East of Kinabalu

The author Datuk Leslie Davidson, one of the giants of the oil palm industry in the second half of the twentieth century. He was responsible in the 1960′s for bring oil palm to Sabah on a commercial scale, opening up Tugud Estate for Unilever on what was then the remote east coast.

This volume relates his pioneering experiences in that development. His account contains episodes which are by turns hilarious, deeply moving, and important from both historical an literary points of view. They also attest to his leadership in creating out of a disparate range of races and religions, a stable and harmonious estate community. This second edition also includes six additional chapters relating his experiences as a young planter during the Emergency in the early 1950′s. The book vividly captures the atmosphere of Sabah before and immediately after it became part of Malaysia.