A large number of people joined the Sikh community on morning of Sunday 15 May to view the Australian-Indian Historical Society display. People came from many different backgrounds to view the historical articles.
People from all backgrounds came to Shepparton Gurduara Sahib to view the displays by the Australian-Indian Historical Society.
Founders of the historical society – Crystal Jordana and Len Kenna have spent decades researching Australian-Indian History and have made significant contributions to the wealth of Indian history in Australia. Many first indians in Australia were hawkers, people who travelled in wagons from town to town selling important supplies to the early settlers in Australia, many of whom would not have survived without their assistance.
There is a unique spiritual connection between India and Australia: 26 January is celebrated as Australia Day; it is also an important celebration in India, for 26 January is Republic Day for India, the celebration of Independence from the British.
Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley is home to many Sikh families, and the President of the Gurduara, Gurmeet Singh remarked that many years ago, there were only 5 or 6 families in the region. Now the families number in the hundreds, and Sikhs are a strong, reliable presence in industry and many orchards in the region.
A Hindi language podcast on the work of the Australian Indian Historical Society is available here
