Aussie Sikhs

[Dev1975]

Are there any Australian Sikhs on this board? I'm getting interested in working overseas (particularly Australia) and thought I'd ask if anyone here is an Aussie Sikh and can give me an insight into what it is really like to live and work Down Under.

Any testimonials one can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Ta!

[Seeking_Sikhi]

i'm not an aussie but i've been to different places in Aus. It really a nice place if you are looking forward to settle .. infact i'm also planning to settle there in some time .. probably by the end of this year or may be next year ..melbourne is where u'll find a good number of punjabis, second comes sydney but personally i would want to settle in Brisbane .. nice place and the ppl of the city have a laid back attitude .. suits me .. lol .. all the best !

[ekongkar]

There is little or no sangat in Australia and New Zealand. Gurdwaras aren't very active and racism is a problem.

[saint-soldier]

racism is only a big problem outside sydney. because sydney has a larger population of people from different backgrounds, racism isnt too much of a problem unless ofcourse you are at the wrong place at the wrong time.

to the op sydney has a larger sikh population than melbourne. while in melbourne there are mostly sikh students, in here we mostly have well settled sikh families, who have been here for a while. and sydney might not be nothing like surrey or southall but it does have good number of practicing sikhs.

dev 1975 let me know if you got any other questions.

[Ajit]

Hey,

I am an Aussie born sikh and let me be the first to say it is not a problem. Racism is everywhere and yes on occasion you will encounter it. I have been in aus for 22yrs not and all over aus too. I think i would have encountered racism less than a hand full of times. If you are a pure sikh and walk like a brave sikh, by this i mean not wearing a cap onto of your pub, of muslim style head wear, people are more respective and should i say weary of you. People do not want to mess with a sikh who takes pride in himself. All you sell-out sikhs are low life pansies who dont deserve the inheritence of a truely powerful race.

Ajit

[Seeking_Sikhi]

<br />Hey,<br /><br />I am an Aussie born sikh and let me be the first to say it is not a problem. Racism is everywhere and yes on occasion you will encounter it. I have been in aus for 22yrs not and all over aus too. I think i would have encountered racism less than a hand full of times. If you are a pure sikh and walk like a brave sikh, by this i mean not wearing a cap onto of your pub, of muslim style head wear, people are more respective and should i say weary of you. People do not want to mess with a sikh who takes pride in himself. All you sell-out sikhs are low life pansies who dont deserve the inheritence of a truely powerful race. <br /><br />Ajit<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Very well said my friend.. i would totally agree that racism is everywhere .. but the Aussies are well aware about Sikhs i.e if you maintain your proper roop . .. and needless to say unless you invite trouble .. it ain't gonna come your way ...

[Dev1975]

saint-soldier, thank you for your response. I've spoken to a friend of mine who has been living and working in Sydney for a couple of years now and he says it's the best move he ever made. The only thing, however, is that he is White, so I felt that his experience would differ from that of a non-European person, hence my original question.

Ideally what I wanted was for an "insider perspective", a response from someone born and bred in Australia (or even an "ex-pat" who's been in Oz for a number of years), who can tell me what the place is like for a Sikh to live and work. I had a feeling it would be like most places (not any place is perfect, after all) and there would be some issues but I thought I'd check to see if these issues were more prevalent down under.

No further questions so far, but I'll be sure to "hassle" you if I think of any!