Sabah history enriched with new diaries of Woolley
KOTA KINABALU: History materials in the Sabah Museum on colonial North Borneo (now Sabah) have been made more comprehensive with the launching yesterday of the final two volumes of diaries by George C. Woolley, a top British officer of the colonial era.
The Woolley diaries are considered one of the most important references for historians on Sabah’s history of that era.
“The G.C Woolley diaries chronicle his tour of duty in British North Borneo from 1901-1932. His works, writings and contributions proved invaluable to the people of Sabah,” Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Christina Liew said at the book launching at the G.C Woolley Hall at the State Museum here.
The text of her speech was delivered by Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Assafal P. Alian. The Englishman travelled to many places in the then North Borneo to conduct land surveys, solved land disputes, and was an avid diary-keeper.
Woolley enjoyed keeping artefacts, snapping photos of people and places, and capturing the lifestyle and native customs during his many adventures throughout Sabah, yesterday’s gathering was told.
He handed most of his collection, including all his 12 diaries to the state government before his death in 1947. His collections eventually became one of the key foundations to the establishment of the Sabah State Museum.
“It is from Woolley’s diaries that led to the formation of the 1930 Land Ordinance which enabled natives to (for the first time) own land titles and better safeguard their rights,“ said Christina who commended the State Museum for the completion of the G.C Woolley diaries.
The Diaries of George C. Woolley, Volume 3: 1913-1919 and Volume 4: 1919- 1926 was edited by Danny Wong Tze Ken, Professor of History at Universiti Malaya and Sabah Museum’s senior curator, Stella Moo-Tan.
In her opening remarks, Stella said the third of four volumes of the pre-war Diaries of George C. Woolley, an officer of the North Borneo Company Administrative, covers the period from 1913- 1919 – Woolley’s third tour of duty in Sabah which he spent as Commissioner of Lands.
Meanwhile the fourth and final volume contains entries from his notebooks numbered 9-12 kept at the Sabah Museum – the largest of the four volumes with over 600 pages with 16 maps and 262 photographs.
“The Diaries of George C. Woolley were also nominated by Malaysia for the UNESCO Memory of the World in 2016,” said Stella.
During the event, Geoffrey Nicholas Woolley who was nephew of the most celebrated British colonial officer, extended his appreciation and gratitude to the State Museum, Sabah and the Federal Government for the immense amount of work and dedication to highlight his great uncle’s contribution to Sabah’s history.
“I’m deeply honoured and it is absolutely heartening for the contribution of the Sabah State Museum, Sabah and Malaysian Government who has dedicated so much efforts into publishing this extremely meaningful collection of diaries of G.C Woolley,” he said in a recorded statement.
Among those who attended the occasion included Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Rosmadi Datu Sulai and State Mufti Bungsu Aziz
Christina proposed that the Woolley Collection of Diaries and Glass Negatives to be selected for state heritage under the new state heritage enactment 2017.
“It gives me immense honour to congratulate this wonderful achievement by the Sabah State Museum and I think it’s also the right time and befitting that the Woolley Collection of Diaries and glass negatives are considered as State Heritage, “said Christina.
The two latest volumes are available for purchase, for volume three at RM 200, and Volume Four at RM250. Volumes three and four retails for RM360, while total price for the complete set is RM640.
Source: New Sabah Times
