Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Hj. Abdul Mubin Sheppard (M.C.ff. Sheppard) was a historian of Malaysian cultural and heritage.
Tan Sri Mubin Sheppard was born in Ireland in 1905.
In 1927 he sat for the Malayan Civil Service (MCS) Competitive Examination in London, and arrived in Malaya in 1928 to serve with the MCS till 1963.
He served as a Company Commander in the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force (FMSVF) from 1941-1942. During the Second World War (1942-1945) he became a Prisoner of War (POW). He retired as a Major in the FMSVF in 1945.
In 1958, his illustrious career as a historian and archivist started. He was appointed the “First Keeper of Public Records” which is now known as The National Archive of Malaysia. He held a few other important post during his career as an archivist:
- The first Director of National Museum of Malaya
- Asst. President and Editor of Malaysian Branch Royal Asiatic Society (MBRAS)
Between the years 1959 and 1963, he was:
- Executive Committee member of the Malayan History Society
- Central Committee member and the Committee Chairman of PERKIM and its publication.
- Co-founder and the President of Gurney Boys Club Seremban.
Tan Sri Sheppard was also a founding member of the Badan Warisan Malaysia and Sahabat Warisan Malaysia. Sahabat Warisan Malaysia (Friends of the Heritage of Malaysia Trust) was a society set up in 1984 to support Badan Warisan Malaysia in its objectives. The Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize is a culmination of one of its fundraising efforts.
Tan Sri passed away on 11 September 1994 and was laid to rest at the Ampang Muslim Burial Ground in Kuala Lumpur.
Tan Sri was a member of the House of Lords (hereditary member). Although he refused his position it cannot be denied that he is an aristocrat. I am not sure whether he is a Baron a Duke or a Viscount, and I hope Izu could find out more. He married a Kelantanese Malay, but it ended in a divorce. He was married to an English lady and up to his death, was legally married to her. He died in Brickfields at his condo, the Pines, if i am not mistaken. Izu please do contact me!
Dear Wan Zaharizan – Yes, he lived in Crescent Court in Brickfields, but he died in Subang Jaya Medical Centre on 11th September 1994, after several days in its ICU. I got this from the NST archives. The Crescent court house has been sold in recent years, as I was told verbally. I am not sure what’s the name of the Kelantanese princess, but from the same source as above, her first wife is known as Puan Sri Rosemary. She had several children with Almarhum. In Malaysia, he, too, is known to have several adopted children. On the other hand, he inherited a castle in Ireland , known as Cabra Castle. Unfortunately, he sold it on grounds of difficulties in maintaining it. Moreover, he spent most of his later life in Malaysia, even after retirement that may have led him into selling off the land. I hope this may help into further details in Che Zuriani’s academia matters.
- Mutalib
Tan Sri Mubin was also one of the founding member of the Outward Bound School (OBS) Lumut.
Dear Friends
I am so excited that there a few of you that also interested in knowing more about Tan Sri Mubin. I had done a research about him since 2004 especially in his contribution in architectural conservation. i had sent an article regarding this topic to JMBRAS and informally received an acceptance for the journal publication only in June 2010. hopefully it will be published.
anyway, it is good to know other information about him as i am trying to complete my Phd now. Please contact me at zuraini_mdali@um.edu.my or zuraini_mdali@yahoo.co.uk.
Zuraini
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