'I built a life here’: A grandmother and granddaughter on migration, identity and language across generations

In this interview, Simar Kaur recounts her migration from Punjab to Australia in 1973, her early encounters with an unfamiliar country, and the life and business she built in Far North Queensland. Alongside her journey, her granddaughter Jaspreet Kaur reflects on growing up between cultures, sustaining Punjabi language and identity, and how belonging evolves across generations.

This story brings together different generations of a Punjabi-Australian family: Simar Kaur, who arrived in Australia from Punjab in 1973 as a young woman, and her granddaughter Jaspreet Kaur, who was born and raised in Australia. Credit: Supplied by Simar Kaur.

Click on the audio icon to listen to the full interview in Punjabi.

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