GEORGE TOWN, the island capital of Penang, often finds herself in the limelight since its modern historical emergence in 1786 as a trading outpost of colonial Britain.
The state has some of the oldest ports in the region and has been transformed into the "Silicon Valley" of the East due to the high concentration of electronics and electrical manufacturers.
Along with its tourism allure and colonial history with a melting pot of food, cultures, heritage and inhabitants – Penang is always in the public’s psyche.
Founded by a former East India Company explorer Capt Francis Light and now, some 237 years later, Penang has grown to become a metropolis on its own accord and reputably, the third biggest economy in Malaysia after the Klang Valley and Johor.
Over the decades, George Town has also cemented friendship ties with 11 cities and towns globally, but none is as interesting as the earliest one the island state had sealed.
On December 8 in 1973, Penang signed a sister city pact with Adelaide, the capital of the South Australian state of Australia.
There have been many celebrations of the event since and more so this year, as both cities marked their 50th anniversary of the pact to promote closer ties.
Ties that represent everything from trade to education, tourism, technology, and culture.
However, what is least known, was that the sister city pact was driven by two love stories.
Such tales provide a value-added dimension to the definition of a sister-city relationship.
Light shared a relationship with live-in partner Martina Rozells whom he apparently met in Phuket, Thailand. And the couple's eldest son, Colonel William Light, went on to become the surveyor-general of Adelaide.
William was among the earliest explorers who founded Adelaide – 50 years after his father Light found Penang.
In the online description of William Light, the City of Adelaide Council described him as the founder of Adelaide.
Love story number two happened some 180 years later. The then Premier of South Australia Don Dunstan, who passed away in 1999, lobbied the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, Penang's Chief Minister to pursue a sister-city status on account of the Light legacies in both cities.
Dunstan took the initiative in 1972 and a year later, both Dunstan and Lim signed away the establishment of sister city status.
Dunstan's girlfriend Adele Koh, who was born in Penang, was apparently instrumental in the entire process.
Dunstan later married Koh a few years after the sister city agreement was inked.
Koh was a journalist who had worked in Singapore before she found herself working in Dunstan’s office as a research executive.
According to Penang's civil society czar Datuk Seri Anwar Fazal, Koh was a former model who later became a journalist before she passed away in 1976 in Adelaide due to cancer.
Fast forward to today, the legacies of Light, Rozells, Dunston, and Koh are being celebrated as both Adelaide and George Town tirelessly worked towards offering a host of events and activities to mark the 50th anniversary.
Anwar spoke of the similarities between both George Town and Adelaide.
Both are steeped in history with a huge track record in preserving their heritage. George Town became a Unesco World Heritage Site due to its culture and heritage. And Adelaide as well as George Town have a distinctive food scene.
As both cities zero in on their celebrations, the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Dr Justin Lee, who is from Adelaide, informed that he has relatives from Penang.
It has made Lee determined to ensure that the anniversary becomes a springboard for more collaborative ventures down the years between both cities.
To elevate it even more, the Australian Foreign Minister is Penny Wong, who was born in Sandakan, Malaysia and, she is now the Adelaide Member of Parliament.
South Australia Senate member Frank Pangallo sees the potential skywards, saying that his state is now engaged in deep space satellite tech and Penang can be part of the effort.
In Penang, the architects behind the celebrations, are state executive councillor Yeoh Soon Hin and newly appointed Lord Mayor and Penang Island City Council (MBPP) president Datuk Anthony Rajendran.
Rajendran has been to Adelaide thrice, seeing a potential to explore the sister city ties further with both councils having the expertise to share and apply their experiences.
To jumpstart the celebrations which will begin in August, Yeoh and Rajendran were on hand to celebrate the winner of the Adelaide-George Town 50th sister city anniversary logo design competition.
It was won by Penangite Lim Soon Tatt, who had perfected the occasion by also illustrating that while Penang is a Unesco site for heritage, Adelaide is one for music, while advocating the latter's strong ties with the native aboriginal heritage.
.jpg)
Yeoh sees the sister city ties, as a strong platform to promote tourism in a mutually beneficial setting.
"We want Penangites to visit Adelaide and we want them to visit us in high numbers. We can also tap the trade, education culture, and heritage propositions." Yeoh hopes that one day soon, there would also be direct flights between both cities.
Lee wants more collaboration in the field of technology, saying a Penang-born entrepreneur has set up a budding start–up in Adelaide and wants to expand it here.
In this age of globalisation, it is just a matter of time before the visions which began with the Lights, and were consolidated by the married couple of Dunstan and Koh, would be seeing the light of day in both George Town and Adelaide. – The Vibes, June 22, 2023
.jpeg)
