KOTA KINABALU, 20 April 2022: Thirty members of the Rotary Club will climb Mount Kinabalu this Friday as part of a charity mission to raise funds and awareness for polio.
Additionally, the climb should also see climbers setting a Rotary record by holding “the highest meeting” at the mountain’s summit during the climb.
The participating Rotarians are from Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, and Kuala Lumpur. The ascent of the second highest peak in Southeast Asia will commence on Friday, 22 April.
Last week, Kota Kinabalu Rotary Club member and the charity climb’s coordinator, Dr Ravi Mandalam, and senior Rotarian Datuk Abdullah Sibil, met with Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai to invite him to flag off the charity climb at a ceremony on 21 April.
Dr Ravi stated that most participants are first-time climbers and that Mount Kinabalu would be an excellent choice to start climbing endeavours while also promoting Sabah’s iconic charm.
The radiologist, who hails from India, is no stranger to Mount Kinabalu, having scaled the peak 56 times and written a book ‘East Kinabalu: A Guide To The Eastern Part of Mount Kinabalu.’
Dr Ravi, who has lived in Sabah for 28 years, stated at the meeting that the Rotary Club decided to climb Mount Kinabalu after learning about his experiences through his book.
“To me, Mount Kinabalu is the crown jewel of Sabah. It is the state’s treasure, a botanical paradise, and a biodiversity hotspot,” said Dr Ravi.
Meanwhile, Joniston stated that Mount Kinabalu is an iconic destination in Sabah and that many people have organised a climbing mission or charity climb to the peak for a good cause.
“It’s also an excellent way to introduce Sabah and our heritage mountain to Rotarians who have never been here or climbed the summit.
“Mount Kinabalu, in particular, is a popular destination for international climbers. With our international borders now open, we hope to see a resurgence of foreign climbers in addition to Malaysians,” he said.
During the meeting, Joniston received a copy of the East Kinabalu book, which Dr Ravi co-authored with two others.
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(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)
