Did you know that the Borneo Company Limited (BCL) was founded in London in 1856 by James Brooke. Initially it was given all rights in return for royalties to the Sarawak Treasury to "take over and work mines, ores, veins or semas of all descriptions of minerals in the island of Borneo, and to barter or sell the produce of such workings."
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| Photo from CY Lim's Blog. |
It accumulated a vast amount of landed property including the land on which the Hilton Hotel, the Grand Margherita and Wisma bukit Mata stand today.
Before 1958, all of BCL's managers and employees were exapatriate English merchants and traders sent to Sarawak from the UK.
In 1941, Dec 1 issue of the Sarawak Gazette reported the opening of the Borneo Company Building in Binatang on November 15th 1941.
My grandfather who was owner-manager of Bee Ann (Mee Ang) Rice and Sawmill, was invited to the opening ceremony together with several other Foochow and other Chinese community leaders (https://www.pustaka-sarawak.com/gazette/gazette_uploaded/1370918137.pdf) Binatang was settled by the Foochow pioneers in 1922.
It was reported the Borneo Company godown cum offices was a one storey building, built of bricks with red tiled roof, a progressive achievement in those days.
Mr. T.C. Martine was the then Branch Manager. He was even appointed to the Council Negri when he became the Kuching manager of BCL, later.
The opening ceremony was grand and well described by the Sarawak Gazette. Mr. Cobbold, invited the Divisional Engineer, Mr. Reid, to declare open the new office and godown. Mr. Reid took the gold key out of a tray wrapped in the Sarawak Flag and opened the building.
About 50 invited guests then went in and were shown the various features of the building by Mr. Cobbold and Mr. Nizam. Drinks and refreshments were served. The Gazette named Chinese towkays, Mr. Tiong Kung Ping, Mr. Ling Ching Tu (Lim Hup Choon),Lim Chwee Seng, and Ting Ewe Hai as their invited guests.
Father Quadekkar and Father Wargennar ( who was the Principal of St Augustine then) were also among the important invitees.
Interestingly, the Gazette reported that many silk paintings, wall scrolls, wall mirrors were presented to the Company on their auspicious day by the Sibu dealers as tokens of their goodwill.
A group photograph was taken after the 2 hour function. (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
It must have been a great social event for the small town at that time.
A grand building indeed
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