KUCHING: Her Excellency, Marjorie Jackson, the Governor of South Australia, currently on a six-day visit to Sarawak, yesterday attended the birthday celebration of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhammad Salahuddin held at Padang Merdeka here.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and wife, Datuk Amar Puan Sri Laila Taib met her on arrival at the Kuching International Airport on Friday.

Sarawak and South Australia share a special relationship dating back since the Colombo Plan. Two prominent Colombo Plan scholars who studied in South Australia are Taib and Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries, Dato Sri Adenan Satem.

Both of them graduated from the University of Adelaide, and are president and deputy president of the Sarawak Alumni of the University of Adelaide (SAUA).

At a luncheon on Friday, representatives from SAUA, KTS Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Henry Lau who is also SAUA vice president for Sibu and Rodger Chan Siong Boh, SAUA honorary secretary were present to meet Her Excellency.

The Honorary Consul of Australia in Kuching, Datuk Philip Ting Ding Ing, hosted the luncheon.