News & Headteacher Blogs

Borneo Expedition - 12 July - 1 August 2024 

Mrs Duthie

 

In a joint expedition with The Albyn School, Aberdeen, 6 of our Sixth Form students (Kester, Nicholas, Eloise, Isabella, Jame and Pablo) took part in an expedition with our trip organisers, Outlook,  to visit the island of Borneo, South East Asia, for 3 weeks.

The expedition was an incredibly enriching, challenging and eye opening experience that the students will remember for the rest of their lives. The students developed their resilience and responsibility throughout the course of the expedition where they independently took responsibility for our accommodation, transport and finances for the entirety of the time we were travelling.

When we arrived in Kota Kinabalu, the team allocated roles and every member of the group had the opportunity to lead on a particular day during the expedition, some of the TDS (The Downs School) members led on multiple occasions and did a fantastic job. This involved looking at our itinerary, daily budget sheet and collaborating as a team to ensure we had a roof over our heads, a full stomach and were in the correct location, all within budget for 17 people. They had to develop their communication skills, to make arrangements in a foreign country they were not familiar with. 

We spent 5 days in Kudat, the most Northern part of the island for a jungle experience staying in Tampat Do Aman, that was tranquil and enlightening. We stayed with Howard and his wonderful family, who taught us about the flora and fauna of the area, how to live off the land, respect and appreciate the jungle and all it has to offer. We carried out beach cleans at the local beach and spent a magical night in the depths of the jungle in a hammock under the stars. 

We travelled to Mount Kinabalu National Park to undertake the ambitious challenge of climbing Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in South East Asia, standing at 4095m. The team showed incredible resilience and strength and all TDS students successfully reached the summit for a stunning sunrise, some of our keen A Level Mathematicians even took a moment to get their revision guides out at the top! 

We travelled back to Kota Kinabalu for our project phase where we worked with Scuba Junkies for 4 days. Each day we started at their HQ for an informative and educational presentation about different topics relating to our project; marine biodiversity, climate change, the coral reef and the impact of the work we will be doing. We were fortunate enough to see an incredible range of marine life including Blacktip Reef sharks, turtles, Parrot fish, Puffer Fish, Eels, Baracudas, Trumpetfish and Clownfish amongst many more. We observed coral bleaching, which was a result of extreme temperatures from May 2024 and learnt about the impact this had on the marine life.

We carried out 4 beach cleans, in which we removed 55 bags of rubbish mainly compiled of plastic bottles. Each bag held on average 120 bottles. Even though this was around 6,600 bottles, sadly there is an awful lot more rubbish to be cleared in the area. The litter was in the scattered in the beautiful blue waters and we could see the impact it was having on the marine life, which is heartbreaking. We learnt that coral reefs are endangered and it is expected that 90% could disappear by 2050. It was a privilege to witness first hand thriving coral reefs, which provide a home for 25% of all marine life. We adopted a turtle and the proceeds of this went towards supporting the Mabul Hatchery and Conservation site to fund beach cleans, rehabilitation and the turtle hatchery. 

10 ways to help save coral reefs:

1. Conserve Water

2. Reduce Pollution

3. Use organic fertiliser

4. Dispose of rubbish properly

5. Support reef friendly businesses

6. Plant trees 

7. Dive and snorkel responsibly

8. Volunteer for a clean up

9. Contact the government 

10. Spread the word

We are enthused by this project to return back to school and work with the fantastic Eco-Club to make the possible changes that we can here to make a difference. 

We visited the Sepilok region to see the world famous wildlife sanctuaries to observe the majestic orangutans and Sun Bears, the world's smallest bears. It was a privilege to see these endangered animals and to witness all of the wonderful work that the local communities have undertaken to rehabilitate these animals that have been endangered due to human influence and deforestation. 

We concluded the expedition with a day on the TAR islands, to relax and appreciate the beauty of Borneo and all that the team have achieved over the course of the expedition. The people of Borneo were kind, helpful and so hospitable and welcomed us with open arms into their community. Our team embraced the food, the weather and the culture and it made me incredibly proud to watch them grow and develop life skills that will enable them to confidently be independent global citizens.