Sikh History in Australia

Book Specification

Book Description

About the Book Over the last thirty-four years or so Len Kenna and Crystal Jordan have travelled across Australia, England and India, researching and collecting information, photographs and material from individuals and private and public collections and have published 15 books on Australian Indian History as well as numerous articles and radio and other interviews.

This book examines the Sikh Migrants who migrated to Australia from the 1840’s until the start of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 known as the White Australia Policy. It explains the difficulties that they faced on arriving in Australia, their employment opportunities as well as their religious, social and sporting lives.

It also explains how the largest self-funded migration of non- white people to Australia, overcame 19th Century Australian racist attitudes, and became well liked and respected members of the communities in which they lived.

Many of these Sikh Migrants returned to India after spending a number of years in Australia, and lived the rest of their lives in financial security, while others lived in Australia until they died, dependent upon the good graces of the many Australian friends they made, to care for them in their old age. Some Sikhs married or lived with white Australian or Aboriginal women who bore them children. As a result of this they developed a family structure and enjoyed the comfort of a stable life.

About the Authors Len, Graduated from La Trobe University, Bundoora, with Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Australian History and Australian Literature. Len’s writing reflects his interest in Australia and things Australian, particularly the Australian Bush. His writing also explores the ethnic mix of Australian people.

This current book expands on that ethnic theme and as a result, the reader will be surprised by the revelations in this book, of the unknown contribution that ethnic people, particularly Sikhs, have made to the development of Victoria and Australia.

Crystal, an Artist, Illustrator and Historical Researcher, comes from an artistic background and has had a strong interest in India that she inherited from her paternal Grandfather who served in the British Army in India and her father who was born at Bareilly, U. P. India. Crystal has assisted with the research and has illustrated and prepared this book for publication.

Foreword Australia as a nation is a wonderful amalgam of various diverse communities. Len Kenna has a great passion for community story- whether that community is geographic, or bound by ethnicity, or a community based on kinship.

Len Kenna’s and Crystal Jordan’s work on Australian Indian History is instructive as it covers many issues that continue to be of community concern to Australians in the second decade of the 21st Century.

Introduction Migrants from India have been arriving on Australian shores since the early days of settlement and possibly before that time.’ However, this volume is concentrating on Indians that arrived in Australia after European Settlement in 1788. The Indians that arrived in Australia shortly after settlement fall into four major categories:

1. Menservants who came to New South Wales in the early days of settlement, with serving or retired British civil or military officers who had served with the British Armies in India, or with the English East India Trading Company.

2. Indian sailors who deserted their ships or were left behind by their captains, while visiting Australian Ports.”

**Contents and Sample Pages**