First-ever Mr Sarawak Douglas Jerukan champion passes away
Photo from the family album of Douglas (centre), flanked by Catherine and Desmond, taken after he was presented with the ABS state award in 2011.
KUCHING (May 2): Douglas Jerukan @ Jarukan Kanyan, the first-ever winner of Mr Sarawak bodybuilding championship, passed away on Thursday (May 1) at Sibu Hospital.
He was 87 years old.
According to the eldest son Desmond Jerukan, his father was admitted to the Emergency Unit on April 14.
'The cause of death was sepsis and multiple organ failures.
'My father's official date of birth was recorded as Dec 31, 1939, but there's a story behind this.
'The administrators at the time did not have the exact date, so they used the end of month for the year. Dad could have been older,' said Desmond, who is deputy permanent secretary for the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Sarawak.
Douglas obtained primary school education in Bawang Assan in Sibu, and secondary school education at Batu Lintang in Kuching. After that, the Iban youth obtained a Colombo Plan
Scholarship (1958-1961), and went to Christchurch Technical College and Canterbury Teachers College in New Zealand in 1958, and graduated as a trade instructor in 1961.
It was during this college time that Douglas entered bodybuilding. He won the title of Mr New Zealand and also the 'Most Muscular Man Award' at the 1961 National Weightlifting Championships in Dunedin.
He entered Mr New Zealand at the special request of the Canterbury team manager.
Douglas continued bodybuilding upon returning to Sarawak.
He was crowned the first Mr Sarawak champion at the inaugural competition held in Sibu in 1963.
Photo of Douglas taken after he won the overall championship title of the first Mr Sarawak
Competition, held in 1963.
Douglas later joined the Sarawak Education Service from 1962 to 1994 and since then, he had held various positions – beginning with his first posting at Kanowit Secondary School (now SEDAYA) in 1962, where he continued to serve until 1967.
Douglas had been the principal of SMK Kapit from 1968 to 1970, SMK Julau, SMK Nangka in Sibu, and also at SMK Vokasional Sibu.
He had also served as a Kanowit District Education Officer in the late 1970s, where later on, he became Group Supervisor of Schools under Sibu Division Education Office.
Douglas was appointed an independent director of CCK Consolidated Holdings Bhd on March 20, 2002, and retired from this position on Dec 7, 2012.
He had previously served as a board member of Rejang Port Authority, in Sibu.
In 2011, Douglas was honoured with the Ahli Bintang Sarawak (ABS) award from the Sarawak Government, and in 2023, Sarawak Bodybuilding Association honoured him with the 'Sarawak Bodybuilding Icon Award'.
He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Catherine Abit, their four children, and three grandchildren. bodybuilding Douglas Jerukan Mr Sarawak passed away
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
19 hours ago
- Borneo Post
‘The two fires at Lundu Bazaar'
Sgt Bunseng Munan seen at the razed Lundu Bazaar, in this photo taken by Bong Siew Min. Uncle DI Sidi Munan 1080p IF you were born at one place and now residing in another, isn't there a certain feeling for the former at one stage of your life? This is called nostalgia – or is there a better term? In Iban, it is known as 'lelengau', or 'rindu' in the local Malay. During the Gawai Dayak holidays, I had the time to read some literature about the villages in Lundu from the book called 'Lundu', written by Azmi Haji Bujang. While looking at the photographs of the main river, Batang Kayan, and those of the villages and longhouses along its banks, my memories, both sad and happy, started flooding back. Happy days were the school days at the Christchurch Mission School in Stunggang, and the Bumiputera School in town. I attended a Japanese school too, learning how to sing the 'Kumi Gayu' in Japanese, and planting tapioca. Our real schooling, however, was in the form of junglebashing, of identifying which wild fruits were edible and which were poisonous, of 'najur' (river-fishing at night) and risking snake bites. We didn't mind mosquito bites much, as they're relatively harmless. Sad days were a few; occasional fears and disappointments aplenty. These are fading away into the twilight years. Lundu Bazaar on fire in 1949 One sad day, however, remains indelible in my mind. It was when the Lundu Bazaar caught fire. I did not know until recently that this wasn't the first time it happened. So here's my version of the first event. I was an eyewitness, through semidarkness and overwhelming smoke. But I wish to record what I saw, for my grandchildren to talk about and for the ordinary readers of this column who are interested in what had happened long time ago in a small town in Sarawak. Is there anyone still around who remembers the 'Fire of Lundu Bazaar'? It was before midnight in early December 1949. I don't remember the exact date. My brother, Bunseng, Sergeant No 433, was the police officer in charge of security of Lundu District. He allowed me to stay with his family at the barracks while I was going to the Sekolah Bumiputera where I was taught the Romanised Malay (the Za'aba System of spelling) and the Jawi script. One evening, suddenly there was a commotion in the barracks. My brother was calling out to the constables to wake up, yelling: 'Pasar angus! Pasar angus! (The bazaar's burning! The bazaar's burning!).' He was having problem with his boots (no puttees were handy – constabulary's regulation required the puttees to be worn with the boots) and he could not find them. Normally my brother was sticking to the strict police code, but this time he had to break the regulation. In an emergency, he had to go on bare feet. With his 303 rifle slung over his shoulder, he rushed towards the direction of the bazaar, a few hundred yards from the barracks, warning everyone not to loot, not to steal. Some hope! There certainly was looting all right, which he could not control. I was running out barefooted too. I owned a pair of canvas shoes, but those were for wearing to go to school. Still, vividly in my mind, I was watching flying fiery material landing on the roof of the Lundu Studio, and the fire was gutting the building fast. The photo shop was owned by one Ah Chee, the town's photographer. He was doing a brisk business after the Pacific War (1941-1945) because that was the period during when people in the district were required to get themselves registered as citizens of Great Britain. They would be issued with the identity card, which required a personal photograph. Ah Chee's studio was to provide the photographs. I was watching how the fire was spreading from shop to shop. The smoke preceded the flame! The sparks jumping from shop to shop were awful sights. 'The lady with a bolster' I saw a woman rushing out of a shop owned by Kapitan Goh Hong Ping. She was carrying a colour portrait of Dr Sun Yat Sen, the Mainland Chinese leader, in one hand and in the other hand, she tightly clutched a fat 'bantal guling' (a bolster or 'Dutch wife'). Crying and muttering in Teochew, I could not understand her. A distressful moment indeed – I could not do anything to help her. Months later, I asked her grandson, Ah Kow, what it was that her grandmother had done with that pillow. Ah Kow said it had been stuffed with the 'Straits Dollars' – hundreds of them. He did not get a cent of it, he complained, but the content of the bolster helped the family a lot, post-fire period. The next day, we boys from the barracks and the villages descended on the area, searching for anything of use, avoiding the spot where one death was reported. We went for the hair cream and perfumes ('Santalia'). I went for the penknives. The hair cream ('Vaseline') glass bottles were empty, and the penknives were useless. We collected a few burnt coins, but they were not accepted for gambling – let alone for buying things. The marbles were all burnt out too. Before the fire of 1949, Lundu Bazaar – built on the bank of the Batang Kayan – consisted of two parts: the 'pasar tanah' (landbased) and the 'pasar gantong' (on stilts). The looters concentrated on the 'pasar gantong'. Bundles of clothes and new textiles were carted off the shelves and piled up onto the boats. The boys from the nearby village went for the bottled drinks, the fizzy lemonade 'Chong Kim Eng Aerated Water', while the men preferred arrack. There was no such thing as the fire brigade in the district. The only weapon was water, pails or buckets of it – no good at all to douse a conflagration. 'Rebuilding Lundu' I can claim the credit of helping to rebuild the present Lundu Bazaar in the sense that I was involved in levelling the sites where the (then-)new shophouses would be erected. I was a coolie, 13 or so years old, a member of the 'Changkul Gang' – working from 7am to 11am, and back at 2pm till 5pm. Exhausted but happy to have earned some money for myself, I was no longer relying on pocket money from my brother. I was also employed as a painter by Encik Bakri Kaya, a contractor from Kuching. I was also working for five dollars a day for Sim, building the District Office that had been operational since 1952. I painted parts of the wall of the old District Office. But that was not the first time Lundu Bazaar had burned down. I found out, from the 'Sarawak Gazette', that the same thing had happened in October 1893. Obviously I don't remember that one! Here's the story: 'FIRE AT LUNDU' — The greater part of Lundu Bazaar has been destroyed by a disastrous fire, which broke out in the night of the '3rd Ultimo'. 'The flames were first noticed about midnight proceeding from the kitchen of one Tai Seng Hin. 'His shop was attached to another, which was used as a store and here, the fire got a good hold and, aided by a strong westerly wind, rapidly spread in the direction of the Fort, which with boat shed were only preserved by the precautions of men stationed with buckets of water. 'By 1.30am on the '4th Ultimo', 15 shops had been burnt out and a great deal of property destroyed. 'The total loss is estimated at about $40,000. The owners of the shops destroyed are Yong Soon (2), Wee Cha (1), Ah Pua (1), Seng Kow (1). Kim Foh (1), Ah Kam (1) Seng Soon (8)Hong Chua (5). 'The Assistant Resident was absent at Bandong at the time of the break out'. So here's a word of advice: Lundu shopkeepers are strongly urged to keep fire extinguishers on their premises! > The opinions expressed in this article are the columnist's own and do not reflect the view of the newspaper.
Borneo Post
3 days ago
- Borneo Post
Muntat Gamang holds traditional ‘miring pengaroh' ritual in Miri for Gawai
The 'miring pengaroh' ritual being carried out at Rumah Chendang, Jalan Miri-Bintulu yesterday. MIRI (June 6): Around 40 members of Perguruan Muntat Gamang Sarawak gathered for a 'miring pengaroh' ritual at Tr Chendang longhouse, Batu 13, Jalan Miri-Bintulu yesterday in conjunction with the Gawai Dayak celebration. The ritual was led by Muntat Gamang Grandmaster Ugik Jalit, assisted by 'tuai kayau' Dennis Jarraw, 'sapit tuai kayau' Silo Amit, Donny Tambab, and 'tukang biau' Rudy Reba. The ceremony began with a 'miring ngalu ke pengabang', where arriving guests were greeted with a glass of tuak (rice wine). This was followed by the main miring ceremony to seek blessings from Petara (god), which also saw participation from residents of the longhouse. Tuai Rumah Chendang, who was present at the event, expressed his delight at seeing younger generations continuing to practise Iban traditions. 'Of course, now we all have our own religion, but we should never forget our adat asal (ancestral traditions). We can still practise them without compromising our beliefs, so that our younger generation can learn about their cultural heritage,' he said. Meanwhile, Ugik reaffirmed Perguruan Muntat Gamang's commitment to preserving Iban customs and passing them on to future generations. 'It is important for us to uphold these traditions, because if we don't, who else will do it for us?' he said. The ceremony concluded with a feast of traditional food, kuntau (martial arts) demonstrations, ngajat dance performances, and singing sessions, among other activities. Gawai Dayak miring pengaroh Perguruan Muntat Gamang traditional
Borneo Post
7 days ago
- Borneo Post
Iban longhouse keeps decades-old Gawai ritual alive to honour ancestors
The festive cheer at Rumah Punggah here began to bloom days ahead of the Gawai Dayak celebration on June 1, not just with the return of family members from afar, but with the revival of a beloved tradition that has graced this longhouse for nearly 60 years. – Bernama photo SARATOK (June 2): The festive cheer at Rumah Punggah here began to bloom days ahead of the Gawai Dayak celebration on June 1, not just with the return of family members from afar, but with the revival of a beloved tradition that has graced this longhouse for nearly 60 years. At the 48-door longhouse in Temudok Krian on the eve of the celebration yesterday, residents were already up and about early in the morning, abuzz with energy as they put the final touches on preparations for 'Ngasi Makan Tiang Pengingat', a time-honoured ritual set to take place later in the day. According to the head of the longhouse, Tuai Rumah Punggah Gama, 70, the ceremony is more than just an annual ritual, it's a heartfelt tribute to their ancestors and a powerful symbol of unity for the community. 'It's not just a wooden post standing there. The 'Tiang Pengingat' holds the spirit of our memories, our values, and our strength as a people. When we perform 'ngasi makan', it shows that we remember and honour where we come from,' he told Bernama. The four-sided belian wood pillar, standing around 3.5 metres tall in front of the longhouse, was first erected on June 1, 1966, the date of the community's very first Gawai Dayak celebration. Since then, it has stood as a proud marker of heritage through the generations. As dusk nears, the ceremony began with 'miring', a traditional Iban invocation of blessings, followed by the symbolic sacrifice of a rooster, its blood gently smeared onto the Tiang Pengingat, which bears inscriptions marking that historic first Gawai and is adorned with intricate traditional decorations Offerings of glutinous rice and dishes wrapped in banana leaves, lovingly prepared by the longhouse folk since morning, were placed at the foot of the pillar, accompanied by tuak, the traditional Iban rice wine. As dusk nears, the ceremony began with 'miring', a traditional Iban invocation of blessings, followed by the symbolic sacrifice of a rooster, its blood gently smeared onto the Tiang Pengingat, which bears inscriptions marking that historic first Gawai and is adorned with intricate traditional decorations. – Bernama photo Traditional 'pantun' echoed through the longhouse as they were recited alongside the steady rhythm of gongs played by the residents. The ritual usually continues until sunset, wrapping the day in a soulful, celebratory air. Though nearly six decades have passed since the first families settled in this longhouse, the enthusiasm of the residents, especially the younger generation, to take part in the ritual speaks volumes of their dedication to preserving their cultural roots. 'We want our young ones to know their origins. When they're involved in these rituals from a young age, they grow up proud of being Iban,' Punggah added, with a smile full of hope. – Bernama Gawai Dayak lead longhouse Rumah Punggah tradition
