It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Dave Gill.
Dave was a prolific cave explorer who had led expeditions to Papua New Guinea, China and other far flung destinations. His life changed when he joined the Mulu Caves ’88 expedition. He went on to take part in one more Mulu expedition before becoming Development Officer for the Gunung Mulu National Park in 1992. During his tenure at the Park he continued to explore caves in his spare time and assisted, and participated in, expeditions which explored caves in Hidden Valley in 1996 & 98.
Whilst at the Park Dave married Betty Usang, daughter of one of the local Berawan guides who had been involved with the 1978 RGS expedition, they had a daughter with whom Dave travelled the world.
Dave was instrumental in the exploration of the caves of Gunung Buda with teams from the United States where some impressive discoveries were made. He was also the driving force behind the Gunung Mulu National Park becoming recognised, in 2000, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In later life he retired to Sarawak and based himself in Miri but remained heavily involved in Mulu and its caves. He had recently become a volunteer consultant to Sarawak Forestry Corporation, who administer the Park, and was prolific in the production of papers on various aspects of the caves. He was also instrumental in the periodic reviews of Mulu’s world heritage status which maintain Mulu as a World Heritage Site; very important work.
Dave may have been small in stature but he was a huge personality with incredible drive and determination who it was always a pleasure to meet. You were always assured of a big smile and a rib-breaking hug.
We will miss you Dave.