1945. During the early days of the Japanese invasion of Malaya, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force units stationed at RAF Butterworth struggled to counter Japanese air raids over Penang and took heavy casualties. These Allied units had to withdraw southwards by 15 December, while RAF Butterworth was seized by the Imperial Japanese 25th Army on 20 December. After Malaya's independence in 1957, as part of an effort to advocate import substitution industries in the 1960s, the Alliance-led Penang state government, led by the then Chief Minister Wong Pow Nee, developed Mak Mandin as the first industrial estate in Penang. The Mak Mandin Industrial Estate was founded in 1961. In 1974, the Port of Penang was relocated from George Town to Butterworth, substantially boosting the town's economy. The Butterworth Town Council had been established in 1953. However, the town council was amalgamated with the Seberang Perai North Rural District Council in 1962. The local governments in Seberang Perai were eventually merged and upgraded into the Seberang Perai Municipal Council in 1976. Towards the end of the 20th century, Butterworth underwent a period of decline. The town suffered significantly due to administrative decentralisation. The North Seberang Perai District Office, along with the district's police headquarters and a government-run hospital, was moved out of the town. By the time of the relocation of the Seberang Perai Municipal Council from Butterworth to Bukit Mertajam in 2006, the town's infrastructure had deteriorated extensively. In 1988, the passenger platform of the town's ferry terminal collapsed, costing 32 lives, while in 2001, a fire destroyed a three-storey bus station near the ferry terminal. In recent years, more efforts have been undertaken to revive the town's fortunes. At present, the ongoing infrastructure projects within Butterworth include Penang Sentral, which is mooted as the main transportation hub within the State of Penang, and by extension, northern Malaysia. Plans to rejuvenate parts of the town centre through the promotion of arts and culture have also been implemented through public-private partnerships. Geography The downtown of Butterworth lies at the southernmost tip of the North Seberang Perai District, between the Perai River to the south and the Penang Strait to the west. The Perai River forms a natural boundary between Butterworth and the neighbouring urban of Perai, with the latter situated on the southern banks of the river. Both towns are connected via the Prai River Bridge,