RECEPTION TO CELEBRATE THE 50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE GEORGE TOWN-ADELAIDE SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP
WELCOME REMARKS BY
YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
RECEPTION TO CELEBRATE THE 50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE GEORGE TOWN-ADELAIDE SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP
29TH August 2023 | Suffolk House
Good evening, Salam Sejahtera & Salam Malaysia Madani.
First and foremost, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to Her Excellency Madam Frances Adamson on her maiden visit to Penang following her appointment as the 36th Governor of South Australia. We’ve had a fruitful meeting earlier in the day at the iconic Blue Mansion, or more commonly known among the locals and heritage buffs as the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. While I do regret that I was not able to impress Your Excellency with a re-enactment of the mahjong scene from Hollywood’s Crazy Rich Asians movie, I do hope Your Excellency will remember Penang with fond memories of the mansion’s tranquil courtyards, intricate Chinese carved screens and art nouveau influences, all tucked away in a corner of bustling George Town.
From one restored heritage masterpiece of Penang to another restored and equally impressive Suffolk House, we will not find a much better stage to house this evening’s celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the George Town-Adelaide Sister City relationship. It is common knowledge that this historic site used to serve as the residence of Captain Francis Light, whose eldest son, Colonel William Light then founded Adelaide a few decades later.
If we are already impressed by this father and son tale, we must also give due credit to two other gentlemen, unrelated by birth, but united in their foresight. The first being the then Premier of South Australia, the late Don Dunstan, and the second, the late Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu. Tun Dr. Lim is fondly remembered as Penang’s Second Chief Minister and architect of Penang’s modern development. Together, they made this George Town-Adelaide sister city connection possible way back on 8 December 1973. We owe them our deepest gratitude for building the foundation of a bond that we now celebrate 50 years on.
Over the years, I believe both George Town and Adelaide continue to witness their own evolving tapestries of cultures, culinary influences, heritage and diversity of races. It is also a shared wonderful delight that both cities have received due recognition from UNESCO, George Town as a World Heritage Site, and Adelaide as a City of Music. Underlined by long-standing friendship and historical links, the sister-city status between George Town and Adelaide should be the impetus needed to further boost tourism opportunities as well as strengthen meaningful exchanges in other fields.
On that note, I was informed that we do have an increasing number of Penangites studying and working in Adelaide. Seeing that we have yet to have a direct flight between Penang and Adelaide, can this perhaps be a low-hanging fruit for us to mark the beginning of our next 50-year of relations? I truly hope so.
Without taking away another minute of this evening’s merriment, I would like to thank the Australian High Commission for hosting tonight’s reception. I would also like to offer my heartiest congratulations to the cities, and people of George Town and Adelaide on this milestone. May we progress ahead together, and to find in each other, the strength to weather through times of need.
I wish you all an enjoyable evening. Thank you.