We were delighted to award last year’s Founder President Award to Sea Ranger Daisy, who completed an unforgettable 28-Day expedition to Borneo with Camp International. After months of fundraising and preparation, she set off on a journey that took her form planting young mangroves in the wetlands of Kota Kinabalu to deep in the Bornean jungle. At Camp Batu Puteh, she arrived by riverboat (to a warm welcome from the crocodiles), slept in a hammock and joined the KOPEL conservation project, helping to plan 71 trees, which earned an A+ rating from the projects management. She spotted hornbills and proboscis monkeys on a sunset river cruise and met orangutans and sun bears at the Sepilok conservation centres, seeing first-hand how conservation work protects wildlife.
Daisy’s expedition was just as much about people as it was about nature. At Camp Rumantai, she was welcomed with a traditional dance and spent time with local children, while helping to build roadside drainage gutters and a toilet block. At Camp Bongkud, she laid bricks and cement for the foundations of a new community building, built painted benches, taught English in local schools, and watched students preform the traditional bamboo stick dance at the farewell evening. Her final project, at Rangbulan, was laying the groundwork for a new kindergarten. She also made friends along the way, and is still in touch with some of them today.
It wasn’t without its challenges. Daisy faced heatstroke, dehydration, a scorpion sting, and a five-day trek through the jungle that included heavy rain, steep descents, and some spectacular falls. She completed every day with her spirits high and came home with memories that will last a lifetime.
Daisy’s expedition is a wonderful example of our Founder President Award in action. Set up in memory of our Founder President, Mrs Barbara MacDonald. the award offers a bursary to help Sea Rangers and young officers to take on adventurous challenges that might otherwise be out of reach due to financial or other restrictions. It’s open to Sea Rangers, Trainee Officers, and young Officers. The award can support everything from environmental projects and community initiatives to overseas expeditions like Daisy’s, as long as the activity is adventurous, challenging, and of benefit to the applicant, her crew, and wider community.
If you’d like to apply, you’ll need to prepare a case explaining how you would spend the bursary, the benefits to yourself and others, and the cost of the activity, supported by your Senior Officer. Please get in touch to find out more. We’d love to see more girls and officers take on their own trip of a lifetime.
