Sebayah rivers, had to be diverted to make way for the new runway. While work on the new air field was in progress, another mishap occurred at the old airstrip when a RAF Single Pioneer with Penghulu Lawai crashed at the south end of the airstrip.
Badly shaken but unhurt, the old Penghulu shrugged off the incident and walked back to his longhouse.
In January 1960, work on the first Bario government air field started. The Sarawak Gazette, Vol. IXXXVII, May, 1961, stated that the Kelabits engaged in the construction which took ten months — all the work was done by hand, the only ‘equipment’ being some wheel barrows and baskets and a couple of vibrating roller engines.
The construction of the airport was supervised by the DCA’s director John Seal and District Officer M. McSporan. Several hundred Kelabits and Kenyahs from East Kalimantan were employed for the job.
Former Sarawak Director of Immigration Datu Robert Lian-Saging was six when he witnessed the development of the airstrip.” I was in primary one. The people of “Bario Lembaa” (Bario) were able to provide enough rice for the workers because they — the only wet padi cultivators in the Kelabit highlands — had enough surplus rice which they had stored a year earlier.
“The airstrip was carved out of the jungle using ‘parang, kapak, cangkul, sekop’ (machete, axe, hoe and shovel). It was done manually using hand-carried rattan baskets, and handmade wheel barrows (made from wheels, air-dropped by military aircraft from Singapore). The daily salary was $3 per head for men and $2 for women.
On April 10, 1961 Governor Sir Alexander Waddell officially opened the new Bario airport which had an air traffic control terminal, a new aircraft parking area and new laterite runway, the first of its kind in the interior, measuring 1,800 x 120ft. This was one of the last rural airports built by the British before Sarawak became Independent.
From 1948 till 1976, the BEM built 10 more STOL (short take off and landing) airstrip in the Kelabit highlands and its periphery at Long Seridan(1962), Long Lellang (1963), Long Banga (1963), Pa Tik (1963, Ramudu (1970), Long Lamai Penan settlement (1972), Pa’ Umor (1973), Long Peluan (1974), Pa’ Dalih (1975), Long Dano (1976) and Pa’ Lungan (1976).
Apart from the BEM aircraft, chartered STOL aircraft with passengers and goods also landed in these airfields which have been closed.
MASwings’ Twin Otter used to fly into Long Seridan, Long Lellang and Long Banga airports which are tar-sealed, but have closed down since.
