Destined to be a Classic

‘East of Kinabalu’ by Datuk Leslie Davidson, is the personal account of a pioneer plantation manager and his family.

Set in the period 1959 -1969, it covers the ups and downs and eventual success of one of the first oil palm plantations in Borneo. On the way, it traces the evolution of Britsh North Borneo into Sabah, East Malaysia, while recounting the adventurous life of Leslie and his family in the remote Labuk River area. It happens to be extremely funny and very moving, with a cast of characters so unlikely they can only be real. Take, for example, Vazeline, the sexy and pretty young girl from the kampong who ends up the scourge of the palm oil mill Works Committee!

Everyone agrees, he did a good job. If only all plantation managers had been like Leslie! Somerset Maugham would have been short of material, for one thing.

Datuk Leslie has just been awarded the 1^st Merdeka Award for the contribution of a non-Malaysian to Malaysia. This is an annual award of RM500,000 (USD150,000) sponsored by Petronas (Malaysia’s state oil company).

BBooks believes that the quality of this book has had something to do with the award……….

Available from Borneo Books' website