On Saturday, 4 March 2023, commemorations were held by the Sikh community to share its rich and vibrant Australian history at The Australian Sikh Heritage Trail, Adenia Park.
The trail is a network of winding pathways and storyboards by Perth's Canning River showcasing Australia's rich Sikh history.
Tarun Preet Singh from the Sikh Association of Western Australia told SBS Punjabi that every year, this day celebrates the unique stories of historical Sikh connections and migration journeys of early Sikh settlers in WA.
"The annual day marks the contribution of Sikhs in building Australian identity," he said.
"We commemorate the ultimate sacrifice of Flying Officer Manmohan Singh during the air raids in Broome during World War–II on 3 March 1942. He is immortalised with plaques in three cities in Australia - Perth, Darwin and Broome," said Mr Singh.
The Sikh community's roots in WA go back around 120 years. This rich history is found in the stories of early Sikh settlers, documented in various archival records.
"We also displayed the book containing entries written in 'Gurmukhi' from around 100 years ago that were found in Dongara last year."
"The ledger includes official transactions and records written in Gurmukhi, which shows that even 100 years ago, Sikh settlers were established businessmen in Australia and used to do their day-to-day transactions in their own language," he said
Local and Federal MPs, the Consul General of India in Perth were some of the esteemed guests present to mark this event.
Mr Singh said that the idea of celebrating Sikh Heritage Day is to inculcate a sense of pride and self-esteem through education and engagement.
To know more about Sikh Heritage Day, click on the audio player to listen to the interview with Tarun Preet Singh
