Afghan arrived in two waves into Australia
A story of an Afghan
Mahmud Allum was born in Kandahar in 1857 when it was the capital city of Afghanistan. As a young boy he did not go to school but he received some education from Islamic holy men at the mosque, consisted mostly of learning and understanding the Koran, the Islamic Holy book during his youth he witnessed the invasions of British and Russians of his country.
By the time Mohamat Allum became interested in the British and their way of life and he began
to sell horses and camels to a British regiment in India and saved some money, which helped him
later to travel to Australia.
It was in the 1890 that Allum arrived in Western Australia, finding many of his country men already
there. At the time of his arrival nearly 2000 Afghans were in Western Australia..
He worked for several years in various ways as miner, camel man and trader. He traveled the length and breadth
of Australia.
Once, traveling with camels in Queens land, he almost drowned when the Leichardt River flooded. Twice he was lost in the heat of the inland and almost perished before finding water because of his unusual personality he became interested in Colonial courts procedures and he began to understand the religion of his adopted country.
On his travels with camel across Australia, He saw a great deal of sickness and poverty and he treated the sick people with the herbs he always carried with him during these years he worked as carpet dealer, baker, butcher and draper. For a time in New South Wals he had a dropper shop in Lismore and become known as an herbalist in Wilcannia.
People, who because of their skin colour were no welcome at hotels, were often invited to stay with him. When he lived in Broken Hill he worked in the mines in those days condition underground were very bad and the worker worked in icy water. Consequently there was a great of sickness among the worker and Mohamet did his best to help their suffering.
After years of traveling round Australia, Mohamat finally decided to settle in Adelaide and he bought a too story house in Adelaide not for from mosque. He established himself as an herbalist. People came to his consulting rooms. References to him were made frequently in the press, articles were written about him in newspapers and magazines and people, who were treated by he wrote testimonials to him.
His successes resulted in professional jealousy. Some Adelaide doctors began a campaign against him that he is not a medical practitioner. He was find but continued to protest his innocence he said that he never missed an opportunity to tell the public that he was an herbalist and have no medical degree.
Later he decided to leave Australia and published his decision in a pamphlet this decision brought a flood of letters and requests from all over Australia and asked him to reconsider his decision. One of his patient’s colleted nearly 10000 signatures on a petition.
After this petition and further support that he received from the public- welfare clubs and many individuals he decided to stay in Australia. In 1937 he married a girl and a daughter was born his wife died 1953. Allum and his daughter became estranged and she went to live with other people. Mohomet Allum died aged 107 on March 1964.
Camel
Camel is a larges strong desert animal. Camels can travel distances across hot, dry deserts with little food or water. They walk easily on soft sand where truck can not go and carry people and heavy loads to places where there are no roads. Camel also serves the people of the desert in many other ways.
The Camel carries its own food on its back in the form of a hump. The camel’s hump is a large lump of fat that provides energy for the animal if food is hard to find.
There are two chief kinds of camels
- The Arabian camel, which has one hump.
- The Bactrian camel, which has two humps and can be found wild in Mongolia.
Scientists believe camels lived only in North America until about 175,000 years ago. No one knows why they disappeared. During the 1850s the U.S Army brought about 80 camels from Africa and Asia to carry cargo from Texas to California. Later because of railways there was no need to use camel in the army any more.
Camels seem to dislike everything even other camels. Camel will bite men and animals alike camels do not work willingly, and they never learn to obey freely like horses-dogs and some other animals.
Food: Camels can go for days or even weeks with little or no food or water. Camels can eat everything including cactus without hurting its mouth. Camels keep most of their fat in their Hump when food is hard to find, the fat in the hump provides energy for the animal if the camel could not get food for a long time, its hump shrink and can hang down on its side. After the camel has had a few days rest and some food the hump becomes firm. The hump is not a storage place for water, as many people believe.
Water: A camel can go with out water for days or even months. The amount of water a camel drinks depend on the time of year and the weather. Camels that go in the Sahara can go all winter without water and may refuse to drink if water is offered to them. In summer, camels may drink about (19 liters) a day but they can go without water for two to five days, than they drink only as much as they need.
A camel needs little water because it gets some wetness from its food. Also, it keeps most of the water that is in its body. Most animals sweat when hot and the evaporation of the water from their skin keep them cool but camel do not sweat much. Their body temperature may change as much as 6 Celsius without harm. In people, an increase of only two or three degrees is usually a sign of illness.
In 1875 the Australian explorer, Giles covered 355 km water less in eight days, while traveling from South Australia to Perth in Western Australia. After watering his camels he then traveled another 532 km in 17 days the camels received water on the 12th day. The speed of the camel depends on the type of ground he is covering. Eighty or ninety km per day was common for a traveling camel, although the Australian record for a one day camel rid was 225km from Boolgrdie station to Kingoayna in South Australia. Another famous journey for a riding camel was completed by an Afghan cameleer in South Australia, who was carrying a ballot box from the electorate at Innamincka to the electoral officers at Farina. He covered 450km in less than three days.
The first wave of Afghans (Cameleers)
Since the occupation of Australia by Europeans in 1788 many ethnic groups from all corners of the world have settled in the fifth continent after European, people come from Asia and the Pacific.
Nineteenth century Australia was in a constant process of resettlement. Setters settled in the coastal and some inland grass land areas but the center of the continent the semi desert and desert part of Australia were still unknown.
The greatest problem which the early explorers faced was the question of the Type of transport to use. Horses and Bullocks had been tried but without result. Among the early settlers were many ex military men who after serving in India decided to stay in Australia many of them had served in the country that to day is Pakistan and they had some knowledge and experience of transport in desert regions.
They had seen camels being used in the frontiers regions of India in Afghanistan and Iran, where Pathan pushton and Baluchis, often depended on camels as the only means of transport. Camels were used locally as well and trading caravans carried goods to many parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Finally in 1860 a decision was made to bring camels in to Australia and a result of this in 1865, 31 afghan and 124 camels were brought to South Australia. It is estimated, that in 1895, there were 3000 Afghans in Australia and 1500camles in South Australia, 500 in New South Wales and 4000 camels in Western Australia.
The first arrivals (cameleers) helped by exploration, major survey, construction work and goods transport. They carried telegraph poles, wire, insulators and as a result of this between 1870 and 1872 the telegraph line was constructed. These early afghan arrivals built Australia’s first mosques and planted date palms. (See Appendix)
When the afghan came to Australia, they traveled alone, without wives and without families. They were excluded from the mainstream culture, forced to live in isolation in settlement that came to be known as “Ghantowns”. A few found wives in Australia but many of them who were unable to return to Afghanistan they lived alone without a partner. (See Appendix}
When the afghan came to Australia, they traveled alone, without wives and without families. They were excluded from the mainstream culture, forced to live in isolation in settlement that came to be known as “Ghantowns”. A few found wives in Australia but many of them who were unable to return to Afghanistan they lived alone without a partner. (See Appendix}
Afghan Community in Melbourne
While young Afghan Australia here moves easily through all levels of Australia society, finding employment in Australia can be a problem for older Afghans To day Afghan Businesses are booming in the areas where they have established communities, while Afghan music, food stores and restaurants continue to win many fans among wider Australian.
News about Afghanistan and the world: In contrast to the first wave of Afghan immigrant, resent Afghan arrivals have accesses for news about Afghanistan via international and national media but there are some Radios which broadcast just for Afghans.
SBS radio FM every Friday between 4PM-5PM in darie language and can be heard on WWW.SBS.COM.AU darie language worldwide Melbourne Ethnic Community Radio FM Sunday between 7PM-8PM and can be heard on WWW.3ZZZ.COM.AU world wide. Radio aoaz dost AM 855 on Wednesday between 8 pm- 9 pm www.aapa.org.au Gulbarg Magazine: This magazine has been published a mount and it is written and printed just by three people. Arman Magazian monthly publication of the Association of Hazaras in Victoria www.bamyan.org.au Lamar Newspaper publication monthly Association: There are many Afghan associations in Melbourne