Order of the Star of Sarawak


The Most Excellent Order of the Star of Sarawak was established by Charles Vyner Brooke, The Rajah of Sarawak, on 26 September 1928 as the highest order of chivalry within the Raj of Sarawak. The motto of the Order was "Haraplah Sa-lagi Bernafas", the Sarawak state motto, a translation of the Latin phrase Dum Spiro Spero, which literally means "As long as I breathe, I hope".
When instituted, the Order held dual status as a dynastic order of knighthood as well as a state order, with the Rajah as its Sovereign. It had a bright yellow ribbon with a black line down the centre. When Sarawak became a British colony in 1946, the Rajah stopped making appointments, and in 2006 the Order became dormant upon the death of the last-known recipient, Elizabeth Choy.
In 1964, the post-independence government of Sarawak constituted The Most Illustrious Order of the Star of Sarawak, and in 1988, renamed it The Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak. This current Order has no connection whatsoever with the previous one except in name.

Composition

The Order consisted of:SovereignGrand Master
The three ordinary ranks of members are:Master -consists of breast star, sash, and sash badge.Companion -a badge worn from a necklet.Officer -a badge worn from a medal ribbon on the left breast.
RankAppointedRecipients NameNotes
Sovereign26-Jun-1929Charles Vyner Brooke
Grand Master21-Sep-1941Sylvia Brooke
Master31-Mar-1941Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah A Malay leader in Kuching, and also in Sarawak, renowned for his non-violent struggle against the cession of Sarawak to Britain.
Master31-Mar-1941John Beville Archer, CMG
Master21-Sep-1941Cyril Drummond Le Gros ClarkChief Secretary of Sarawak
Companions26-Sep-1928Ong Tiang Swee, OBE A renowned Chinese leader in Kuching. His grandson, Late Tan Sri Datuk Amar Ong Kee Hui is a renowned politician.
Companions31-Mar-1941Abang Suleiman
Companions31-Mar-1941Inche Haji Mohamed Zin
Companions31-Mar-1941John Gordon Anderson
Companions31-Mar-1941Thomas Corson
Companions31-Mar-1941Cecil Pitt-Hardacre, OBE
Companions31-Mar-1941Kenelm Hubert Digby
Companions21-Sep-1941Leonora Margaret BrookeDaughter of Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke
Companions20-Jun-1946Thomas Edward Eastick, DSO, EDMilitary Governor of Sarawak from 10 September 1945 to December 1945
Companions20-Jun-1946Tan Bak Lim
Companions20-Jun-1946Aloysius HopfgartnerFormer Principal of St. Joseph School Kuching
Companions27-Jun-1946John Alfred Smith, OBE
Companions27-Jun-1946Wee Kheng ChiangFounder of United Overseas Bank
Companions22-Jul-1941Gerald Trueman MacGill MacBryanPrivate Secretary to Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke
Officers31-Mar-1941Barbara Pitt-Hardacre
Officers20-Jun-1946Khan Ah Chong, MBE
Officers20-Jun-1946Lau Chai Lim
Officers20-Jun-1946Mangu Ah Kui
Officers20-Jun-1946Charles Stephen Were
Officers20-Jun-1946Thomas Crocker
Officers20-Jun-1946Thomas Attenborough
Officers20-Jun-1946William Geikie
Officers20-Jun-1946Ethel Annie Henderson, MBENursing Sister, Kuching General Hospital 1935–1942; interned by Japanese
Officers20-Jun-1946Murugasu Sockalingham
Officers20-Jun-1946Dennis Charles White
Officers20-Jun-1946John Coleraine Hanbury Barcroft
Officers20-Jun-1946Kho Soon Ewe
Officers20-Jun-1946Chin Shin Sen
Officers20-Jun-1946George Edward Bacon
Officers27-Jun-1946Helen Chan
Officers27-Jun-1946Elizabeth Choy North Borneo-born Singaporean war heroine. Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke presented her with the Order in recognition of her work of assisting the British POWs during the Japanese occupation.
Officers27-Jun-1946Lim Song Kee
Officers27-Jun-1946Edwin William Howell