Eighty-five-year-old Sylvia Jeanes has found a lifetime of purpose in Sabah, first through teaching and later by caring for dogs in need. (Sylvia Jeanes pic)PETALING JAYA: Nearly six decades ago, a young Australian woman arrived in Sabah believing she had simply come to teach. She never imagined the journey would last a lifetime.Since arriving in what was then Jesselton on Jan 18, 1967, Sylvia Jeanes has devoted her life to serving others: first by educating children in remote Tongod, then by helping refugee children gain access to education; and today by giving abandoned and injured dogs a second chance.Before her new life in Sabah could begin, Jeanes - who, as a teenager, had never travelled overseas - had to endure a rough sea voyage.“The waves were very high.
Things were falling out of the cupboards and I kept getting sicker by the minute,” Jeanes, now 85, told FMT Lifestyle.Sent to Sabah under the Church Missionary Society, she travelled from Jesselton to Tongod, where she began teaching at a primary school.Sabah was a world away from the Australia she had left behind. “I had to go to Tawau for an orientation programme, and the roads were very poor," she recalled."The shops sold everything - you could get a pair of false teeth and an engine for your boat in one shop.”Tongod had no roads, electricity or running water, and few people were willing to accept postings there.“People believed there were headhunters and that you’d get your head cut off,” she added.Jeanes arrived in Sabah in 1967 on a teaching mission that would eventually shape the course of her life. (Sylvia Jeanes pic)Yet Jeanes never regretted saying yes.
“The children were lovely and I enjoyed working with them very much,” she said, sharing that she still keeps in touch with some of her former pupils.Over the years, Jeanes built a life in Tongod. When a change in education policy required schools to teach in Malay, she refused to let it end her career.She enrolled in a correspondence course, learnt the language, passed the required examination and continued teaching.Her dedication eventually led to her being tasked with establishing a secondary school in Tongod, where she later served as principal.After leaving the school, Jeanes became a pastor and trained Sunday School teachers before going on to teach at a seminary.Years later, after moving to Kota Kinabalu, her life took another unexpe…
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