Keith Wookey
| Keith Wookey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 January 1912 Lincolnshire, UK |
| Died | November 1963 at the age of 51 United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | W.K.C. Wookey |
| Occupation | Assistant District Officer, District Officer, Senior Official of British Colonial Government of North Borneo |
| Years active | 1936 to 1963 |
| Children | 4 |
Keith Wookey (1912 - 1963) also known as W.K.C. Wookey, was a District Officer and later Resident in the post-war British Colonial Government of North Borneo who rose to prominence after the Second World War. At the height of his authority, Wookey was the most senior official stationed in Sandakan as Resident (known as Resident Commissioner in full) and later was appointed by the Queen to the Executive Council, North Borneo.
Keith Wookey, known as “Gentleman Keith” to his family and friends, was born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire and soon after moved to Barbados Lodge, Bath, Somerset, schooled at Lewisham, Bristol, UK and went on to further his studies at Oxford. His mother, Elizabeth Walker, died in 1921 at the birth of Keith’s sister Betty. Soon, both Keith & Betty were taken to their grandparents, Francis & Alice Wookey who raised them at Stones Cross House, Somerset. After his graduation, Keith got a job in a bank which allowed him to indulge in his passion for Motor Bike Racing on his Velocette 'K' series motor bike at the Isle of Man TT race. From 1933 to 1935 Keith joined the Royal Navy Reserve.
In 1936, Keith made an announcement that he is going to Borneo the next day for the 'far east', leaving his family stunned and question why anyone would possibly want to go so far away.
On 17 April 1936 Keith came to North Borneo as a cadet (trainee government official), joining the British North Borneo Chartered Company administrators. He arrived in Sandakan with Mr. J.H. Macartney by S.S. Kajang on 18 April 1936. At the beginning of his career as a trainee government official, Keith was placed within the Secretariat, although he was also supervised most of the time by the Under Secretary. From then on, Keith transferred from various branches of Government taking short posts while doing his study of the Laws of the State and of the Malay language.
In 1938, two years after his arrival in Sandakan, Keith became Assistant District officer at Mempakul (today as the westernmost part of Sabah, Malaysia; known as Kampung Mempakul) and then was posted to Kota Belud after a year. During his stay in Kota Belud, Keith met his first wife Tampusis who was the daughter of a priestess from Ranau. After their traditional wedding, Tampusis gave birth to two girls, Agnes (born 1940) and Susan (born 1941).
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