Richard remains deeply involved in education and public service, even after retirement.
IN the early 1960s, a thin but determined boy from the remote village of Long Lellang began a journey that would go on to shape the rest of his life.
“I walked three days and three nights from my village to Bario because I wanted to continue my education,” recalled Dr Richard Ibuh.
“I was small and scrawny, but I had the inner strength to keep going through the jungle trails, battling the leeches and mosquitoes, and overcoming steep hills and rivers until I reached my new school.”
For the young boy growing up in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak, education was not simply about going to school.
It was about courage, sacrifice and an unshakable desire to build a better future.
Secluded settlement
Long Lellang, a settlement by the Akah River, lies about 578km east-northeast of Kuching.
Today, four-wheel-drive vehicles can reach the area through logging roads, but during Richard’s childhood, the village was isolated from the rest of Sarawak.
Back then, communication with the outside world was difficult, and journeys were often made on foot through dense rainforest.
Another way to travel to other parts of Baram was by longboat from Long Lellang.
Villagers had to push and pull the small vessels during dry weather and low tide along the Akah River.
Photo from Richard’s personal collection shows the STOLport and its runway at Long Lellang, his home village.
The days-long journey also meant that people had to hunt and fish for their meals.
“It was hard leaving my parents and grandparents behind,” said Richard, who was born in 1954.
“In those days, there were no phones. News about me only travelled back through pastors, teachers and villagers returning from Bario or Marudi.”
The predominantly Kelabit village, surrounded by Penan settlements, now has modern amenities including electricity, solar power and strong Internet connectivity.
More than 80 pupils attend SK Long Lellang, while the village also has a government clinic and a short take-off and landing airport (STOLport) that has long connected the community to the outside world.
Early days
Richard received his early schooling in Long Lellang between 1960 and 1963.
Determined to continue his studies, he trekked to Bario with adult relatives to pursue upper primary education.
“I never stopped wanting an education.
“Even today, I still feel that hunger to learn.”
His early years in Bario coincided with the height of the Indonesian Confrontation.
For village children who had rarely seen outsiders, the arrival of foreign soldiers and helicopters was unforgettable.
“We saw white-skin soldiers carrying guns and helicopters flying every day,” he recalled.
“The soldiers showed us movies and gave us sweets and biscuits.
“Later the Gurkhas (Nepalese) came too. It opened our eyes to the outside world.”
Yet amid the excitement, there was also fear and homesickness.
People from Kelabit border villages were airlifted to Bario during the conflict and resettled on land provided by relatives and friends.
“When I saw villagers arriving by helicopter with all their belongings, I felt sad.
“I thought about my own village and wondered what would happen to us.”
The British soldiers stationed in Bario back in the 1960s. Richard fondly remembers how they always treated him and other village children to sweets, biscuits and also movie shows.
Memory of royal visit
Richard also recalled the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, to Bario in 1964.
Everyone was eager to catch a glimpse of His Royal Highness, or even shake his hand.
However, security was tight and Prince Philip soon flew off.
Later, Richard managed to obtain a photograph of the Duke and kept it as a treasured memory.
His cousin and schoolmate, Mutang Peturan, also remembered the royal visit and how excited the schoolchildren were.
Old photo shows Prince Philip waving to the crowd upon landing on the STOLport in Bario. At this time, Richard was still in Primary 5.
Mutang told the writer: “Richard was always studious.
“His parents, Pun Belawan and Kaang, were humble padi farmers who valued education greatly.
“In those days, we were simple people with simple needs. Our parents provided rice as part of their contributions to the school budget or fees.
“The children brought their own rice supply to school at the beginning of the term.
“Primary schools in Baram were administered by the Baram District Council in Marudi; the teachers posted to these ‘ulu’ (upriver, or rural) schools drew their salaries from the council too.”
Richard’s determination eventually carried him far beyond the remote highlands of his childhood.
After completing his primary education in Bario, he attended Marudi Government Secondary School, where he passed the Cambridge School Certificate examination.
In 1971, he entered Tanjong Lobang College in Miri to pursue the Higher School Certificate in the English medium.
Young Richard, in this photo taken at the Marudi Government Secondary School in 1966, when he was in Form 1.
His three brothers later joined the Education Service, while his sister became a nurse.
Career as health inspector
Richard joined health inspector training immediately after Form 6.
In 1975, he earned a place at the Public Health Institute in Kuala Lumpur, where he obtained a diploma from the Royal Society of Health, London.
His first posting was to Marudi, where he served from 1976 to 1984.
“I consider this some of the best years of his career,” he said.
Richard was responsible for coordinating the implementation of gravity-feed water supply systems to longhouses in Baram, with many of the designs done by him.
His team also helped supply plastic toilet bowls to individual homes, greatly improving sanitation in Baram villages.
An old photo showing the school-children and teachers of Bario Primary School, taken in the 1960s.
Richard spoke about his contribution to the village of his late wife, Long Atip at Sungai Apoh.
“I built a water filtration system for Long Atip, which is still in use after more than 30 years.
“I dare say that the system is the only one of its kind in the whole of Sarawak.”
Richard and his team also taught villagers ways to improve their overall health.
Quest for knowledge
Even while serving in the Sarawak Health Department, Richard never stopped learning.
In 2001, he completed a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.
Between 2002 and 2004, he pursued a Master’s Degree in Environmental Development Management at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
In 2013, he completed a PhD in Sociology and Anthropology from Ashley University in the United States.
Richard is held in high regard by many who know him.
Retired senior medical assistant Boniface Seman, his contemporary, described his former colleague as ‘quiet, humble and scholarly – always cheerful, and very helpful’.
The two men worked together in rural Baram during the 1970s, when travelling to isolated longhouses required days-long journeys by longboat.
“During our work to improve rural health standards, we developed a strong team of health workers.
“Richard and his team travelled throughout Baram, improving sanitation and water systems,” said Boniface.
“Their projects brought gravity-feed water supply and pour-flush toilets to many villages, helping to reduce the number of cases of diseases caused by poor sanitation.
“The medical teams practically lived in their longboats while travelling through the interior.
“During the hot and dry season, they had to push their boats in shallow waters.
“Outboard engines had to be repaired on the spot if an accident occurred.
“Life was tough.”
Richard, however, appreciated the good things.
“We cooked on riverbanks; we caught fish for dinner,” he recalled with a smile.
“The villagers were always warm and cooperative; they would invite us to stay in the longhouse and even share their meals with us.
“One thing though: after so many decades, the pipes that we helped to put together are now very old – they definitely need to be replaced.”
‘Of education, public service’
Over a public service career spanning 34 years, Richard served in Marudi, Bintulu, Miri, Kuching and Kuala Lumpur, with his work extending far beyond rural sanitation.
As a public health inspector, he also served in urban areas.
He inspected coffee shops, wet markets and restaurants across Sarawak to ensure compliance with the Food Act 1983.
He and his team collected food samples for laboratory testing and monitored hygiene standards in growing towns and cities.
“Much of our work happened behind the scenes,” he said.
“There are many people who may not realise how important food safety, disease prevention and hygiene enforcement are.”
Richard also played a leading role in dengue control operations, food poisoning investigations, water quality monitoring and environmental health enforcement.
“Prevention is always better than cure,” he stressed.
“Sarawak is huge, and protecting public health requires constant vigilance.”
Equally important to him, however, was educating communities.
“I always believe public awareness is essential,” he said.
“Health education helps people protect themselves and their families.”
Richard took early retirement in 2012 at the age of 58.
Nevertheless, he remains deeply involved in education and public service, as his heart continues to be with the people of Baram.
“I was actually headhunted by two institutions after retirement.
“I had served at i-Systems College Kuching, leading the occupational safety, health and environment programmes there for eight years.
“Later, I moved to MAHSA University, where I was a professor cum regional manager for the Kuching Campus from 2020 to 2021.”
Richard also continues writing and researching.
As part of his doctoral work, he penned ‘The Kayans: A Journey through their Rich Cultural Heritage and Legacy’, which was published in 2014 after four years of research and writing.
The book documents the history and culture of the Kayan Uma Pu clan and features rare photographs of the community.
Being a proud Kelabit, Richard has also written a book about his own people, ‘Soar like an Eagle: The Kelabits’, which was published in 2020.
The books authored by Richard, about the Kelabit and Kayan communities.
Naturally, with his extensive experience in environmental health and public safety, he has also produced numerous academic papers and technical articles on the subject.
His decades of service earned him several accolades, including two state awards and recognition as a ‘Model Officer’ by the Ministry of Health in 1991.
Today, Richard lives in Kuching, although he frequently returns to Bario and Long Lellang – this time by plane rather than on foot.
The humble scholar from Long Lellang remains deeply connected to the values that shaped him as a child: perseverance, service, and an enduring belief in the power of education.
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