Jason Desmond Anthony Brooke

FRAS FRAS may refer to: * Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger ...

(born 22 April 1985) is the grandson of the last ruling Rajah Muda of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

, Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke, and a prominent representative of the Brooke Dynasty in Sarawak.

Background

Born in London, Brooke grew up there, in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

and the east coast of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, reading English Literature at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

, and earning an MPhil International Relations from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

, Dublin. A keen

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

, Brooke served as Captain of the Boats, University College Dublin Boat Club, for 2007/2008. In 2011 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

. He is President of the Sarawak Association, founded by his great-grandfather Bertram, Tuan Muda of Sarawak in 1924. He is a member of the Borneo Research Council and has served on the Council of the British Malaysian Society. He is best-known for his role as a prominent representative of the Brooke Dynasty, and as Director of the UK charity, the Brooke Trust. In 2011, Brooke sought on behalf of his family a formal exoneration from the British Government for his grandfather, over allegations Anthony Brooke had been complicit in the assassination of Duncan Stewart, the Governor of Sarawak, in 1949. The release of previously missing records clearing Anthony's name led to a

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

documentary aired in March 2011, just weeks after Anthony's death. In 2013, Brooke brought his grandfather's ashes to Sarawak for burial following a large public memorial service. The Acting British High Commissioner to Malaysia attended and offered an apology on behalf of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

, clearing Anthony Brooke's name of any involvement. Through the Brooke Trust, he has promoted an appreciation of

's heritage, first arranging for the digitisation of the Papers of the Brookes of Sarawak in 2012 and making these freely available online. In 2012, it was announced that Brooke, through the Brooke Trust, would champion a new Brooke Gallery to be housed in

Fort Margherita Fort Margherita is an old fort constructed in 1879 by Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak situated in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The fort is an important landmark and monument in Sarawak's history which goes back to the Brooke Dynasty. The fo ...

in Kuching, a project which was realised on 24 September 2016, the 175th anniversary of the founding of the State of Sarawak. Brooke has been responsible for signing important memoranda with the Sarawak State Library in Kuching, the

Sarawak State Museum The Sarawak State Museum ( ms, Muzium Negeri Sarawak) is the oldest museum in Borneo. It was founded in 1888 and opened in 1891 in a purpose-built building in Kuching, Sarawak. It has been said that naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace encouraged C ...

, and local communities. In September 2016 he was appointed a technical advisor on a then-upcoming feature film on the life of his ancestor, Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak. The film, titled '' Edge of the World'', was released in 2021. He currently divides his time between London and Sarawak.

References

External links

Brooke Heritage Trust Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke, Jason Desmond Anthony 1985 births Living people Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Jason Brooke Pretenders