Brooke returns to preserve a legacy

JASON Brooke (pic) first came to Sarawak in 2008 with no inkling that it would one day become a major part of his life.

A sixth-generation descendant of Sarawak’s first Rajah, James Brooke, he grew up with a picture of the state from history books and stories told by his grandfather Anthony Brooke, who was the last Rajah Muda before Sarawak became a British crown colony in 1946.

“It’s been extraordinary,” Brooke, 38, said. “Fifteen years ago I came with no sense that Sarawak would be this huge part of my life.

“It was a huge part of my background and identity, but at the same time I didn’t realise it was going to be such an active part of my life in the future.”

With the blessings of his grandfather, who encouraged him to visit Sarawak and engage with it properly, he came for a month to see old historical places, meet people and make new connections.

What struck him most, then and now, was how warm, hospitable and friendly the people were and their openness to understand more about the Brookes.

Both his great-grandfather and grandfather had not been allowed back into Sarawak by the British as they had opposed colonisation. After independence, his grandfather felt it would not be helpful for him to visit Sarawak and distract the people from building their future.

“But there was an opportunity for me because I was a generation removed from that. I didn’t have all that political baggage and expectations, but I could have a fresh relationship with Sarawak.

“So it became very much a real place with networks and friendships and people I was connecting with because of our history, and there were new relationships connecting with people around shared passions and interests,” Brooke said.

He recalled that on his first visit, he was asked about what the Brookes were doing with their heritage, artefacts and archives.

As a result, upon returning to Britain he set up the Brooke Trust as a charitable foundation to preserve the family’s heritage.

“But the more I came back to Sarawak, the more I felt that we had to be doing something in Sarawak where it’s relevant.

“We couldn’t just keep these things safe in Britain and not share them with the people for whom it is their history,” he said.

This eventually led to the opening of the Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita in Kuching in 2016, which showcases Sarawak’s history and development during the Brooke era with artefacts from the family’s collection.

Since then, the Brooke Trust has also set up the Ranee Museum and continues to undertake various community projects in Sarawak.