OF HITE HS

conscious of the fact that the original Astana, built nearly 150 years ago, would have been much smaller than it is today.

Quite a number of annex buildings have been added over the years especially on the place where there was once an areca nut plantation. Charles Brooke maintained the trees for the benefit of his Dayak chieftains who‘d call upon him each time they needed a large supply of betel nuts for their feasts.

I initially thought that the painting on the vase was that of two separate buildings after mistaking the Astana‘s square tower and battlements for those of Fort Margaritha. That section in fact serves as the Astana‘s main entrance.

Soon after its completion, the Astana quickly became the icon of Charles Brooke‘s authority to rule. Although too small to be shown on the vase, Sarawak‘s official motto,

(‘While there is life, there is hope‘) taken from the Brooke coat of arms, was placed over the main entrance in Jawi script.

Charles Brooke ruled Sarawak like an English country estate, often standing at the Astana‘s river-facing verandah each morning with a telescope in his hands. He‘d observe his officers arriving for work at the Government Offices on the opposing side of the Sarawak River. A stickler for discipline, Charles Brooke was known to send notices to late comers within minutes of their arrival, reminding them of the official working hours.

Things became a little relaxed by the time the third Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke came to power. Together with Ranee Sylvia Brett, the Rajah entertained regularly and held lavish parties for his guests. Each year, all the important and well connected people in Kuching would look forward to the traditional banquet and ball held at the Astana during New Year‘s Eve. It was said that about 100 guests would sit down and make merry on a long table with the Rajah and Ranee seated at opposing ends.

People living in Kuching prior to the Second World War recall seeing the tower in the Astana covered with a type of local creeper which very much resembled the English Ivy. Legend has it that the plant was there to protect the Astana‘s occupants and bad luck would follow if it was removed or the tower white-washed.

During the war, Sarawak was ruled by the Japanese Imperial Army. Marquis Toshinari Maeda, as the commander of the Japanese forces in northern Borneo which included Sarawak, Brunei, Labuan, and North Borneo, made the Astana his official residence. It was said that the Commander disliked the creepers growing on the tower as they reminded him of his time spent in Great Britain as a Japanese military attache from 1927 to 1930.

Subsequently, Maeda had the creepers removed, exposing the tower‘s white-wash underneath. It didn‘t take long for the whole of Kuching to be awashed with rumours of an impending calamity. Then, just three days later, on Sept 5, 1942, after witnessing the execution of five men accused of stealing petrol, Maeda boarded a plane for Labuan to officiate an airport bearing his name. Sadly, Maeda never arrived. His plane disappeared and was not found until a month later. It had crashed off the coast of Tanjung Datu, Bintulu and experts at the crash site were unable to determine the cause of the fatal accident!

After the war, Charles Vyner Brooke, faced with a series of family disputes concerning succession, decided to cede sovereignty of Sarawak to the British Crown. The Cession Bill was passed by the Council Negri on May 17, 1946 with a narrow majority of just three votes. Thereafter, the Astana has been occupied by British Colonial Governors and following the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963 until today, by Sarawak-born Governors. The Astana still stands proud by the banks of the Sarawak River today, serving as a reminder of the days when all of the state was ruled by the Brookes.