History
Conserving Bukit Persekutuan As A Historical And Natural Heritage Of The Nation

Organized by Badan Warisan Malaysia.
Live Webinar Details
Date: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Time: 4:00 PM (Kuala Lumpur, GMT+8)
Topic: Conserving Bukit Persekutuan As A Historical And Natural Heritage Of The Nation
Venue: Virtual – Zoom Webinar
Free Admission
Speakers: Ar. John Koh & Pasupathy Murugiah
Moderator: Ar. Anand Krishnan
ABOUT THE TALK
Bukit Persekutuan (Federal Hill) encompasses over 70 hectares in Kuala Lumpur. This talk will introduce Federal Hill from the historical, architectural and environmental perspectives, as well as its importance as an Urban Community Forest. This talk will also cover areas of conservation for preserving the natural environment and built heritage as well as community outreach programs. The speakers will also touch on the gazettal of Federal Hill and the vision to create a larger green network in Kuala Lumpur in linking Federal Hill to Taman Botani Perdana (Lake Garden) and Taman Tugu.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Ar. John Koh Seng Siew
Ar. John Koh has been in Architectural Practice since 1974. Akitek Maju Bina, which he founded in 1981, won numerous International and National awards for Excellence in Architecture in Township Design, Residential, Green Architecture, and Cineplexes. His firm’s Interior Design projects have also been recognized by the Malaysian Institute of Design (MIID) Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) and the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA).
As a Fellow member of Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia, the Singapore Institute of Architects, and the Australian Institute of Architects, John has also been active in professional institutional affairs for over 40 years. He was the Regional Representative of the Royal Institute of British Architects Validation Board to the University of Malaya and Universiti Teknologi MARA.
He is also the Honorary President of the Eastern Regional Organization of Human Settlements. He has traveled extensively in the Asia Pacific to promote professional collaborations and the multi-disciplinary approach in the development of sustainable Human Settlements.
John developed the Conservation Masterplan for Historic Malacca in 1989 and continues to explore avenues for the Restoration of Malacca‘s Historical Landscape Heritage. He has also been involved in the Conservation of the Natural and Historical Heritage of Bukit Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur since 2008. Among his accreditations include Chair of the panel of judges for the Mubin Shepperd Memorial Prize (Cycles 1 & 7) by Heritage of Malaysia Trust (Badan Warisan Malaysia) where he was an Honorary Council Member from 1995-97. He was also a founder member of the World Association of Chinese Architects (WACA).
Today, John is Principal of John Koh Architect, which he set up in 2014, and is immediate past Chairperson of the Malaysian Nature Society Board of Trustees.

Pasupathy Murugiah
Pasupathy is the Selangor Branch Chairperson of Malaysia Nature Society (MNS) from 2017 to 2023. She received her Basic and Intermediate Certificates in Birding from 2006 to 2008. She became a Licensed Nature Guide since 2009.
First and foremost, Pasupathy is a Teacher specialising in English with a B.A. Hons. (History, International Relations), Diploma in Education from the University of Malaya and M.A. Educational Psychology from the University of London She retired as a principal of Methodist Girls’ School in 2001. She received her Excellent Service Award from the Ministry of Education in 1993 and 1999. She became a Curriculum Director in the RR Technology & Training Centre, Kuala Lumpur from December 2002 to July 2003.
Her hobbies include gardening, reading, jungle-trekking, bird watching, and mountain climbing.
BWM Talk Series: East Indiaman: The World of Francis Light by Rose Gan

Organized by Badan Warisan Malaysia.
Live Webinar Details
Date: Wednesday, 3 November 2021
Time: 5:00 PM (Kuala Lumpur, GMT+8)
Topic: East Indiaman: The World of Francis Light
Venue: Virtual – Zoom Webinar
Free Admission
ABOUT THE TALK
KL-based author Rose Gan, accompanied by her daughter, Zoe, as the moderator for this talk, will speak about her newly released book entitled ‘Dragon’. This book is the first volume in the Penang Chronicles, which tells the story of Captain Francis Light and his partner, as well as the backstory of the British settlement of Penang. This new series of historical fiction features real historical characters and events from 18th-century Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Britain.
Before Stamford Raffles of Singapore fame, before Rajah Brooke of Borneo fame, there was Captain Francis Light, the 18th-century trailblazer in the Malay Archipelago. From humble origins in Suffolk, England, Light struggled against the social prejudices of his day. His subsequent adventures as a naval officer and country ship captain took him from India to Sumatra, the Straits of Malacca to Siam, through shipwreck, sea battles, pirate raids and tropical disease. But Light’s most difficult challenge was his ultimate dream: to establish a British port in the Indies on behalf of the East India Company.
Want to find out who his partner was? Register and participate in our webinar to find out many more fascinating details in Rose’s book!
ABOUT THE SPEAKER

British by birth, Rose Gan studied Ancient and Medieval History with Latin and Greek at University of Birmingham. Gan first arrived in Kuala Lumpur in 1978 and has been living and working between both UK and Southeast Asia ever since. Married to a Malaysian, and formerly a teacher of History, Latin and Classics, Gan was also Vice Chair for Museums of the Indonesian Heritage Society, a guide and docent in Museum National Indonesia, Jakarta, and Muzium Negara and the Textile Museum in KL. In addition to lecturing to cultural associations, Gan has been actively involved with museum publications in Malaysia and Indonesia, both as a writer and editor.
Talk on Memories of a Malaccan: A Pictorial Recollection of the 1920s to 1960s by Audrey Lim
ABOUT THE TALK
Audrey has written “Memories of a Malaccan” as a tribute to her father, Lim Keng Watt (1909-1996). She has selected images from his vast collection of photographs and postcards and has drawn on his notes, documents and other memorabilia to highlight significant aspects of the socio-political scene of Malaya before, during and after World War II. She will talk about her father’s life and times – as student and teacher, Scout, sportsman, soldier, musician and drama enthusiast. The nostalgic pictures and interesting mementos she shares will fascinate both general readers and history buffs
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Audrey Lim is a Founder-member of Malacca Theatre Group. Has helped the MTG organise inter-school drama competitions. Also acts and helps regularly in its productions. Served as President of the MTG for 3 terms. She wrote a book titled Write with Success originally published by Longmans, now revised and reprinted as Write It Right ; now in its 12th. edition. Recently she wrote 2 short plays for the latest Malacca Theatre Group production Snippets held in November 2016, one of which was a historical but fictionalized play about her aunt who had been jailed by the Japanese during the Occupation, while the other Beauty and the Bard was in the finals of the Short and Sweet drama fest in KL.
Asia in Those Days by Thomas Brandt
ABOUT THE TALK
This talk by Thomas Brandt will give us an insight into the social life of Europeans from the 16th to the 19th centuries in the Asian region. Brandt spent six years researching the subject and published a book of the same name. The talk, based on this book, will be illustrated with photographs and other historical documents including lithographs and quotations taken from travel reports and contemporaneous writing.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Brandt is the General Manager of the Malaysian German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He has a deep interest in the history of Asia, having lived in South-East Asia for over 20 years. He has also published another book,”China in Those Days”, where he has drawn upon his extensive collection of old postcards from the region
A Jewel in the Crown: Masjid Diraja Sultan Suleiman
ABOUT THE TALK
Located in Kampung Jawa, Masjid Diraja Sultan Suleiman was built in 1932-33 in the Royal Town of Klang, Selangor and has been gazetted as National Heritage under the National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645). In November 2017, the mosque was reopened to the public following its restoration and refurbishment. This talk will cover the history of the building, the conservation and restoration work and the construction of new amenities to respond to the present day needs of the qariah.
Speakers will include members of the conservation team, architects Ar. Dr. Helena Aman Hashim and Mariana Isa from Badan Warisan Heritage Services Sdn Bhd, the consultant architect, Ar. Hafizi Tan Sri Mohamed from Linea Architect Sdn Bhd and Musrizal Mat Isa from Balai Seni Negara who was involved in the restoration of the bas-relief features in the mosque.