Negara Brunei Darussalam: obituaries 2006.

Introduction

This memorial, comprising obituaries of Bruneians or other persons having had some connection with the sultanate, updates the one published in this space last year. The terminal date for inclusion is 31 December 2006.

Among Malays, the principal fatalities were one nobleman of ceteria rank and one permanent secretary. The roads were as athirst for blood as usual; and a five-year-old died from drowning. The usual detachment of Commonwealth military personnel, mostly connected with the Confrontation Era, exited the stage during the year.

The deaths took place in 2006 or in late 2005. A postscript is added, however, in respect of a former Commissioner of the Royal Brunei Police Force and an Indonesian foreign minister who died in 2002 and 2004 respectively.

Bruneians

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Setia Jaya Pengiran Haji Abdul Momin bin Pengiran Othman (1923-2006), who returned to the mercy of Allah on 9 March 2006, the eighty-third anniversary of his birth (PB 15.3.2006: 16), was an NBD nobleman of ceteria rank who gave distinguished public service for six decades as an educationalist, civil servant, and diplomat. Prayers at his residence in Kampong Sungai Akar on l0 March 2006 were attended by HM Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and other members of the royal family. Flags were ordered to be flown at half-mast (PB 15.3.2006:16). He was survived by seventeen children (BBO Sa. 11.3.2006: h3.htm).

Born in (berasal dari) the Kampong Bakut Cina section of Kampong Ayer on 9 March 1923, his early education was at the Jalan Pemancha Malay School in Brunei Town between 1934 and 1939 (PB 15.3.2006:16). His working life was divided into three main parts: first, as a teacher between 1939 and 1961 (PB 4.10.1995:14); secondly, in government service in other departments from 1961 until 1992, when he "retired." He was recalled to office, thirdly, as a long-serving Ambassador to Indonesia (e.g., PBA 4.1.1995:14; PB 24.5.2000:16); during that time he was signatory, at Jakarta on 7 January 1999, to the agreement establishing diplomatic relations between NBD and North Korea (PBA 3.2.1999:5).

The start of his career was fractured because of external circumstances. Beginning as a trainee teacher at the Malay School in Brunei Town, he matriculated as a student at the Sultan Idris Training College (SITC) in the Federated Malay States in 1941, but had to flee to his homeland following the outbreak of the Pacific War. He resumed duty at the Malay School in the Brunei capital, returning to the SITC in 1946-1948 after the resumption of peace (PB 15.3.2006:16). He became an Assistant Head Teacher, Grade II, in 1952; a Head Teacher in 1959; a School Inspector, no date; and Private Clerk (Kerani Sulit) to "the Sultan" (1) in 1961 (according to PB 15.3.2006:16).

He was notable for being "one of the intellectuals who proposed that Islamic religious education should be given in Malay and English schools in the sultanate, i.e., before the formation of Islamic religious schools on a systematic basis in 1956" (PBA 4.4.2001:5 *; BBO Sa. 11.3.2006:h3.htm). What is more, he was a Member of the Scholarship Committee (Departments of Education and Religious Affairs), which involved him in selecting pupils for Government English Schools in Brunei and for the Al-Junied madrasah in Singapore.

On Hari Guru (Teachers' Day) in 1995 he won a lifetime achievement oscar (Anugerah Guru Berbakti), comprising a certificate, a cash prize of NBD$12,000, and a gold medal. A prime mover in the Persekutuan Guru-Guru Melayu Brunei or Brunei Malay Teachers' Association (founder member, President, Secretary-General, Treasurer), he was awarded a commemorative medal on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the society in 1989 (PB 4.10.1995:14). A primary school in Kuala Belait has been named after him (cf. PB 18.10.2000:11).

More significantly, in recognition of his achievements he was bestowed a ceteria title, YAM Pengiran Setia daya, on 14 March 1969 (BGG 10.5.1969:118; cf. Brown 1970:200, No 47). He also held a whole host of subordinate awards, viz. DK DSNB SLJ PSB CVO POAS PHBS (TD 97:190), plus the PJK (cf. TD 2005/6:186) and the Selangor Silver Jubilee Medal (cf. PB 15.3.2006:16). He was, moreover, a member of various state bodies, such as the Privy Council and the Islamic Religious Council. Towards the end of his life he was a nominated member of the revived Legislative Council between 6 September 2004 and 31 August 2005 (GBOW ON F. 10.9.2004; BBO Th. 1.9.2005:h1.htm).

A member of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III's entourage during the haj of 1962 (Abdul Aziz Juned 1990:8), he received a Tokoh Bakti Hijrah award in 1422/2001 (PB 28.3.2001:16; PBA 4.4.2001:5*). At one time or another he was Deputy President of the Persatuan Kesatuan Islam Brunei, or Islamic Unity Association (PB 1.1.1992:13), and a Board Member of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation (PB 12.2.1997:10; PB 13.9.2000:5*; PB 21.3.2001:11; PB 20.11.2002:13).

If the Pengiran Setia daya comfortably surpassed the allotted Biblical lifespan, a most untimely departure during the year was that of Dato Paduka Awang Haji Sulaiman bin Haji Ismail, a Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office from 20 May 2005 until his death aged only forty-eight, on Friday 15 December 2006. He held concomitantly the post of Deputy Secretary in the Cabinet Ministers' Council from 1998. His residence in Kampong Tanah Jambu was visited personally by HM Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on 15 December 2006 to express condolences to the family (BBO W.20.12.2006:h6.htm; PB 20.12.2006:16*).

Joining the civil service in 1982 (PB 20.12.2006:16*), he rose to become a Senior Administrative Officer in the Prime Minister's Department between 1 October 1995 and 23 January 2003 (PB 11.10.1995:9; TD 97:203a; BBO F.24.1.2003:h2.htm), when he was promoted Deputy Permanent Secretary (one of two), a post which he occupied for the next twenty-eight months (BBO F.24.1.2003:h2.htm; BBO F.20.5.2005:h2.htm). He was awarded his datoship late in life. (2)

The number of road fatalities in Negara Brunei Darussalam fell from thirty-four in 2004 to thirty (sic) in 2005 (according to BBO Th.9.3.2006:h2.htm) or from thirty-eight (sic) in 2005 to thirty-two in 2006 (according to BBO F. 12.1.2007; apparent inconsistency in original sources). One of the fatalities in 2006, at any rate, was Awang Hafifi bin Haji Abu Bakar (d 2006), who died when "slippery conditions" along the Tutong-Jerudong highway caused his car to crash near the Maraburong prison on 14 March 2006. Aged "in his twenties," he worked for the No 33 Squadron (Air Regiment), Penanjong Camp. He was the eldest in a family of seven from Kampong Tungku (BBO W. 15.3.2006:h3.htm). (3)

Mohamad Mohsin @ Khalil bin Awang Sofri (d 2006), a five-year-old child, drowned in Kampong Setia 'A', Kampong Ayer, on 14 December 2006 (BBO Sa. 16.12.2006:h4.htm, citing RTB). (4)

One notable event during the year was the acquittal in mid-November of Richard Chia Kok Hiong, a car salesman aged in his early fifties, who had been on trial for the murder in mid-December 2004 of a family of three at Kampong Serusop. He had maintained his innocence all along (BBSO 19.11.2006:h2.htm; cf. BRB 2005:19).

Commonwealth Military Personnel

Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Hugh Argue (1947-2006), MC 1982, MBE 1986, was a Parachute Regiment officer who spent part of his career "on attachment to 22 Special Air Service Regiment in Cyprus, the Middle East, Malaysia and Brunei" (DT Sa.9.9.2006: 23*).

Brigadier Ian Hamilton "Buzz" Burrows MC OBE (1930-2006), who won his MC in Malaya with the elite 22 SAS Regiment in 1956, later saw service in Borneo during the Confrontation Era (DT Sa.21.10.2006:27*). Born on 11 November 1930 at Christchurch in New Zealand, he was trained at Duntroon and commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Infantry in 1953. He rose to become Commander of New Zealand Forces in Southeast Asia. Following his retirement in 1985, he was Colonel Commandant of the New Zealand SAS for ten years (DT Sa.21.10.2006:27*).

General Sir Roland Kelvin Guy GCB CBE DSO (1928-2005) served in Malaysia during the Confrontation with Indonesia. He was born on 25 June 1928 and died on 13 December 2005 (DT F. 10.2.2006:27*).

Colonel John Kenyon MC (1921-2006) was a military adviser in the Far East Land Forces under General Sir Nigel Poett [who held the appointment in 1961-1963] (DT F. 1.12.2006:29*). (5)

Turning now to the Royal Navy (UK), Commodore John Ambrose Fergusson "Shorty" Lawson (1929-2005) commanded the destroyer HMS Barrosa in the Far East and, from 1974 to 1975 the frigate HMS Charybdis. Born on 27 March 1929, he reached the last post on 25 November 2005. His father, Commander Harold Lawson, was second-in-command of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales when she was sunk by Japanese torpedo-bombers off Malaya in 1941 (DT F.27.1.2006:25*).

Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Mills KCB (1914-2006) "became flag officer, second-in-command of the Far East Fleet, where, with his small staff, he was involved in the end of confrontation with the Indonesians and Britain's discreet help to the Americans in Vietnam." He died on 27 July 2006, to be survived by his widow and two daughters (DT Th. 14.9.2006:27*).

Commander Donald Swift (1915-2006) "was [1945] navigator of the light fleet aircraft carrier Vengeance during her post-war deployment to the Far East, which included repatriating members of the Australian army from Labuan, off Borneo, to Sydney" (DT F.28.7.2006:27*).

Turning now to the Royal Air Force (UK), Squadron Leader Richard Norman Vimpany MBE (d 2006), who served in Borneo in 1964-1965, died aged eighty-three on 21 July 2006 at Polegate, (6) near Eastbourne in East Sussex (DT F.28.7.2006:26f #2ff).

Group Captain George Herbert Westlake DSO (1918-2006) co-ordinated operations at HQ Far East Air Force during the Indonesia Confrontation campaign (DT Th.25.1.2006:25*).

The British Connection

Brigadier John Dennis Profumo CBE, fifth Baron Profumo of the late kingdom of Sardinia (1915-2006), a "[g]ifted minister whose career was ruined by scandal but who redeemed himself through charity work" (DT Sa.11.3.2006:29*), was a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom between 1940 and 1945 and again from 1950 until 1963. Born on 30 January 1915 (ST 30.1.2005:1:20), he breathed his last on 9 March 2006. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1957-1958, he became PUSOS for Foreign Affairs between November 1958 and January 1959. He was then Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (1959-1960) and Secretary of State for War from July 1960 until his resignation in June 1963, i.e., during the Brunei Revolt and its immediate aftermath.

During the Second World War, he attained the rank of Brigadier, and served as Chief of Staff to the British Liaison Mission to General MacArthur in Japan (DT Sa.11.3.2006:29; WW 2006:1831). Married to a famous actress, Valerie Hobson (1917-1998), his will was proved at more than 3,000,000 [pounds sterling] (US$6m) (ST 23.7.2006:1:11*). His son, David, wrote Bringing the House Down: A Family Memoir, published in 2006.

Another British government minister whose career was "ruined by scandal" was the Hon. Mr. Antony Claud Frederick Lambton (1922-2006), sixth Earl of Durham had he not disclaimed the title. He was author of The Mountbattens: The Battenbergs and Young Mountbatten (1989). Born on 10 July 1922, he died on Saturday 30 December 2006 (DT Tu.2.1.2007:25*).

Sir Peter Henry Berry Otway Smithers (1913-2006), "Tory MP, botanist and intelligence officer," first saw the light of day on 9 December 1913, and "shuffled off this mortal coil" on 8 June 2006. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary (1952-1956) to Henry Hopkinson (7) (Minister of State at the Colonial Office) and then (1956-1959) to Alan Lennox-Boyd (Secretary of State for the Colonies). (8) He later took up Swiss citizenship (DT Sa. 10.6.2006:23*; WW 2006:2099).

John Campbell Bonnet Letts OBE (1929-2006) died on 25 March 2006 knowing that the British Empire Museum in Bristol, which he had been instrumental in founding, was attracting 120,000 visitors a year. "The day it was opened by the Princess Royal in 2002," his obituary ran, "the normally reserved Letts gulped back tears of pride. For twenty-five years the project had been hampered by the torpor, timidity and downright obstruction from a leftist Establishment aghast at the mere mention of 'empire'" (DT Sa. 1.4.2006:27*).

Rosemary Slater (nee Murray-Duncan), "widow of Jack Slater, ex-Malayan Police and Royal Brunei Police" (probably Dato Setia [cr 1965] Alexander John Waterfield Slater, acting Commissioner of the RBPF 1963-1964 and Commissioner 1964-1966), died on 15 November 2006, aged eighty-four. Mother of Janina, she rendered wartime service in Burma (DT Tu.21.11.2006: 24g #5).

Miscellaneous

His Majesty King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga (1918-2006) attended the sultanate's independence celebrations on 23 February 1984 (Siddique 1985: 100; Whicker 2000: 28). He reigned from 16 December 1965 until I0 September 2006.

Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1925-2006), author of the Foreword to Poulgrain 1998 (pages vi-xxiii, one version in Malay, one in English), was perhaps Indonesia's leading writer. Banned in his own country, his works have been translated into twenty foreign languages (Poulgrain 1998:bc).

Yang Berhormat Datuk Dr. James Peter Ongkili (1939-2006), the Malaysian historian and politician, died on Monday 20 March 2006, aged sixty-seven, having been wheelchair-bound for almost the last decade of his life. Believed to have suffered a stroke in the early hours, he was survived by his widow, Datin Margaret Ganduong, 68, and six children. The Funeral Mass was due to be held at St John's Church, Tuaran, at 1100h local time on the Wednesday (BBO W.22.3.2006:b3.htm).

Born on 13 March 1939 at Tambunan, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier School in Keningau and La Salle Secondary School in Jesselton. He took B.A. (Hons) and M.A. degrees from the University of Queensland and was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Malaya (BBO W.22.3.2006: b3.htm). He was a member of the faculty at Kuala Lumpur from January 1969 until 1976, when he moved into politics. His works include The Borneo Response to Malaysia 1961-1963 (1967), Modernization in East Malaysia 1960-1970 (1972), "Pre-Western Brunei, Sarawak and Sabah" (SMJ 1972), and Nation-Building in Malaysia 1946-1974 (1985).

The Harvard-educated American reporter, author and documentary-maker, Peter Bradford Benehley (1940-2006), was famous for Jaws, published in 1974 (WD 2000:108). In Negara Brunei Darussalam, however, he was also known for his television series on the Amazon, broadcast by RTB in 2001-2002 (e.g. PBA 10.10.2001:14; PBA 17.10.2001:14; PBA 24.10.2001:14; PBA 31.10.2001:14; PBA 26.12.2001:14; PBA 2.1.2002:14; PBA 9.1.2002:14; PBA 16.1.2002:14; PBA 23.1.2002:14; PBA 30.1.2002: 14; PBA 6.2.2002:14).

Heinrich Harrer (1912-2006), a controversial Austrian mountaineer, was editor of Borneo: Mensch und Kultur Seit Ihrer Steinzeit (1988) or "The People and Culture of Borneo since their Stone Age." Born on 6 July 1912, he died on 7 January 2006, aged ninety-three (ST 8.1.2006:1:24). Having competed in the discipline at the 1936 Winter Olympics, he became a skiing instructor in the notorious Schutzstaffel ("protection squad") in 1938-1939: Simon Wiesenthai "did not consider Harrer to have been guilty of wrongdoing" (DT M.9.1.2006:21*). In July 1938 Hatter (and colleagues) made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger (Switzerland). He was interned in 1939 by the British authorities during an expedition to India. He escaped in 1944 into Tibet, where he became a friend of the Dalai Lama. He documented his experiences there in a best-seller entitled Seven Years in Tibet (1953). He continued his mountaineering activities after that time, for example in North Borneo. As a golfer he was Austrian national champion in 1958 and 1970 (DT M.9.1.2006:21*).

Mark Jay Keffer (d 2006), an NBD-based Canadian, aged forty-two, was shot dead by an assailant in Thailand on Boxing Day 2006; his wife and two Bruneians were wounded during the same incident (BBO W.27.12.2006:h2.htm).

Postscript: Obituary 2002

Dato Setia James Richard Henry Burns (1916-2002), Commissioner of the RBPF from 12 August 1966 until 1975 (BGG 24.9.1966:220; BB 31.5.1975), died in the United Kingdom on 26 December 2002. A "highly respected and compassionate man" (BBO Sa.29.7.2006:h34.htm), he was appointed YD Pehin Datu Pahlawan Di-Raja on 19 April 1973 (WKNB 12.5.1973:202). Educated at Eastbourne College, he joined the FMS Police in 1937, rising through the ranks: Assistant Superintendent, 1940; Superintendent, 1950; Assistant Commissioner of Police, Federation of Malaya, 1953; Senior Assistant Commissioner, 1957 (Kirk-Greene 1991: 52). He amassed an impressive collection of medals: DSNB DSLJ CBE JMN PHBS KPM CPM PJK. Plus the PSPNB in 1971 (BGG 25.8.1973:399). (9)

Postscript: Obituary 2004

Dr. Subandrio (1914-2004), Indonesian surgeon and diplomat, was successively Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1950-1954) and to the USSR (1954-1956). He was then Foreign Minister between 1957 and 1966 (i.e., during the Konfrontasi), concurrently Second Deputy First Minister (1960-1966), and Minister for Foreign Economic Relations (1962-1966). Convicted in October 1966 of complicity in an "attempted communist coup," his death sentence was commuted in 1970. He was pardoned by President Suharto and released on 15 August 1995 (IWW 1998-9:1489). Vickers (2005:227) gives the date of death as 2004. The possibility has been raised (Poulgrain 1998:252) that there was "some understanding or link between Subandrio and British intelligence."

Abbreviations
*         monochrome photograph.
#         paragraph.
24f#3ff   page 24, column six, paragraph three from foot of page.
BBO       Borneo Bulletin (online).
BBSO      Borneo Bulletin Sunday (online).
bc        back cover.
BGG       Brunei Government Gazette.
BRB       Borneo Research Bulletin (Phillips, Maine).
CBE       Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
CPM       Colonial Police Medal.
CVO       Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.
DK        Darjah Yang Utama Kerabat Diraja / Royal Family Order,
          Awarded by one sultan to another or to a member of the
          sultan's family (or to a Head of State).
DSLJ      Dato Seri Laila Jasa.
DSNB      Dato Setia Negara Brunei/Order of Setia Negara Brunei,
          instituted 1959, second class; carries style Dato Setia.
DSO       Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (UK).
DT        The Daily Telegraph (London).
F         Friday.
ff        from foot (of page).
GBOW ON   Government of Brunei Darussalam Official Website, online
          news.
GCB       Knight Grand Cross of the Bath.
HMS       Her/His Majesty's Ship.
IWW       International Who's Who (annual).
JMN       Johan Mangku Negara (Malaysian order of chivalry).
KCB       Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
KPM       King's Police Medal.
M         Monday.
MBE       Member of the Order of the British Empire.
MC        Military Cross.
MP        Member of Parliament.
NBD       Negara Brunei Darussalam (1984-); previously known as
          "Brunei."
OBE       Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
PB        Pelita Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan).
PBA       Pelita Brunei (Aneka section).
PHBS      Pingat Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan/Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
          (Coronation) Medal (est. 1968).
PJK       Pingat Jasa Kebaktian / Loyal Service Medal.
POAS      Pingat Omar Ali Saifuddin III / Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III
          Medal.
PSB       Darjah Setia Negara Brunei Yang Amat Bahagia Darjah Keempat /
          Order of Setia Negara Brunei, fourth class.
PSPNB     Pahlawan Negeri Brunei Order, first class (BGG 4.11.1961:214).
PUSOS     Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.
RBPF      Royal Brunei Police Force.
RTB       Radio-Televisyen Brunei.
Sa        Saturday.
SAS       Special Air Service (NZ/UK).
SLJ       Order of Seri Laila Jasa (Brunei), third class.
ST        Sunday Times (London).
TD        Panduan Telefon Negara Brunei Darussalam / The Telephone
          Directory of Brunei Darussalam.
Th        Thursday.
Tu        Tuesday.
UK        United Kingdom.
USSR      Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
W         Wednesday.
WD        The Writers Directory (annual; St James Press, Detroit and
          elsewhere; subsequently published by Thomson Gale, Detroit
          and elsewhere).
WKNB      Warta Kerajaan Negeri Brunei / State of Brunei Government
          Gazette.
WW        Who's Who (London).

References

Abdul Aziz bin Awang Juned, Pehin Tuan Imam Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang 1990 Menjadi Tetamu Allah. Ministry of Education, Negara Brunei Darussalam; second edition, July 1990; first published in December 1987.

Brown, D. E. 1970 Brunei: The Structure and History of a Bornean Malay Sultanate. Brunei: Brunei Museum. Monograph of the Brunei Museum Journal.

Kirk-Greene, A. H. M. 1991 A Biographical Dictionary of the British Colonial Service, 1939-1966. London Melbourne Munich New York: Hans Zell Publishers.

Poulgrain, Gregory John 1998 The Genesis of 'Konfrontasi': Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, 1945-1965. With a Foreword by Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Bathurst: Crawford House Publishing. London: C. Hurst and Co.

Siddique, Sharon 1985 Negara Brunei Darussalam: 'A New Nation But An Ancient Country.' Southeast Asian Affairs 1985:99-108.

Vickers, Adrian 2005 A History of Modern Indonesia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Whicker, Alan 2000 Whicker's World--Take 2! London: Andre Deutsch; photographs by Valerie Kleeman.

(A.V.M. Horton, Bordesley, Worcestershire, United Kingdom)

(1) This would refer to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III, presuming non-anachronistic use of terminology.

(2) The first month of 2007 witnessed the departure from the stage of Dato Paduka [cr 1989] Awang Haji Yaakub bin Abu Bakar (1947-2007), Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport from 20 September 2004 until his death in Singapore on 20 January 2007, aged fifty-nine (BBO M.20.9.2004:h2.htm; GBOW ON Sa.30.10.2004; BBO Th.19.5.2005:h8.htm; BBSO Su.21.1.2007:h1.htm).

(3) Police reports indicated that forty-seven accidents, mostly car collisions, were recorded in the first week of 2007 (BBO F. 12.1.2007).

(4) Hajjah Salbiah binti Ahmad, 68, who appealed via the Borneo Bulletin in March 2006 for members of the public to help repair her dilapidated house at Kampong Pancur Papan in Tutong District, died on Saturday 9 December 2006. An anonymous donor duly emerged. "We are so happy that she died peacefully seeing her house fully repaired," said her daughter, Dayang Surayah binti Zakaria (BBSO Su. 10.12.2006:h18.htm).

(5) As a footnote mention might be made of Major Christopher John "Cuth" Adami (1933-?2006), an "Army officer who encouraged the early career of Idi Amin and found his vocation as a restaurateur in Ibiza." Eton-educated, his Army service also took him to Borneo, but no details are given. The precise date of death is not stated either (DT Sa.25.3.2006:29*).

(6) The best people (not mentioning any names) have lived in that illustrious township at one time or another!

(7) Later, Lord Colyton (1902-1996).

(8) Later, (1960) Lord Boyd of Merton (1904-1983).

(9) He was survived by his widow, Rosamund, who died in February 2003 (according to BBO Sa.29.7.2006:h34.htm). There were four children. Diana, married to Ronnie Thomas; Richard, married to Lyn Thomas; George, married to Jane Brooks, all of whom now reside at Perth, Western Australia. Bill (d September 2005) married to Eleanor, lived in Scotland. Jane Burns (nee Brooks), who was employed by the Brunei Department of Agriculture in 1976, and her son, Chris, visited NBD in July 2006. Mrs. Burns currently works for the Australian Indigenous Health Information Network; Chris is at school. While in Brunei in the 1970s Jane learned to sail; her father, Dennis Brooks, was Commodore of the Brunei Yacht Club. "Brunei "has changed so much and it is almost unrecognisable," she remarked. George Burns was a flying instructor with the Royal Brunei Flying Club. Dennis Brooks, who was an air traffic controller in Brunei, now lives in Abu Dhabi (according to BBO Sa.29.7.2006:h34.htm). Ronnie and Lyn Thomas were offspring of Rex and Ruth Thomas, who are now both deceased; Rex worked in the Government Stores, no date given (BBO Sa.29.7.2006:h34.htm).