Sikh community's long contribution celebrated in Quairading

The Sikh Association of WA (SAWA) joined forces with the Shire of Quairading to create plaques which are inscribed with details of the first Sikh people to work in Quairading and surrounding towns, and their interactions with local farmers and townspeople.

Quairading Shire councillor Jo Hayes, who was involved in the project, which had been in the works for some time, with input from SAWA committee member Tarun Preet Singh and the Quairading Tourist & Tidy Town Committee (QTTTC).

Ms Hayes said the interpretive panels were made from aluminium and were designed, created and installed by fabrication company Publik.

"The panels represent a turban as it's being prepared for wearing," Ms Hayes said.

SAWA worked with the QTTTC to determine the site location and construction.

"The shire also provided the use of our town hall for a delicious traditional lunch kindly provided by the visiting Sikh community," Ms Hayes said.

"Along the journey of creating this monument we unearthed lots of interesting historical information due mainly to the keen sleuthing of QTTTC president Letty Mills."

Ms Hayes said Mr Singh's long time-local contact in Quairading was the late Jack Wilson, along with his sons Robert and Ian.

Mr Wilson is featured on the plaque.

"Many Wilson family members were in attendance on the day," Ms Hayes said.

Research found that Sikhs initially came to Australia in the late 19th century, mostly as cameleers or traders and some ventured into farming in the WA Wheatbelt.

The unveiling was attended by up to 150 people, including SAWA members who arrived by bus or motorbike procession.

The double-sided aluminium plaques are inscribed with the history of Sikh community who were active members in the local area since the early 1900s.

The content has three titles: Lions and Princesses, Colourful Characters and Gifts of Gratitude.

Lions and princesses

Sikh (meaning seeker of the truth) is a religious philosophy originating from the Punjab region of the Indian sub-continent in the late 15th century.

Men of the Sikh faith are recognisable for their dastar (turban) which is an important part of the unique Sikh identity.

All men carry the last name Singh (meaning lion), and Sikh women carry the last name Kaur (meaning princess).

Sikhs characteristically have long unshorn hair (kesh).

A little-known fact - the pleated band used to dress the Australian army slouch hat is known as a 'puggaree' meaning 'small turban' when translated from the Indian work 'pagri'.

Colourful characters

Jack Wilson remembers Kheva Singh who often camped on his family's property "as a handsome round-faced Father Christmas, who, as the Sikhs who never cut their hair or whiskers, and wore turbans adding to their mighty stature, made him appear about seven feet tall".

As a young man Kheva Singh along with many of his countrymen made his way to the foreign shores of Australia.

Working as a cameleer in the Goldfields region and supporting the erection of the Rabbit Proof Fence, these teams were at the same time considered the heavy haulage industry of remote Australia and their services were in great demand.

With the decline of gold mining in the early 1900s, many Sikhs moved away from cameleering and sought opportunities in the sandalwood trade and farming throughout the Wheatbelt.

Kheva along with Spoon and Goodit Singh, took up hawking from horse drawn caravans selling a large range of items such as haberdashery, trinkets and clothing.

They soon won the confidence of everybody, especially the ladies who would look forward to their visits and the wondrous wares they would bring.

The Sikh hawkers provided a connection to many farmers, otherwise isolated, and long distances from the city.

Strong friendships were made, many lifelong.

Sometimes referred to as brothers (due to the common Singh surname) Kheva, Spoon, Goodit and Rhan worked across many local farms before purchasing their own land.

The Sikhs were well-regarded for their breeding of good light horses and working with animals; however, less was their acumen when it came to working with farm machinery, recalls Jack Wilson.

Farming became a way of live for Kheva Singh who worked his land right into the farmer's later years.

For many years Kheva would return to hawking in the off-season.

The death of Goodit Singh in 1933 and later the passing of Spoon Singh in 1938 and Rhan Singh in 1942 would bring back fond memories of the Sikh men and the presence they build within the Wheatbelt community.

As is customary in Sikh culture, them men would be cremated on a funeral pyre.

All except Kheva who lived into his eighties before selling up and moving back to India where he spent his final year, before passing away peacefully among his countrymen.

When the Singhs eventually left, the district lost some of its most colourful characters.

Gifts of gratitude

The gun featured on the plaque is a traditional Jezail, a form of rifle favoured by cameleers.

The butt of the gun is its most distinctive characteristic and is hand crafted to fit the individual snuggle within the underarm.

This provides balance and stability of the uncommonly long barrel.

The Jezail is thought to be hand made from local timber and assembled with purchased parts.

It is believed this gun belonged to Charr or Kheva Singh and was gifted to May Kelly by one of the pair to signify their gratitude for her father's efforts in teaching them to read and write English.

Courtesy of the Kelly family, Meckering.