Shaped like a sapé (a traditional stringed instrument), this stainless-steel monument commemorates the March 1945 parachute drop into Bario by British and Australian troops under the command of Major Tom Harrisson. Their goal – achieved with great success – was to enlist the help of locals to fight the Japanese. The statue is across the first bridge heading west from the airport.
After the war Harrisson stayed on in Borneo and was curator of the Sarawak Museum from 1947 to 1966. During this time, he and his wife Barbara began excavating the Niah caves, leading to the discovery of a 40,000-year-old human skull. For the life story of this colourful and controversial character, see The Most Offending Soul Alive, a biography by Judith M Heimann.
