Bryan Wade may be half a world away in Bristol, England, but that has not stopped him from reaching out to the family in Kudat, in the northern part of Sabah.
Wade, 75, who is originally from Leeds, Yorkshire, was moved after reading the FMT report about Sharifah Sharizah and her three charges, which his Sabahan friend had sent to him.
“As soon as I read the article, it was a very easy decision,” he told FMT.
“I thought how resilient the lady was to take her children on a 5km walk to find a phone signal every day. She obviously wants the best for her children.”
He said with the help of his Sabahan friend, he sent a new smartphone and battery pack to Sharifah.
In addition, both of them sent 40 roofing sheets, delivered by a local hardware store in Kudat, to help the family whose house in Kampung Panikuan has a leaking roof.
“My friend has been doing all the ground work in Kota Kinabalu. I hope I have solved some issues and that this will make life much easier for the lady and her family,” he said.
FMT had previously reported that Sharifah had to take her two children and nephew to a hill about 5km from their home for the past year so they could attend online classes as the internet reception was the strongest there.
Wade is no stranger to Sabah. He first came to the state in 2002 and “fell in love with the place” after being drawn by its beauty, tranquillity and friendly people.
He co-owns an adventure biking tour business here, which ironically thrives on the lack of infrastructure in the state — such as proper roads and off-beaten tracks.
Wade returned to the UK last August just before his visa expired. He could not come back to Malaysia as the borders were closed to foreign nationals from several countries due to the growing number of Covid-19 cases worldwide.
He is hopeful that once the situation improves, he will be able to return to Sabah, with a visit to the Kudat family being among the first items on his to-do list.
“With this virus I’ll just have to wait, (but) yes of course, I would love to go see my new-found friends up in Kudat,” he said.
Wade, who is also an established writer, is thinking of making his stay longer this time by applying for a Malaysia My Second Home visa.
Wade was affectionately known as Wadie when he was a regular competitor on the motocross circuit in the 1960s and 1970s. He also holds the unique record of being the only rider to have won the British Motocross Championship in all three categories — 125cc, 250cc and 500cc.
Meanwhile, more help has been pouring in for Sharifah and other families in Kampung Panikuan after their plight was highlighted by FMT.
Charity worker Rebecca Chin held a donation drive to collect used devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops but instead received more cash donations, including from outside Sabah.
She purchased new devices using the funds and sent them together with second-hand ones to Sharifah’s village and other poor families in the neighbouring Kota Marudu district, in Sapulut in the state’s interior as well as in rural Kiulu in Tuaran.
“I think altogether there will be some 70 to 80 devices at the end of it but I believe more are coming, including from Kuala Lumpur — people are so generous.
“Hopefully, this will make a difference in their lives,” she told FMT.
The Sabah Law Society is also holding a campaign to collect used devices to be given to underprivileged families following the news report.
Besides that, Kampung Panikuan will be among eight villages nationwide whose internet access woes will soon be resolved by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
MCMC was reported to have said residents there would get to enjoy 4G services after a communications tower in the village commenced operations.