Sultan Highlights Role Of Culture In Brunei-Australia Ties

Sydney - His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, has noted the role of culture in cementing relations between Brunei and Australia.

His Majesty, who is currently in Australia, delivered the titah while viewing the Sunken Treasures of Brunei Darussalam Exhibition in Perth, Western Australia yesterday morning.

On arrival at the Western Australia Maritime Museum, His Majesty the Sultan was greeted by Mr.Graeme Henderson,the Director of the Maritime Museum.

The shipwreck galleries were opened to the public in 1981. The museum is dedicated to maritime archaeology exploration, research and conservation of the shipwreck relics.

The galleries display early exploration and shipwrecks discovered off the Western Australian coast. They dated back as early as the 17th century.

The highlight is the reconstruction stern of the Dutch ship, Batavia, wrecked in 1629.

Also on display is the skeleton of one of the people murdered on board the Dutch ship that was carrying cargo and other artifacts for the Indies.

The Shipwreck Galleries are recognised as the foremost maritime archaeology museum in the southern hemisphere.

Apart from seeing the Shipwreck Galleries, His Majesty was briefed on the method of conservation of the various artifacts.

The conservation section plays a vital role in the preservation of the ancient relics, which have been unearthed by the archaeologists.

The conservation team led by Dr. Ian Godfrey briefed His Majesty on the complexity of the task.

From the Western Australian Maritime Museum, The Monarch then proceeded to the new Western Australian Maritime Museum located nearby.

On arrival, His Majesty was greeted by Doctor Ken Michael,the Chairman of Trustees, Western Australian Museum Board of Trustees, and Doctor Dawn Casey, the Trustees Executive Director.

This new Maritime Museum was opened at the end of 2002. Here His Majesty viewed various maritime exhibits starting from the canoe up to the development of modern racing sailing ships.

One of the most priceless displays is the sailing ship, Australia Two, which won the America Cup. Also being exhibited is Parry Endeavour, the boat that took lone sailor Jon Sanders three times around the world.

The secrets of a massive shipload of ceramics that lay at the bottom of the Brunei Sea for 500 years are also revealed to Australians in this museum in an exhibition called the "Sunken Treasures of Brunei Darussalam".

The exhibition traces the archaeology expedition, which excavated the cargo of precious 15th to 16th Century Asian ceramics.

His Majesty took time to view this exhibition. The artifacts were on board a ship that sank off the coast of Brunei and laid undiscovered in the South China Sea until a French Oil company conducted seabed survey in 1997.

The exhibits include more than 500 pieces of pots, jars and bowls. They are believed to have originated from Thailand, Vietnam and China's Ming Dynasty.

The Sunken Treasures of Brunei Darussalam has given Australians a special insight into Brunei as a leading maritime trading nation in the past.

According to Museum officials, more than 100,000 people have visited the Brunei Sunken Treasures since it started in Sydney in December 2003.

Since it opened in Perth in early November last year, some 3,000 visitors have visited the gallery.

The exhibition in Perth will end this month before the artifacts will be returned to Brunei.

At this occasion, His Majesty attended a reception hosted by the Western Australian Maritime Museum where His Majesty also met Brunei students studying at various education institutions in Western Australia.

At the reception, Doctor Ken Micheal in welcoming His Majesty noted its great privilege for them to have been able to showcase the exhibition on Brunei Treasures.

According to him, the exhibition is an excellent example of the successful cooperation and partnership between Bruneian and Australian Museums.

The sponsor of the exhibition is BHP Billiton, a company involved in the Liquefied Natural Gas industry in Australia.

Mr. Tom Harley, the President of the Corporate Development of the company,  in welcoming His Majesty recalled Brunei's role as a key trading nation in the late 15th Century.

His Majesty in his titah spoke of the significance of the Sunken Treasures of Brunei Darussalam exhibition.

According to His Majesty, the exhibition demonstrated bilateral cultural cooperation between Brunei and Australia.

While at the Museum, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei met more than 80 Brunei students studying at the various universities and institutions of higher learning in Western Australia. -- Courtesy of Radio Television Brunei

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