SIKH MIGRATION TO AUSTRALASIA

The earliest Sikhs came to Australia in mid-1890s. These were the times when road transport was not yet developed. These settlers had come to run Camel trains. They were called 'Afghans' who helped keep the communication and supply line open between Melbourne and the centre of Australia. Many Sikhs took part in the gold rush on the Victorian fields. Another wave of Sikhs arrived in 1940s to work on the Banana plantations in Southern Queensland. Today a large number of them live in the town of Wolgoolga. These people now have their own Banana farms and are quite well to do. Australia has of late become quite a popular destination for Sikhs especially students. Sikh population as a percentage of Indian immigrants is about 29% in Australia. New Zealand: Here also the earliest Sikhs came towards end nineteenth century mainly as agriculturists and as dairy farmers. Sikh population as a percentage of Indian immigrants is about 21% in NZ.

SIKH MIGRATION TO AFRICA

British East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania): Sikhs were brought by the British in the early 1890s initially for building railways and subsequently running and providing security for the same. A detachment of Sikh Regiment had seen service in certain parts of East Africa in WW I. While a number of Sikhs opted to return to their homeland when the railway was completed, the majority stayed back. Many other Sikh immigrants migrated from all walks of life bringing with them skills which contributed to these countries' subsequent development. Sikhs played an important role in police and civil services and ran commercial establishments, the educational and medical institutions, factories, and workshops. Sikhs built gurdwaras and Khalsa schools-during the initial 60 years or so of the last millennium. From the earliest days, the Sikhs played a prominent part in many aspects of sports, both as players and as administrators and organizers. They had been members of the legislative council and of the municipal councils, numerous bodies, and committees. Uganda Sikhs: There was a sizable community of about 80,000 people of Indian origin in Uganda prior to 1972 which is now reduced to about 15,000 members. The year following Milton Obote's ouster by Idi Amin in a military coup in 1971, he ordered the expulsion of Asians living in Uganda. As a result, many Indians including Sikhs migrated to the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere in Europe. Sikh presence in other African countries: There is Sikh presence and gurdwaras in several other countries of Africa especially Ghana, Mauritius, S. Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, and Malawi.