Donald playing badminton with brother when air crash claims dad’s life

About 4pm on June 6, 1976, Donald Mojuntin 11 was playing badminton with his younger brother Charles while waiting for their father Datuk Peter Mojuntin to come home.

They were passing time waiting for their father who was to officiate at the finals of the Datuk Peter Mojuntin Shield tournament in Penampang that day.

Little did they know that their lives would forever be changed as the light aircraft their father was in, crashed upon approaching the state capital.

Donald who was met after the Double Six memorial service organised by City Hall on behalf of the state government said this when asked what was he doing that fateful day when Sabah lost its leaders and he, his father.

“I was an 11-year-old boy, playing badminton with my nine-year-old brother. We were waiting for our father to come back from Labuan to officiate the finals of the Datuk Peter Mojuntin Shield in Penampang, and it was about 4 to 5pm.

“From what I can remember, my maternal grandfather Datuk Lidwin Mobijohn drove into the house compound and he looked anxious. He got out of the car and called our mom into the house.

“That was the time we had a dreadful feeling, so to speak, and when I saw an airplane pass overhead at that moment, I was praying that the feeling of dread I was feeling had nothing to do with our Dad because I heard my grandfather telling my mom just before they went into the house that there had been a plane accident.

“For me personally I really had that dreadful feeling,” he said when relating what had happening on June 6, 37 years ago.

According to him the children were not told anything immediately as their grandfather brought their mother to the hospital to wait for the bodies to be extricated from the crash site.

“After that it was a haze for me. The next thing I knew we were busy with the (funeral) arrangements (and) the body was brought home from the hospital. I can remember that there were a lot of people at the house, being an 11-year-old boy, it was hazy, it was like a sea of people in the house.

“My dad looked like he was asleep as he was the only one who was more or less intact,” he said with a wistful smile.

To the question if he would have ventured into politics if the crash did not occur, Donald said that it could have happened either way for him.

“It might have been either way. If he had still been around, I might have still ventured into politics. It would be better because I would have had his guidance etc. Ironically, because of the incident I had no inclination to be in politics.

“It took a long time for family members to get closure from the incident. After that then things just happened and I found myself in politics in the early 90s,” he said when asked if his decision to venture into politics was because he wanted to continue what his late father had started.

Donald stressed that the state leaders who perished in the crash had epitomize real unity in Sabah.

They represented a common purpose, irrespective of race, religion, he said adding: “I think that was one of the best times. For us now, we can perhaps learn from that. We need to get people together without due consideration of race, religion. No hang ups about race or religion. We should be Sabahans.

He is of the opinion that the unity of the past is not felt in Sabah at the moment and he felt that people are still searching for it.

“The best example (is) 1Malaysia – they are trying to get that elusive real unity in the sense that everybody is patriotic about something, for the state and country. We can learn a lot from our previous leaders. We are the prime example of unity irrespective of race.

“Perhaps we should learn from this tragedy. Basically what happened to them is history for us but at the same time it shows us that we have leaders that can be taken away from us just like that. It is also a lesson for leaders nowadays; they have to do their job because they might not be around tomorrow to see things through. To my mind leadership is about focus on what is good for everybody,” he said.

Donald also expressed his gratitude to the state government for organizing the memorial day for the Double Six tragedy, adding that he hoped that people would take the opportunity to learn more about Sabah’s history.

 

Badminton State Notebook: Bison finish year closer than ever

More likely, it was the predictable result of Buffalo Grove sending essentially its entire team to the badminton state finals. But whatever it was, Bison ended up facing Bison in Charleston Saturday.

“Both my doubles teams made it to the second day (of state),” Buffalo Grove coach Chris Van Grondelle said. “My No. 1 team (senior Mary Zawlocki and sophomore Julie Jambrone) went undefeated the first day and lost its first match the second day. And my other team (juniors Mady Berns and Madison Fortman), lost its first match of the backdraw and then had to play my No. 1 team.

“Yeah, they had to play against each other. It happens every now and then in the backdraw. It’s a hard situation.”

Van Grondelle and his assistant coach split coaching duties for the match, which Zawlocki and Jambrone wound up winning 21-15, 21-17 to advance and ultimately take sixth place.

The close-knit Buffalo Grove squad sent a total of six players to state, and it was fitting that its season essentially ended with the team facing itself — the players were inseparable until the very end.

“It was a tremendous experience,” Van Grondelle said. “We ended up bringing a total of 13 girls down to watch, and it was great all around for everybody.”

Singles players Binu Kolenchery and Jessica Schwartz both made it to the second consolation round as Buffalo Grove tied for 12th overall.

Perfect pick At the Lake Forest Sectional May 11, Stevenson coach Mike Fitzgerald said that he thought his doubles team of senior Emily Cai and junior Yein Lee should be anywhere from a No. 1 to a No. 4 seed at state.

It turns out Fitzgerald was right on the money.

Cai and Lee ended up taking fourth place in doubles play after losing 21-17, 11-21, 21-13 to Emily Buhle and Emily Planek of Downers Grove North Saturday.

“It was really nice that everyone who went down (senior singles players Claire Zhang and Lea Nowack and the doubles team of senior Monica Chen and sophomore Margaret Chen) won a match,” Fitzgerald said. “That was exciting for everyone.

“And then obviously Emily and Yein were really playing well. I think they made some of the best shots of the entire tournament. They really looked remarkable, and it makes you reflect back on how much hard work they put in.”

For Cai, it was the end of an illustrious career at Stevenson. She medaled in three of her four seasons.

“We’ve had a lot of talent in recent years, and I think Emily is an incredible player,” Fitzgerald said. “She made some shots at state that made you drop your jaw.”

Stevenson finished in a tie for eighth place as a team with 8.5 points. Thornton Fractional South was first with 16.5.

Finishing upDeerfield’s badminton team completed a stellar season by sending four athletes to Charleston.

Cara Silverman won her first two state matches — beating Lyons’ Elizabeth Abbs and Naperville North’s Kyleen Jan — before dropping a 21-13, 21-13 decision to York’s Georgia Schneider in the third round. Silverman rebounded with a hard-fought 21-15, 17-21, 21-12 win over Ann Green (Geneva) in the consolation bracket before bowing out against Lockport’s Sara Napoli (21-18, 23-21).

The doubles team of Katie Frankel and Ally Kolpas also fared well, dropping teams from Andrew and Naperville Central before falling to Fremd 21-14, 23-21 in round three. Frankel and Kolpas also managed to win a consolation match before losing in the fifth round.

Marissa Levy dropped both of her state matches as Deerfield (5 points) finished 15th as a team.

Consolation p rizeBarrington’s doubles team of Emily Sullivan and Alyssa Slager made a spirited run through the consolation bracket at state.

After dropping a first-round match to Shannon Pollard and Jenna Pasko of eventual-champion Thornton Fractional South, Sullivan and Slager rallied to beat a Glenbard South team 21-13, 21-10. In the second consolation round, they went three games to best Anusha Adkoli and Jobeth Lopez of Lake Park 16-21, 21-11, 21-12.

Sullivan and Slager pushed a Lockport team to the third-game brink in the third consolation round before ending their tournament with a 21-15, 19-21, 21-18 loss.

Prep badminton: Indians top Mustangs to win MEL crown

The Armijo High badminton team earned its second Monticello League Empire title in three years as it defeated host Rodriguez 12-3, Tuesday.

Double winners for the Indians (22-4, 16-2 MEL) included Kathleen Boholst, Lourdes Calisa, Serenity LIew, Ariana Restua, Nazmeen Mohammed and Tiffany LeVan.

Anglea Odvina earned a win at No. 7 singles and Aishwarya teamed up with Mohammed to win a doubles match.

Jennica Garcia was the sole double winner for Rodriguez. Anisa Cervantes, Sheriden Lucero, and Emerald Ramos earned wins in doubles play.

Both teams will compete in the MEL tournament Friday at Vacaville.

Chaos rules roost in badminton event

Chaos ruled the roost on the opening day of the India Open Super Series Badminton at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here as those who made it to the venue were greeted by the absence of basic facilities.

Confusion regarding the parking facilities with no car stickers available kept the spectators away from the venue.

A tournament official said that the police are not allowing the vehicles inside the premises of the complex under the pretext of security threat post Boston and Bangalore blasts.

“We are trying to work it out with the Delhi Police. They didn`t even let cars with appropriate stickers to enter the venue. The ones they did, belonging to organising committee members, were also towed away by the afternoon,” the official said.

“Last year parking was no hassle but this time it surely is a problem. I hope we have better arrangement by on Wednesday,” he added.

In fact, the official said that the police had suggested everyone to park their cars at the Ansal Plaza, which is almost 2 kms from the complex.

Even the scribes had to face problems, with no electrical points or wi-fi available in the media centre. Even the volunteers looked at bay when asked.

While repeated requests to provide power points yielded results finally, in no time it was shut off, forcing the journalists out of the venue.

PDCI claims badminton county cup

The athletes are at it again.

Students on Perth and District Collegiate Institute’s badminton team made the charge this season to earn top spots at the Lanark County championships, earning four gold medals plus the top team honours.

Josh Agar, senior boys singles participant, trounced his opponents to earn the top spot and the opportunity to play at the Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association championship in Cornwall on Tuesday.

He said on Monday that he was looking forward to it.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he said, when asked how he felt he would do against the competition in eastern Ontario.

Results were not available at press time.

In other divisions, the juniors were victorious in singles, mixed doubles and girls doubles.

Mikaela Congreaves was the singles champ for the girls, and doubles girls top scorers were Lindsay Bell and Kenzie Erwin.

In junior mixed doubles, Kenzie Erwin and Kyle Major took top honours.

Finishing second were Lindsay Bell and Hayden Richmond in junior mixed, and Abby Brandon and Mikaela Congreves in junior doubles.

Badminton star Angus Pedersen punches above his weight at Under-19 Championships

The 17-year-old, who attends Alexandra Park School, recently won the Under-17 National Championships at doubles alongside Matthew Widdicombe (Herts) – and he reached the quarter finals of the doubles and the last 16 in the singles in the Under-19 competition.

The singles event started on Friday and Pedersen, who lives in Wood Green, won his opening match against Ben Wheatley before gaining his first ever victory over George Isherwood, who is ranked 40 places higher.

Pedersen played brilliantly in the first set, using all his shots to win 21-14, but Isherwood took the second set and went 11-6 up at the break in the third.

However, the north Londoner clawed back the deficit to equalise at 19-19 – and he then survived a match point before winning 22-20 to record his best singles victory of the season.

In the third round Pedersen ran into the much-fancied Sam Parsons, who has played in a number of international tournaments this season – and Parsons dominated the first set, winning 21-10.

Pedersen settled into the second set and put up a valiant effort, matching Parsons point for point, but he couldn’t sustain the pressure, going down 15-21, while Parsons went on to win the singles title.

On Saturday, in the doubles, Pedersen and Widdicombe won a tough first-round clash against the older pairing of Steven George (Herts) and Peter Athans (Lancs) 27-25, 21-16.

Their second round against a younger pair was an easier 21-15, 21-14 victory – but inevitably their luck rang out in the quarter-finals when they encountered the No2 seeds from Cheshire.

Pedersen went on to play for Middlesex’s senior second team on Sunday, where he came up against Widdicombe at singles.

The game was played in a good but competitive spirit, and Pedersen came out on top, winning 21-18, 21-10. Hertfordshire won the match but Middlesex had already won the Division 1 title.

Downing Street visit for Darlington badminton club members

MEMBERS of a jet-setting Darlington badminton club travelled to No 10 Downing Street ahead of a summer tour taking in Iceland, Canada and the US.

Players from Hummersknott Badminton Club went to Oxford during the Easter holidays, to meet players who will join them on the tour.

The Oxfordshire group is led by Calum Blair, a former Hummersknott School and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College player.

Both groups travelled to London for the day, where they took a tour of the Palace of Westminster, with passes provided by Darlington MP Jenny Chapman and her assistant Grace Wright, themselves both former Hummersknott and QE students.

They were given access to Downing Street courtesy of David Cameron’s constituency office in Oxfordshire.

They also enjoyed a ‘meet and greet’ session at the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square where the ambassadorial staff spoke about the parts of the US the players will visit in July and answered their questions.

The group’s July tour will include eight matches in Reykjavik, Toronto, Washington DC, Baltimore, New Jersey, Brooklyn and Queens.

This is the latest in a series of foreign tours and will make it 18 countries the club players have visited in recent seasons.

Badminton centre hits housing row

A £12 million ‘enabling’ plan to entice Badminton England to stay in Milton Keynes has hit a wall of opposition.

The plan involves winning planning permission to build more than 100 houses on the National Badminton Centre’s current site at Loughton.

The money generated would help fund a new £25 million badminton centre at the council’s National Bowl.

It is feared Badminton England would take up offers to move elsewhere in the country if the scheme does not get planning consent on April 29.

But protesters, including Loughton Parish Council, have slammed the plan as unnecessary and unfair.

Some 70 per cent of the proposed 10 acre housing development will be on land owned by Milton Keynes Council on the outskirts of Loughton linear park, currently leased to the Parks Trust on a 99 year lease.

“We are losing parkland, helping the badminton centre make millions but gaining nothing,” said one objector.

But ward councillor, Andy Dransfield, said : “All the city is losing is scrubland at the side of a busy road. We are gaining the prestige of enabling Badminton England to stay in Milton Keynes.”

A spokesman for Milton Keynes Council said the application is one of a number of proposals being looked at as part of the re-development of the Bowl and associated sites.

He added: “It is hoped that this application will be heard at a special meeting of the Development Control Committee on April 29.

“Members will make their decision on the application at the meeting, taking into account all of the facts available to them.”

Badminton: College League to Kick Off in Bandung

The inaugural badminton tournament of the Liga Mahasiswa is set to kick off this weekend at the Indonesia Education University in Bandung.

The Collegiate League tournament, abbreviated as Lima, to be held from April 13 to June 2, will see 11 men’s teams and seven women’s teams compete for a champion title and a total of Rp 105 million ($10,821) in prize money.

The men’s teams will be divided into two groups with the best two teams of each group moving onto the semifinals.

Playing in Group A are Pelita Harapan University (UPH) , Parahyangan University (Unpar), STKIP Pasundan, Budi Luhur University (UBL), Telkom Institute of Technology, and the host campus, Indonesia Education University (UPI).

The other group will pit Indonesia University (UI) and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), both state-owned universities, and three private ones — Widyatama University, Indonesian Computer University (Unikom), and Gen. Achmad Yani University (Unjani).

In the women’s draw, ITB and UI will face UPH, UBL, Unpar, STKIP Pasundan, and UPI. The top four teams will land spot in the semifinals.

Each team in the tournament will play two singles, two doubles and a triples game.

“A triples event is not a new thing. It is practically applied in every training session, including by the Indonesia team at the national training camp. We decided to pick this event to get players used to fast games,” said Ryan Gozali, the Lima chief executive, at a press conference on Thursday.

Bambang Roedyanto, a tournament official, welcomed the idea of including the triples event.

“There is still yet no rule of play for this event but it is good for teamwork,” Bambang said.

The Indonesian Badminton Association [PBSI] also aired its supports the collegiate tournament.

“We hope to see talented players during the tournament with better education. We will try to include them to represent Indonesia in international collegiate tournaments, such as Universiade [the world student games]. PBSI will absolutely support the event,” said Basri Yusuf, the head of PBSI’s organization development.

Mimi Irawan, one of the tournament organizers, said she expected to see the 2,500-seat stadium to be filled each day, with tickets priced at Rp 8,000 to cover all three matches on the day.

Norfolk on course for place in badminton play-offs

Victory came a month after Norfolk had been beaten 8-7 by the same team, on home territory, and they knew that taking the maximum three points – by winning 10-5 or better – would see them finish second in the division.

Number one Daryl Jacobs was beaten, but Daniel Leers made an excellent start to his first team career, winning convincingly at second string.

Ladies number one Devon Minnis faced the same girl who beat her comfortably last time, but, despite losing the first set, she managed to turn the game to win closely in three sets. Louise Culyer lost in three close sets.

The men’s doubles produced close, entertaining games with Norfolk’s first pair, Jacobs and Matt Howes, winning both their matches in three sets, but the second pairing of Justin Gerrard and Jono Atmore losing in two.

Once again it was the ladies doubles – Julie Pike and Culyer and Katherine Cooper and Toni Sturgeon – who ensured victory for Norfolk by winning all four rubbers.

This ensured two points from the match, but the maximum three points would only be achieved by winning two of the three remaining mixed games – and despite Jacobs and Cooper bagging the first win in straight sets, third pair Atmore and Culyer lost in two and Gerrard and Pike went down 24-22 in the third.