The Afghans in Australia

THE AFGHANISTAN COUNCIL

THE AFGHANSIN AUSTRALIA

by May Schinasi OccasionalPaper #22

THE ASIA SOCIETY

112 East 64th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021 THE AFGHANSIN AUSTRALIA

by Nay S chinas i

OccasionalPaper #22

October, 1980

Afghanistan Council The Asia Society 112East 64th Street New York City PAR 4WIN° \/ Bel' of , PAC /F /COCEAN 1 I. p./ A'/MBERLEYIPLATEAU NORTHERN CLON I NO/ANOCEAN Pell H.1on PORT HEDLAN °MARBLE BAR r TERRITORY ALICE° Q° UUCHESS Memel, Per AUSTRALIA 'ApAuqus ours. - WESTERN SPRINGS QUEENSLAND _ CgArko74 Adskidi\M\ V MEEKATHARRA QQAUSTRALIA °WILUNA OODNADATTlSOUTH J L YRE A BRISBANE LOCATION MAP 2000 km AUSTRALIATARCOOLA° BELTAAIAÓFARINA % I4ERGOTTISPRMS í- - Q(MARREE) + URKE PERTH Q°KALGOORUECOOICaARI.IE L. TLVPRENSO AUGUSTA PORT WOKFNON T WI NNI MEnaNOlt pall NEW SOUTH Ci FREMANTL ADELAIDE I 1 WALES YLiNEY )° VICTORIA ME LBOUPIIE TASM Q AUSTRALIA 0 L i . . 500 1 . . . . 1000 km 4 N:Á 1. Introduction

The projectto buildanAfghan MemorialHall inthetown of Adelaide,South Australiawasannouncedin1976.1 Thisannouncementmay seem strange to the rest of the worldwhere thehistoricalconnectionsbetween Afghanistanand Australiaappearto beremote. However, inAustraliait iswell knownthat in thesecond halfof the19thcentury cameleersbrought theircamelsfrom Afghanistanand Indiaand that theyplayedaprominentrole in variousex- peditionsexploringthat hugecontinent. Theintroductionof the camel greatlyexpeditedthe explorationof Australia. Thecameleerswereamong Australia'spioneers.

An extensivebody ofliteraturerecounts with praisethe journeysof these cameleersand theirbeasts. Today theirpresenceis recalledat tourist and cultural sites,museums,zoologicalgardens and reserves. Australiansare well informedofthe importantcontributionsmade bythesemenfromAfghanistan.

Thestory ofthe came inAustraliawastoldremarkablywell inabook published inMelbournein 1969. TheCamel in Australiacoveredallaspects of camellore, includingthe physicaland biologicalconstitutionof thespecies, theeventful voyagesbyseafrom1860onwards,their varioususes aspack and ridingcamels

° in thedesert,theirdeclinefrom the 1920sand theirpresent returntoawild state. Since thelives ofthese animalswerecloselyconnectedto those of themenwhoaccompaniedthemand settledinAustralia,the author,T.L. McKnight, didnot neglectthe immigrants. He describedtheir journeysas caravaneers andtheirsettlementin Australia,whichat timesended miserably.

up to now,writershave beenmoreinterestedin thecamelsthan in themen. To Australiansthestrangeappearanceof thebeastswasstrikinglynoveland theirsignificantshare intheexploration ofthecontinentwas anaddedat- traction. Themenwhoaccompaniedthe camelsremained intheirshadow.

Thestory ofthe continuoususeof thecamel lastedroughly 60years. It started withthe Burkeand Willsexpedition in1860 andended inthe 1920s whenmotortransport took theplace ofcameltransport. Documents related to the variousstages of thisstoryareavailable inAustralia whereboth writtenrecords andliving evidenceofanottoo distant, andfar from dead, past exist. Additionalinformationmaybe gleaned fromAustralianarchives and also from Afghanistanwheresomeof thecameleers originated. Much ofthe information isnot entirelynewsince in bothcasesitwaspublishedmany years ago;butaccessto itwassomewhat difficultwiththe resultthat it remained littleknown. Not the least ofthe problemswasthe factthat thematerial fromAfghanistanwaswritten in Persian.

The additionalsourcesconsist ofabook publishedinAustraliabyoneMusakhan whooriginallycamefrom Karachiand who, inAustralia,had presidedoverthe establishmentofa mosquein Perth. Then there isashortpassageinatravel account of the Britishengineer,FrankA. Martin, publishedin Englandin1907.4 Martin workedinAfghanistanfrom 1895to 1903. Later, severalletters sent from Perthto Kabul in 1914-15 byamember ofthe Muslimcommunity of Australiawerepublished inanAfghannewspaper.5

Thesesourcesdeal withthemen. Musakhan in hisnarrativeabout thePerthmosque gave,amongother things,anextensive listof all thecontributorsto the building fund. Martinreferredontwopagestosome newsfrom "theAfghancolony of Australia"which hadreached Kabul whilehewasthere;and he mentionedsomeof

1 the personal difficulties the cameleers encountered while theywerein Australia in addition to those they faced at home when andif they returned. The letters in the Kabulperiodical dealt mainly with the religious life centered around the mosquesthese zealous Muslims built inanumber of places in Australia.

Fromthis materialone canat lastpositively identify something of the personality of the cameleers. Considering the relatively smallsize of their communityin its heyday, whichwascomparatively brief, itnowseemed possible to get to knowthese peopleasindividualsrather thanasshadows of their initial raisond'être, thecamel.

To achieve this itwas necessaryto consult the record books andthe archives extant indifferent Australianstatesaswellasthe memoires ofsomeprivate individuals. All the material presented herewascollected through correspondence. Manycor- respondents,all of whomwereatfirst unknown to the author, not only answered but took thetrouble to send references, documents, photocopies of articles andpress cuttings,photographs, personal souvenirs and othertestimonies, in spite of the inconvenienceand the slowness of the mail. Each has its place in thisarticle.6 Nevertheless, it is likely thatasystematic study of all Australiansourceswill enableus oneday to revise the followingsurveywhich is basedonthe above-men- tionedmaterials.

In order toplace the cameleers intheirnewAustralian perspective, it appeared usefultooutline briefly the history of the explorations of the continent, together withthepartthe camels tookin it. Thiswasdone with the help of expeditionaccountsand with the aid of McKnight's unique study.

2. The Exploration of the Continent: The Camels

After the discovery of the Australian coastsin the 17thcentury byDutch navigators andmerchants, in the 18th century byBritish explorersJ.Cook(1770), Flinders (1799),Vancouver(1791),etc., and the French D'Entrecasteaux (1791 -93) and Baudin (1800), the timecameto penetrate theinterior,anarid task ifevertherewas one. Australia'sphysical topography is immense, monotonous and devoid of largerivers. The soilisarid and the climate generallywarmand dry, with extreme temperature variations and torrentialrains.7

GreatBritainsentits first convicts to the bay of present day Sydneyin 1788 and there foundedNewSouth Wales, the first colony. Then settlers, farmersandowners of large herds of sheep began arrivingtosettle where they could. Theywere soon joinedby workmen whocamemainly from Asia. While the colonizing of ^parts of the continentwastakingplace,8anumber ofcourageousand dauntlessmen were exploring the rest of thecountry.9

The explorations lastedmanymonths and large amounts ofmaterial and provisions were necessaryboth for themen aswellasthe animals. Saddle horses, pack horses andbullocks formed part of the transport teamsand thesuccessof the expedition dependedonthe well -being of theseanimals. Thirst and exhaustionwerethe main hazardsof the treks andeach journey, successfulorunsuccessful, undoubtedly met withmoments ofdistress;somefailed with all hands lost.

When the cameleers first landedin Australia in 1860, the easternpart of the continent had already been largely explored. Upuntil this time the beasts of burden used inAustraliawerethe horse and the bullock andmany wererequired for each expedition. While these animals lacked neither endurancenorrobust- ness,itwasknown that these qualitieswere even moreexplicitlyrepresented,

2 together with added desirable characteristics, by the camel,ananimalnotfound onthe Australian continent.

In1839, the Sydney Herald first presented the ideaof introducing the camelto Australia by describing this animalasbeing "admirablyadapted to the climate and soilofNew South Wales." An attempt to bring camelsto Australiawasmade in the followingyear. Out ofninecamels imported from theCanaryIslands, however, only onesurvivedthe long journey. Itarrived inPort Adelaide andwastaken by J. Horrocks,anexplorer, toward LakeTorrens. Horrocks, unfortunately, hadanaccident and the camelwasshot. Thesame year acouple of camels which had travelledon theshipCalcutta landed in Melbourne. Theywereused onlytosatisfy people's curiosityand "their actualfate isunknown."10

Twentyyearslater,asthe exploration of Australiawasprogressing, the Royal Society ofVictoriacame upwith thenovel idea of crossing the continent from south to north. TheGovernment of Victoria quickly became involvedwith thepro- jectand appointedanorganizing committee, collected funds and namedanIrishman, R.O.Burke,ashead of the party. Burke pinned his hopes ofsuccess oncamels eventhough the earliercamel performances had been disappointing. Twomonths before thestart ofthe expedition, 24 camels landed in Melbourne. ABritish officer, George J.Landells, whowasposted in Lahore, had been askedtoselect and buy the camels. Little is known of Landells, his itinerary,thestepshe took for the deal or eventhe places hewent to: "Mr. Landells then in India,wascommunicated with, and in May lastyearhas acknowledged from Lahore the receiptof the instructions addressedtohim (...) but the difficultiesMr. Landells experiencedin procuring the animals-for which he travelled to Affghanistan (sic)atatime when Northern Indiawasstill under the influence of the expiring flames of rebellion-occasioned moredelay than had been anticipated."12 Onlysomeof the 24 camels join ^d the exhibition but their serviceswerefully appreciatedeventhough several of them perished-lost, boggedoreaten!

The Burke andWills (Willswasthe second -in- command) Expedition (1860)wasthe first official expedition in Australia although theGovernment of SouthAustralia sponsoredasimilar operationat about thesametime addinganoteof competition tobothventures. The Burke and Wills Expeditionwent downin Australian history and partiallyaccomplished its mission although Burke, Wills and several othermen died of exhaustionontheirreturn. The expedition's main claim to fame, however, wasthat itwasthe first Australian expedition tousecamels.l^-

In the 1860sThomas Elder(1818- 1897),aScotsman,emigratedtoAdelaide and became aprominent personality in thehistory of Australianexploration.13 Eldernever conductedanyexpeditions himself but he organized and financedanumber of them and,above all, he and his partner, S.J Stuckey, advocated themassintroduction, breedingand extensiveuseof camelsonthe continent.

Duringatrip to the Holy Landin 1857, Elder had had his first experience of travel- lingoncamel back and by the time he returned toAdelaide he iiad become convinced that camelsweretheanswerto transportin the outback. Stuckey went to India tonegotiate the purchaseof 124 camelsaswellasthemorecomplicated terms of their shipment toAustralia. Thatwasdone at last and "in 1865, Mr. Elder chartered the Blackwell toload camels at Kurrachee." The Blackwell landed in PortAugusta. inJanuary 1866. The camelsweretakeneastof LakeTorrens at the foot of the Flinders Ranges toBeltana where Elderhadsetup avastbreeding station. Thus, Elder becamethe first camel -breederin Australia. The camelswerehandled bya groupof cameleers whomadethe trip with them.

3 Elder equipped several of themost famous expeditions in South and Western Australia. In 1873, Col.P.É.Warburton travelled with sixmenof whomtwowere"Afghan camel drivers "anda caravanof four riding camels and 13 pack camels loaded withpro- visionsfor six months. Thiswasthe first expeditiontousecamels exclusively. In 1875, the tireless Britishexplorer,Ernest Giles, crossed the continent from Beltana to Perth withseven men,includingan"Afghan camel driver" and only camels, sevenfor ridingand 15 for packing. Thesame year,John W. Lewiswasaskedto reconnoiterthe surroundings of LakeEyre andhe took eight companions of whom threewere"Afghan camel drivers." In 1891, the ElderScientific Exploring Expedition,organized by Elder butled by David Lindsay, consisted of five specialists, several assistantsand five "Afghans"to attend 4 camels.

Almost all expeditions in Australia, whether privateorofficial, used camelsat that time. Onecanalso mention the explorer,W.H.Tietkens, who, in1899 under the patronage of the Royal Geographical Society,reached the heart of the continent with12 camels and supplies for14 months;Lawrence A, Wells, leader of the Calvert Scientific ExploringExpedition (1896),onwhose expeditionpart of the team and the camelswerelost forever. DavidW. Carnegie, fascinated by camels,who purchased several at hisown expensein orderto explore the WestAustralian goldfields between Coolgardie and the Kimberleys (1894and1896);Davidson,also lookingfor gold, who chose nine sturdy animalstocarry menand provisions (1900),etc.

With the growingneed in Australia for exploration and development, the demand for pack and draft camels increased. After Elder,anumber of camel importers combined breeding stations withtransport companies and the initially limited number of camels increased enormously in proportionto the growth oforganizedtransport.

By the turn of the century the Australian continent had been almost entirely explored but the role of the camelwasfar fromover. For twomoredecades camels remained the bestwayof transportingcargo. For example, camels worked for the heroic party which installed the first transcontinental telegraph cable, the Overland Telegraph Line (OTL), between Adelaide and Darwin. In1908 -10, they assisted in the construction of the Canning StockRoute between Wiluna and the Kimberleysand, from 1912 -17, the transcontinental railway line fromPort Augusta to Kalgoorlie. They werealso widely used in boringwells and settingupmiles of rabbit and dingo proof fences.

Theuseof camels flourished from 1880 onwards after the discovery of gold inWes- tern Australia and other minerals inQueensland. They also served the needs of settlers and cattle stations. Asrecognizedroutes between fixed pointswere established, thecamel trains ceasedtomoveat randomasthey had during theex- plorations. Regularrouteswereestablished and loads differedbetween the outward and the return journeys. Heavy material, basic supplies and provisionswere car- riedtomining,agriculturalorforestcenters and to the remote cattle stations; ore,bales of wool, wheatand woodwerebrought backtorailheadsordepots.

The 1920s however,sawthe introduction of modern facilities; lorries, othermotor vehiclesand railways replaced the slower camelcaravans. Asaresult, camel- breeding stations and transport companies became obsolete. McKnight described how the camel-owners,facing bankruptcy,wereforced to shootanumber of animals and free others in order to rid themselves of their expensive herds. He ends his story of the domesticated camel in Australia withapoignantaccountof the thousands of feral camels, viz. "revertedtowild existence," wandering alone in the Australian deserts today.14

Thus,the chapter of thecamelcaravansended.

4 L 3. The Cameleers

The history of thelife and times of the domesticated camel in Australia is closely associated with that of the cameleers who handled them and whose bread -winners they wereforalongtime.15 The cameleers providedthe first known contacts between Afghanistan and Australia.

In 1860 the first cameleers arrived. Therewerethree andtwoareknown byname: Dost Mahomet(DBst Mohammed)and Belooch(Baluch)16 They walkedtoKarachi where they boarded the Chinsurahand reached Melbourneon9June,1860. Sixyearslater asecondgroupof 31men came,accompanying ElderandStuckey'scamels. They also walkedtoKarachi, boarded the Blackwellto Port Augusta and then walked toElder's station wheretheywereassignedtocarefor the herd.

Assoon asthey arrived in Australia these cameleerswerecalled Afghans and the namestuck. Probablymost of themcamefrom AfghanistanornorthernIndia. Those recruitedby Landells and Stuckey naturally called themselves Afghanssince they weremembers of Afghan tribes from Qandahar,1 ?erat, the North West Frontier- especially Peshawar, Punjab and Quetta. From theethnic point of view the term "Afghan" is applied tonumerousPashto -speaking tribes,PashtóbeinganIranio lan- guagespoken by 10 to 12million people. Geographically the Afghan tribes live inavastmountainousareawhich includes the south andeast of present dayAfghanistan and stretches to theIndus River in Pakistan. In the 19th centurythis regioncon- stitutedthefloating north-westlimit of the British Empire of India where these tribes, characterized byanomadicwayof life, moved about quite freely. Itis noteworthy that they did not giveuptheir freedomeventhough in 1893apolitical and artificial frontier divided their territory and separated thenewAfghan state from BritishIndia. (When thenewsreached Australiathat Emir P.bdur-Rahman [1880- 1901)18had founded, unified and organizedanAfghan state [1893-delimitation of the boundaries]it arousedaburst of patriotic feelingsamong"the Afghan colonyof Australia." The letter ofcongratulations theysent to theEmir when, in 1896, he receivedthetitle,"Light of the Nation and Religion [Ze_yául-mel.latw-ad- din]"was reported by Martinasevidenceof their enthusiasm. In thesameletter they also asked the Emirto intervene with the Government of British Indiatoobtainexemp- tions from the immigrationtaxesimposedonall Asiatics by the AustralianGovern- ment.

The majority ofAustralians hadnoappreciation of the ethnic diversity of the cameleersand attachedthename"Afghan"enbloc toeveryonewhocamefromanyIndianport, whose externalappearancewith turbans and "floating costumes" confounded theun- accustomedeye,particularly those whowereaccompanied by camels destined for the desert.

The emnicdiversity of.thecameleers is illustrated by the reports fromMusakhan (of whomweshallsee morelater), dated 1905 and 1906 (40yearsafter the first arrivals), listing contributors to the Perthmosque. The reportwasmethodically organized according to ethnic and tribalorigins.F1 In thefirstreport out of 204 contributors-all named-over100 Afghans belonging to the following tribes and sub -tribeswerelisted: "Durranie "(Dorrhni),15names;"So1ayrtraa Khel"(Solaymàn-kh6.1)- 9names and"Kharotie "(Kharóti) from the big Ghelzay tribe of southeastern Afghanistan- 6; "Kakarh"(Kákar) 5 and "Tareen (Tarin) from northern Baluchistan- 4; "Tokhie" (Tókhi)-2 "Nassir" (Nasir)- 1; "Baburh "(Bâbar)-1; Mohmand -5 "Shinwari"(Shenwári)- 1 and "Kohatie(Kohâti)- 3, tribes in the Khyber Pass vicinity; "Minanie" (Manáni) -4, "Daftanie" (Daftani)- 1, "Laghmàni"-2 and "Maykhel "(Miyàn- khèl)- 2. The maingroup, the "PishorieAfghans"orAfghans from Peshawar, numbered 45names. The 1906report extended the1905 list addingsomeAfridi, Bangash and Banuchi, all originating south ofthe Khyber Pass.

5 Thesereports also indicatethat therewerealargenumber ofnon-Afghancameleers whowerenativesof variousparts ofwestern India,Baluchistanespecially,Rajputana, Sind, Punjab,MakranandBengal. The 1905listincludedanumber of themdivided into"Baloach"(Baluch) -16names,"PunjabiIndians"-15and "Hindooand Sikh Indians- 6; the 1906 listaddedsomeMakrani,aCingalese aBrahui,aPersianandaMalay from Singapore,etc. Tenyears later, inaletteraddressedfrom Perthto Kabul, mostnameslistedwereknownto belongto BaluchcommunitiesinSind.20

In spite ofcommunicationproblemsnewsof thesuccessof thecameleersand the sterlingperformancesof thecamels inAustraliasooneliciteda response. Thesuccess setin motionasecondwaveof immigrants. Thosewho hadalittlemoneyandsome initiative decidedto take advantageofthe situationbyconductingtheirowncara- vans;othersconcludedworking contracts withacarrier.All ofthemcamebyseato Australia withgroupsof camelsand landed eitheronthewestcoast atFremantle or Port Hedland,or onthesouthcoast at PortAugusta. Thefactthat theycameinto contact withthe foreignersat the Britishmilitarygarrisonsin Indiamayhavecon- tributedtotheirdecisionto depart forAustralia. They wouldhave heardabout long voyagesand, beingalreadynomadicbynature, it is likelythat theyweretempted by adventureaswellasbymoney.

Oneof the firstcameleersto makea namefor himself inthe cameltransport business was oneAbdulWade (Abdul- Wáhed) whooriginated intheQuetta district. Froman interview hegaveinPort Augustato TheAge,aMelbournedaily,welearn thathe understoodthe opportunitiesexistinginAustraliaand thathe arrivedonthe continent in 1879withanumber ofcamels. 21He settled inthegoldfieldarea nearCoolgardie and Kalgoorlie. He musthave made hisfortune quicklyand thenmovedon. At the time of the interviewhe ownedmanyanimals,pack- camels, milk-camelsand she -camels,and headeda transportbusiness,theBourke CarryingCompany,at Bourke, NSW. According to the HistoryofBourke hisofficewas onthe outskirtsoftown and hisstud farmwas onthe Wanaaringroad,at Wangamanastation22 Each timehe hadto buy and import camels he wouldcontact his"agents inRajputana,Beluchistan andAfgahnistan "(sic); they wouldselect theanimalsand bringthemto Karachiwhere Abdul -Wahe d wouldmeet them and bringthe camelsto Australia. In 1892 -93 heimportedabout 750animals and plannedto buy stillmore. Thecost ofanadult camelinthosedayswas40pounds. Aftera90 -dayquarantine periodat PortAugusta, the camelswould be loadedwith goods (whichwould besold alongthe way)and head forBourke, coveringthe 750 miles inabout 30 days. Assoon asthey arrivedthe animals,alreadyundercontract, would be loadedfor theirtrektotheoutback. Abd ul- Wahed'scaravansserved much of South Australia,New South WalesandQueensland,particulatlytheParoo Valley. Success brought Abdul -Wahedrespect and he oftenactedasspokesman for hisless powerfulcountrymen against rivalcameleersand the localgovernment. Atonetime he had 60compatriotsamonghiscamel driverswhowerehired forthreeyearsfor three poundsamonth. One of them,Bye Khan (Bay?Khan)leda50camel string,had fought in theSecondAnglo- AfghanWarin1879 -80and reputedlywas over100yearsold when he diedat Bourke in 1947.23

Documentsprovidesomefiguresabout the numberand datesofsuccessive arrivalswhich permitoneto define the rhythmofmovement. From 1860 (Burkeand Wills)to 1907, the date of thelast importantarrivalof 500 camelsontheCentury at Port hedland,there wascontinuous trafficbetweenthe Indian sub-continentand Australia. Theyear1887 alone, for example,saw"120 nativedrivers"disembark inSeptember fromthe Abergeldie at Fremantle.24 Thenext month "44 Afghandrivers"arrivedonthe Yeoman.25 The official number of"393 Afghans"givenby the 1901censusis saidto be the maximum everreached:"In 1901,393Afghanswererecorded inAustralia. Sincethen theyhave steadily decreased. In 1911, 295wererecorded, 6being females,and in 1921,147, including 3 females."26

6 Thesefigures requireaword ofcomment. Aswedonot know thesources nortowhom the figureswereapplied,wewonder again what.,is impliedby theterm"Afghan." Did itmeanthe number of arrivalsregistered:by;.sómeport authority policeorthe number of residents inaparticular state? Inany -`case, the Afghan populationwasdecreasing.

Attendanceat the greatmosquein Adelaide duringRamazan indicated thesamedecline. Therewere"over 80 Afghans"in 1890 and "67 turbanedresidents in Adelaide" in 1894, noted the dailyObserver.27But therewereonly "a handful of worshippers" in 1939 and "only two worship in themosque nowin 1950."28

Asamatter ofcoursethe geographical distributionof the cameleer populationonthe Australian continentwassubjectto marketdemand. From 1880 onwards the goldfields attracted people theway amagnet attracts iron. Western Australia had the greatest density of Afghansand continuedtohave itaslongascamelswereneeded to haul cargo.

"InJanuary1903 six Indian camelownersand drivers in Perthtook the unusual step of petitioning the Viceroy of Indiaonbehalf of the 500 -odd natives of Indiaand Afghanistan resident inWesternAustralia." Reports for thesame --regionuptothe end of 1906 mention about 300contributorsto themosqueoutofatotal of "400 members residing in differentparts of this State."29In 1914 atBroken Hill, Sayyed JalálShahspoke of "200personsof whomsome arewith families," inreference to "Afghan Muslims."3ÓIn 1915 thesameSayyed estimated the numberof " Afghans" living in Australiato be700.31Therewerefew ifany newcomersafter 1910.

Onlyastudy of Australian birth registrationrecords will reveal the pertinent data about anothergroupof people, the first generation ofcameleers bornonAustralian soil ofnon-Afghan mothers and Asiatic fathers. Itis likely that they followed their fathers' professionand religion andwereprobably included in the above -mentioned figures. A fewburialsof children bearing Muslimnamesdatingasfar backas1896 suggestthat the descendantsof mixed marriageswereincreasing. However,English soonbecame the language ofcommunicationandtoday the descendants of the early pioneersareprobably integrated intd Australian society,their origin onlyafar off memoryifnot lost.

Since the cameleerswereborn nomads they hadnogreatdifficulties in acclimatizing themselves for the long desert crossingsandwerecontentwith few material comforts. Ateachstop theyformeda groupwhichcame-tobe knownas a"Ghan camp"or"Ghan town," since theword AfghanwasshortenedtoGhan. Often situatedonthe outskirts of town and populated accordingtotimes andseasons,thesecamps werelocatedon all maincaravantracks "at Cloncurry and Dutchess in Queensland; Bourke, Wilcannia and Broken Hill inNew South Wales; Port Augusta, Lyndhurst, Farina, Hergott Springs, Oodnadattaand Tarcoola in South Australia;Alice Springs inthe NorthernTerritoryand Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie,Wiluna, Meekatharraand Marble:BarinWestern Australia." 33

Theirrealdifficultiescamefrom elsewhere. Firstwasthe language problem. Most of them knew only theirownlanguage, Pashto,Hindustani, Baluchi, Sindi, oftenalettle of each andalittle Persianaswell. They didnot knowEnglish and didnot always learn itasfluentlyasthemanMartin referredtoas anAfghan back from Australia whom hemetin Kabul: "Hespoke English likeanAustralian,and his language wasinterlarded with oaths which soundedqueerly from the lips ofatypical Afghan."33In situations of conflict the cameleers usually hadtouse aninterpreter or oneof theirgroupwho hadsomeknowledge of Englishandsomesocial standing.

7 Their professionalso hindered theiracceptance. At the beginning, competition between camels and Australianbullocks ledtohostility. Later, when the camel prevailedand the Australiansstarted theirowncompanies,the rivalrieswere ex- acerbated. Quarrels sometimesexplodedonthe road. McKnight listedthereasons for the disputes whichincludedthe lowerwagesaccepted by the "Afghans,"the "lowstandard of healthand sanitation of theircamels," "theoverstocking ofcorn- monagepaddocks withcamels, largelyowned and managedby Afghans."34 In the 1890s, for example,the situationbecame serious whenthe QueenslandAustralian carriers petitionedthe authoritiesand demandedthat the "Afghan"cameleers be excluded from thestate. Nothing happened.

Hired cameleerswerenot spared either. Many recruited by Australiantransport companieswerein difficultysoonafter their arrival. As earlyas1882 "aparty of Afghansat Baltana"wasreportedoutof workand, in 1888,so wasanotherat Farina.35 Often, followingattacks ofmange-themostcommondiseaseamongcamels whichcaused disastrous losses-anemployerwas nolonger inapositionto honor hiscontracts. Consequently cameleersweresummarily dismissedand found themselves penniless. Suchafate awaited 23camel handlers wholanded in September 1887at Fremantle; theircase wasreferredto the localgovernment and mentioned in thepress. Themendidnot accept repatriation but insistedonbeingsent to South Australia where, inthePort Augusta quarantinecenter, they thought they would havea-better chance of findingjobs.36

Many cameleers had to finda wayof makingaliving after theircontracts expired. Somemade for the city. InAdelaide, for instance,themosque wasknown to bea refuge for thepoorwhere "theywereprovided with foodand shelter."37'Some be- camehawkers, travellingonfoot from placeto place; others did odd jobs. Musa- khan's list givesanidea of thesedentary occupations in Perth:drapers, shop- keepers, merchants, two tailors,onegardner,two watchmen,oneherbalist anda champion wrestler originatingfrom the Punjab!

Becausetheirroutes led the cameleersacrossthe whole continent, death could -be expected in the most isolated andremoteareas."Some lie buriedinalittle cemeterysouth of the highwaywhere itcrossesAnabranch."38 Those who passed awayincamps ortownsweresometimes honored with tombstonesand traces of these still exist. The register of AdelaideWest Terrace Cemetery records about 30 "Islamic burials, thegreater part of them involving Afghansortheir descents," between 1896 and 1950and "wheregravestonesarementioned, epitaphsarein Arabic script."39 TheBroken Hillcemetery register gives thenamesof nine cameleers buried there between1919 and 1952; elevenothernames,inscribed in Latin characters,appear ontombstones in the Muslim sectionof thesamecemetery among agreat number ofanonymous,neglectedgraves.40

Thegreat Bejah Dervish diedat Marreein 1957. Aplaque commemoratingoneSayyed Omar who dies at Cloncurryon1915waserected by hiscompatriots.41 A few other names arerecorded at Bourkecemetery42 As forDastMohammad, theveryfirst cameleer, his tomb isnowpart of the touristcenter at Menindee, New South Wales.

Most of the cameleerscamealone leaving their familiesbehind. Ifany women ever arrived, theywereexceptionsand nothingyet confirms that "in 1911, 295Afghans wererecorded, 6 being females..."41 Many cameleers remained single. Others married Australianwomenof various origins includingEuropeans and Aborigines. Thesewomendidnot necessarily convertto Islama.did Mohammad Alam'syoungwifeor BibiFatimaof British origin and BibiZaynab of French origin;thesearethe only ones weknowof.44

8 Old cameleersfaced the dilemma of whetherornot to returnhome. Those who kept somecontact-if only through sendingalittlemoneytotheir families-wentback. If married, they took alongtheir Australian wives. Thus, around 1946in the region ofParachinar in the Kurran Tribal Agency of the NWFP,we aretold thattherewere anumber ofAustralian wives.5 What little isknown of the links the cameleers kept withtheir homelandcomesfromtheaccount of BritishengineerFrankA. Martin, who livedsome yearsin Afghanistan. MartinmetaQandahari in Kabul who hadre- turned toAfghanistan after 30yearsin Australia. Thismanhad alwayswishedtodie in hisowncountryand actually didsotwoyearslater. Butwe maywell believe, with Martin, that afterso many yearsof living inatotally differentmanner,read- justment by Afghan malestotheir original milieuwasdifficult.

The generalinflux of foreigners during the 19th century forced theAustralianGovern- ment to regulateand limit immigration, particularlyimmigration from Asia. We learn that "small numbers of Afghans...entered...Australia...butneverin quantities suf- ficienttocause concern orto makenecessarythe enacting of specialrestrictive legislation."47Nevertheless, like other Asiatics, thepioneers had topay anim- migrationtax. The problem of the preciseidentityornationality underwhich each cameleer enteredAustralia hasyet tobe scrutinized. Thereare,however, grounds for supposing that theAustralianGovernment later treatedthem differentlyaccording towhether they originated in British IndiaorAfghanistan.

Asfaras we cantell, neither of the first two cameleers,both originatingfrom Qandahar,eversucceeded in becominga"naturalized British subject." Thecaseof oneFaiz Mahomet (Fayz Mohammad) is significant. Hearrived in Australia in 1866as ahandler of Elder and Stuckey's camels; he stayed in SouthAustralia until 1892when he decided to form hisowntransportcompanyinWesternAustralia. His business, which his brother Tagh Mahomed(Táj Mohammad) joinedas apartner,prospered and servedmanydepots in the goldfields. Butin spite of repeated applicationsfor naturalization submitted from 1896 onwardover aperiod of 30yearsresidence, hewas neverallowed to becomeacitizen.48Mahomet Allum (Mohammad Alam) wholived in Adelaidewas no moresuccessful. Born in Qandahar in the mid -19th century, Mohammad Alamarrived in Australia about1900.49For 20years acameleerhewasforcedtofind other employment and he settled in Adelaideas aherbalist and healer. Hewas universally consulted and praised for his generosityaswellashiscures. Inter- viewed often by thepress,he spokehighly of his medicine which, he said,wasin harmony with the Islamic tradition. Heprinted,athisown expense,pamphlets exalting Islam and often triedto converthis patients. Hismostfamous convertwas a youngAustralianwomanwhom he claimedto havecured of tuberculosis andwhom he married in 1939. Hewasalreadyanoldmanand shewasnot yet20. They hada daughter namedNora(fromNur"light" in Arabic) in 1941. Thepresstook note of this remarkablemanwhowore aturban, dressed in Europeanfashionsof studiedelegance andworediamond ringsonhis fingers. His booming practice had earnedhima con- siderable fortune whichwasnoted withadmiration.50 In 1953 he returned toAfghanis- tan wherehis wife died of smallpox;he later set outagain for Australia withhis daughter.51On thewayhe stopped in Bombay,entrustedNora tosomefriends, and went aloneon apilgrimageto Mecca. Back in Australia he boughtabeautiful house and resumed hispractice until he died in 1964. Unfortunately he hadquarreled with his daughtersohis will left everythingtocharity. Heis saidtohave beena gererouscontributor to the Kabul Review, the publication ofthe Kabul Cercle Lit- teraire. In 1937 theReview publishedanotice about him entitled "An Afghan Doctor Abroad" together with his portraitas atoken ofhomage.52

Fromtime to time the Australianpresscarried shortnewsitems about the camel and about the cameleersMuslim colonies. Forwhether Afghan, IndianorBaluch, the cameleerswereall Muslims with theexception ofafew who willnot be considered

9 53 here. Articles appearedonIslamic religious holidays suchasthe end ofRamazan orthe Feast of Sacrifices. These articlesgavegeneral explanations about the religious observances and described the newly built Australianmosques. Thanksto these articles, to Musakhan's book about the Perthmosqueand to letters sent to Kabul from Australia byaMuslimcorrespondent,one canclearly imagine the vitality of Islam at its beginning in Australia54The cameleerswerenot longin settingup mosquesin several of theircamps. Aspecial place for dailyprayers wasnotneces- sari..ly required butone wasneeded for Friday religious dutiesand for holiday celebrations. Places of worshipwereerectedat Cloncurryin Northern Queensland, atBroken Hill inNew South Wales, at Marree and Oodnadatta in South Australia and inthe western parts. Whether theywereimprovised frame buildingsor moreelaborate constructions, thesemosquesindicated the directionof HolyMecca andfunctioned as alink uniting thetransplanted Muslims.

Fewof the cameleers had the essential backgroundnecessarytomaintain this link withanystrength. Tofill this need variousgroupsconsulted together to discuss themeanswhereby they could invitesomeonefrom the homelandtojoin them. They desiredsomeonewithagood religious knowledge who could leadprayersand spread the word of Islam inadditionto being able to travelonrequestthroughout the continent. SayyedJalâl Shah,who arrived in Australia in 1914, fulfilled these wishes. SayyedJalal Shahwasdescendedonboth sides of his family from descendants of the Prophet Mohammad. Hewasthesonof SayyedHasan,sonof Sayyed Mir Ahmad whocamefrom Bombay. Onhis mother's side hewasthe grandson of SayyedMewaShah from Afghanistan whose tomb isoneof themostvisited holy shrines in Karachi. Jaia1 Shahwasborn in Karachi andcameto Australia attheageof 30. There he isfirst encountered at Cloncurry where hegave a sermonand conductedprayersatthe festival heldatthe end ofRamazaninAugust 1914. He appeared next at BrokenHill fora delayedcelebration of thesamefeast-the two towns being "15 days travelling apart, three days by water and 12 by train." The "Muslims" and the "Afghans" of BrokenHill raised 25 pounds for his travellingexpenses-first class.

The BrokenHillmosquehas often beendescribed.55Like the others, itwasdeserted in the 1920s, but, unlike the others which almost all disappearedorclosed down, it wasrestored in 1968. Built in1891,itwasthe oldestmosquein the outback and almost contemporary with the Adelaidemosque. Itwasmade of wood, hadagalvanized iron roof, andwaspainted red. Itssize reflected the heyday of the localcom- munity which SayyedJalal Sh'áhestimatedat200 people in 1914.

Themosqueat Marree (formerly Hergott Springs) reflecteda onceflourishing cameleer colony. The descriptionwehave dates from 1948 when the building seemed shut in spite of thepresencein thetown of two venerableMuslim camelmen. TheMarree mosque wasmade of pise, viz. pressed clay mixed withstraw, and coveredwitha corrugated iron roof "withashadowy verandah." "In front of itwas alarge tamped earth pit, reinforced with timber, where ritual ablutionswere oncemade... Inside ashaft of sunlight litupcool blue walls andgreenmatsonthe floor... On the walls hung four coloredprints, depicting holyscenes-includingoneof the spires of Mecca. Uponalow stool inanalcove facing eastwasthe Koran, carefully wrapped in colored silk..."

Mosqueswerebuilt in three large commercial citiesonthe coast. Althoughweknow nothing of the Brisbanemosque, we arefairly well acquainted with those in Perthand Adelaide because of the documents mentioned above. Furthermore, they still stand almost unchanged and haveneverstopped functioning, albeitnot always with the sameaffluence.

10 The mosque'in Adelaide,located inLittleGilbertStreet, offSturt Street, is the oldestmosquein Australia. Thebuildingwasstarted in1889 andcompleteda year later. In 1915,Sayyed JalälShahdescribed itas aplacethat 25yearsof active lifehaveturned intoahome for thefaithful.57 The edifice,hewrote,ismade of "bakedstones (sang-epokhta)" (sic)astrikingand necessarilyprecise description foronewho, likehisreaders in Afghanistan,wasfamiliarwith mud rather thanhard constructions. Two minarets highenoughto beseenfromadistanceadorned the facade,one oneach sideof the maindoor. In the yardtherewas abasin forab- lutionsbeforeprayers,agarden withaplot ofgrasswhere thecongregationcould assemble, figtrees and vineyard. Constructioncostswereabout 3,000poundsand another 500hadto be raisedto buildthe adjoiningschool.

Who presidedoverthe Adelaidemosqueisnot yet known butacaretakerwasemployed toseeto the buildingandensure afriendlywelcome. Thenamesof HadjiMollah (HajjiMolla)5- SidGoolamaeleen( Sayyed GholámAli)59andMr.KhodaBox( Khoda Bakhsh ?)arerecordedasthose fulfillingthis function. In 1953, Ahmad Skaka,aJugoslav,wasofficiallyappointed imamof the Adelaidemosque.

Theprojectto constructa mosqueat Perth dates backto 1895 but themosque was not begun until 1904when land in theheart oftown, WilliamStreet at thecorner ofRobinsonAvenue,waspurchased.60AMuslimnamed Din Mahomed(Din Mohammad)was instructedto drawup aplan. This plan,approved bythe city council,includeda prayerroom, anentrance hall,anassemblyroom, apondfor ablutions andlodgings for transients. The firststage of the buildingwascompletedat the end of 1906. It comprised theprayer room,"a brickcottageof 3roomsandakitchen withan openmeeting hall." The foundationstone bears the precisedate, 13November 1905/ 13Ramazan 1323, inPersianand Englishontwo plates affixedto the entrance gate.

Thenecessityof collecting largeamounts ofmoneycompelled thepromoters of the mosque to travel alloverwestern Australia. Faiz Mahomet (FayzMohammad)61was saidto be themost efficient fund raiserand hisdeparture inJune 1906was a blowto the enterprise. An appealwasmadeto "Mohammedan princes,nobles, and merchants,and other gentlemenof allranks, positionsand professions outside theCommonwealth of Australia."Since itwas necessary to guaranteearegular incomefor futureup-keep, the imam andthedistributionof religiouspamphlets, thetwo plots adjoiningthemosque weremortgaged.

Thoseinstrumental instartingthe Perthmosque,besidesFayz Mohammad,were HoffizMohammadHayat (Hafez Mohammad Hayàt)who, likeFayz,was amerchant; Nathoo Mohamed(Nazar?Mohammad),atailor, and MohamedHasan Musakhan (Mohammad HasanMusaKhan),ourinformant,a"Newsagent, Booksellerand Stationer."

M.H. Musakhanwas oneof the pillars ofthe Muslim community inWestern Australia. This isevidenced by theenergyhe devotedto constructing and organizing the Perth mosquein the firstquarter of thiscenturyandto the guidance he offered to hundredsof Muslimsscattered throughoutthecountrywhom he occasionallygathered together. Musakhanwasthe nephew ofoneK.B. MoradKhanfrom Karachi whowas, he said, the first camelexporter toAustralia.62 Musakhanwasdescended froman Afghan familyof the Tarintribe settledin Sind andwasborn in KarachionMay 30, 1863. Hewon ascholarshipto Karachi University in 1883andonein Bombay in 1887. He workedas adrawing teacher(1889 -90) inShikarpur in Sind andas aschoo3- master (1890- 92)'in Kandiaro. He kñewfivelanguages: English, Pashtö,"Urdu, Persian,Sindhiandalittle -Arabic. In Australia he took'a_ prominentpart in the

11 affairsof thecameleercolony. In 1896 hewastheirrepresentativeat the inauguration of theCoolgardierailway.63Untilat least 1928,the dateofthe lastdocument referringto his activities,he heldapositionoftrust andappearedas aprominent figure 64Theletters ofthanksaddressedto Musakhanfrommanyplacesabroadattest to this. Hisname waswidelymentionedas arepresentativeof thecameleers, the Indiancommunityandthe MuslimcommunityincludingtheAhmadiyacommunityofQadyan.65 He travelledextensivelyat the serviceof thesegroups (Adelaide in1918 -19and Kalgoorliein 1921)andevenwenttoIndia in1911torepresentthegroupsat the celebrationof theCoronation ofGeorge V. Littleisknownabout hispersonal life except thathe hadonesonandtwo daughters.

Underthe title of "TheMohammedanMosque"thei rthmosquewasmadealegalen- tity under the"Associations'IncorporationAct, 1895, WestAustralia"andon August 9, 1906an eightmembercommitteewaselected. Anwar Kakad(AnwarKákar) was named president. Threeseries of'':cuesandregulationsgoverned themosque's operations. The firstwasapprovedonAugust 26,1906 andincludednineclauses; thesecond, more elaborate,had 23clausesand datedfromMarch30,1921.It mentionedfournew trustees. Bothsets appearedinMusakhan'sbook. The "Con- stitutionof thePerthMosque,Incorporated"hasnodatebutpost -datedthe 1921 rulesand pre-datedJanuary1924.66Therearetwoamendments,oneof whichmentions Pakistan,and thusindicatesamuchlater period.

The descriptionofthemosquewehave isfromSayyedJaldl Shahwhogivesa pro- fusion of detailsshowinghissurpriseat confrontingatype ofconstructionwith which hewas notfamiliar. In thetwo -floor building theFrenchwindowshad polychromeglass,decoratedinnerandouter wallsand electriclightingsothat the mosqueshonefromadistance. Thedecoratedmehrabindicatedthedirection of Mecca. A pond andseveralclumpsofrosesand hyacinthswerein thegarden. Accordingto Musakhanin 1906,the landcost 660 poundsand thebuildingnearly 1,00067 TenyearslaterJalálSháhreportedthecost tobe, afteradditional constructionbutnot includingthe Koranicschool, 4,300pounds.

As in Adelaide,thebuildingofaKoranicschoolormadrasawasplanned fromthe verybeginningbut itdidnot materializeuntil1915. In thatyear, acertain Mawlawi MollaYárMohammadactedasheadmasterofthe madrasa, imamat themosque and presidentof thetrustees. Sons of allMuslimresidentsof Perthwereallowed to take lessonsat themadrasatwiceaday,afterthe morningandnoon prayers.

However,in Australia,Afghans and Indianswerehaving their problems, particularly overthe operation of the Perthmosque. Musakhan reported that the foundationstone layingceremonyin 1905waspresidedoverbyaDorrdniAfghan, Fayz Mohammad, anda PunjabiIndian,HafezMohammadHaydt. ItwasafterFayzMohammadleft Perth inJune 1906thatadisagreement "bet.?eenthe Afghan and the Indiancommunitiesoverthe management of theiosqueaffairs"wasrevealed. The disagreementwassaidto be because themosqueadministrationwasin the hands of theAfghan community "to the exclusionof the otherMohammedan communities." The parties eventually reacheda settlement when thetwogroupsproposed that "HisMajesty theAmeerof Afghanistan shall be appointedasTrustee of the saidmosqueand all landsand propertiescon- nected therewith. "68

The Emirreferred towasAbdur-Rahman'seldestson,Habibulláh(1901-1919)69whobegan his reignafew months after the Commonwealthof Australiawasofficially proclaimed. Thiswasthe period in Australiawhen the cameleer population attainedits fullvitality and itsreligiouslifewasorganized,'particularlyaround thenewPerthmosque. From 1911 to1918 the first important Afghan periodical,Serajul-akhb"ar(The Torch ofNews), waspublished and itwasread far beyond the Afghanfrontiers where itwonfame for

12 itssupport ofMuslim minorities.70 WeknowitreachedAustralia JalalShahthanked becauseSayyed theeditor,"SardarMahmud KhanSaheb and Tarzi"fortheperiodical encouragedhisfriends,bothrichandpoor, to buy it.71SayyedJalalShah's firstlettertoSerajul-akhbarwas published inNovember,1914andhis Australia,inJanuary1916. last,from

SayyedJalal Shahrecountedthat at the1914RamazanFestivalhedirectedprayersfor "theprogressofIslam,"forthe EmirofAfghanistanandfor thepeople(aháli)ofAf- ghanistan. In hissermon,Jalal Shahalsospokeofsympathy(hamdardi)withtheEmir. JalálShah,borninSindbut "originatingfromAfghanistan,"usedafluentbutoftencol- loquialPersianandwasthechampionof allAfghansinAustralia,notonly thoseinPerth. Inoneofhislettershereprovedhis compatriotsfromSindandBaluchistanfor theirlack ofreligiouszealandpraised "theAfghancivilization"which,he said,waswellrepre- sentedinAustraliaby the mosques at Brisbane,HergottSprings,BrokenHill,Adelaide andPerth. In thisletterandin othersheconsideredtheAfghansfromAfghanistanashis onlyresponsiblecommunicants; somuchsothat inadditionto exchangingnewswithpeople inAfghanistanhesubmitted an account ofthefinancialdifficultiesbesettingthe Australianmosques-aswell asthesolutionsherecommended-to thejudgementofMahmud Tarziand thereadersofSerajul- akhbárthousandsof milesaway. Moreover,theexpres- sions"MuslimAfghanserájiyamosque" and"serájiyamadrasa"cameagainandagainfromhis pen;serájiyabeingtheadjective derivedfromthefirstword ofEmirHabibullah'stitle, whichinAfghanistan specificallycharacterizedall theachievementsofthe reign. Financialdifficultieswere ever presentinalltheAustralianmosquesandSayyedJalál Shah,in1915,thoughtthemosque organizationsinBrisbane,AdelaideandPerthunsatis- factorysincenotoneofthemhada solidfinancialbase. He thereforeadvocatedthe adoptionofatraditionalinstitution ofIslamicjurisprudence,thewaqformortmainpro- perty. Heexplainedthatthe new system wouldentailthepurchaseofwelllocated premisesingoodrepairin the centers ofthelargestAustraliantowns withmoney raised among"allAfghans." Afterpruchase thepremiseswouldberegisteredwiththeAustralian Governmentastheinalienable property ofthe variousmosquesand,finally,theincome fromrentwouldcover the annual operatingexpensesof themosques. He saidthat thepro- jectforbuildinga mosque inSydney shouldbebasedonthe priorcreationofawagf.72 Atpresentit isnot possibleto examinethewholeMuslimpopulation.of wedo Australiaand not knowthenumbersofnon-"Afghan" Muslimsusingthemosques. Oneauthorstated thattherewere4,700Muslimson Australiain188113but it isnotpossiblenow to analyze thatfigure. Therewere other Muslim immigrantsinAustralia.74Musakhanlistedthe variouscommunitieswhofrequentedthe Perthmosque and heended'thelistwith"Arabs, andothervariousMohammedan races:`75 Theseadditionsstillneedto beexamined.

Thingschangedsomewhatduringthereign ofKing Amanulláh(1919-1928),76thirdson andsuccessorofHabibullah. Aftera shortAnglo-AfghanWar(1919) Amanullahdeclared Afghanistanatotallyindependentstate (untilthenBritainhadcontrolledAfghanistan's foreignaffairs). Thisperiod coincidedwiththedeclineofthecamel'susein Australia. Oldcameleerswere out of workandtheyoungerones, of mixedblood, mingledwithsedentaryAustralian society. The thirdset ofby-laws fromthePerth mosque datesfromthisperiod and article7bstatedthat:"Solongasany present memberof themosqueofAfghan nationality(hereinafterreferredtoas'theAfghans') shallberesidinginWestern AustraliaoneofsuchTrusteesshallbeelectedby the Afghansvotingseparatelyfor the electionofsuchTrustee. TheotherTrusteeshall beelectedby themembersof themosque whoarenot ofAfghannationality." Article22, thelast ofthetwopost -1947 amendments,statedthat:"Wheneverthe wordAfghanisused inthese rulesitshallmeanapersonirrespectiveof of birthwhose hisplace parents,bothfatherandmother,are Afghanof parentsresided fullbloodandwhose inAfghanistanorin theNorthWest It FrontierProvinceofPakistan.'77 exciededtheAustralian-borngenerationswho couldclaimonlyan Afghanfather grandfatherfrombecomingheadofthemosque. or

13 Today Australians stillremember thecamelsand thecameleersandoneneednot look farto find marks of theirpresence. For example,therearetheseplacenames listed by theFeekensin thechapter"Gazetter (sic)of AustralianPlaceNames":

"Bejah Hill,W.A.(3901) Wells,Lawrence Allen;22.8.1896. 'Afterthe faithfulBejah, whohas provedhim- selfasplendidfellow andanexcellentcamelman'(AnAfghan whowasincharge of thecamelsonthisexpedition).

Halleem, The,N.T. (3376) Warburton,Col.PeterEgerton; probably24.4.1873. After theAfghan cameldriver of the expedition.

Punjaub(countrydistrict),N.T. (3245) Cadell, Francis;1.6.1867. So named 'fromthe similarityof thenumber ofcreeks to thegreatIndianRivers.'

Sahleh Springs,N.T.(3389) Warburton,Col PeterEgerton; 16.5.1873. Afteroneof Warburton'sAfghancamel drivers. Saleh FishPonds,W.A. (3654) Giles,Ernest; 26.4.1876. 'AftermyAfghancamel driverwhowasreallyafirst- rate fellow, withoutalazy bone in hisbody.'"78

The famous GhanExpress (which linksPort Augustaand AliceSprings)mayhave acquired itsnamewhen itbegan operationin 1923-24 whenone ortwo Ghans, easilyrecog- nizablefrom theirturbans andclothing,were seenboardingthetrain.79

Additionally, there isaherb called "buffelgrass"whichwasindirectlybrought into Australiabetween 1870 and 1880when "thespeciesescaped fromcamel harness imported from Indiaat Wallal about 200kmNE of Port Hedlandand from here it spread widely."80

During thepastfey:years,in itsquest for entertainingand sensationalnews,the Australianmassmediahas revivedthestory of the "ship ofthe .?esert" and itsuse in thecountry. Interviews withpeople withthevaguest of memoriesarepublished; colorphotographs ofcamels in thebushappear on post cards; specialprograms aretelevised81and touristagenciesorganizeexpeditionsto thereservesof Central Australia. At Alice Springs thereisanAfghan Camel Driver Association82anda CamelCup.83

At least two organizationshave gatheredsmallcollectionsof items recallingthe camel-driverera: The Broken HillHistoricalSociety,founded in1965,setup an exhibition inasmallroomadjacentto themosqueand the Coolgardie TouristBureau, LibraryandMuseumprovideinformationto visitors.

Currently several Islamicassociationsexist inseveral arts of thecountry and new mosques arebeing built,and planned,inmanytowns.4 Centrally located mosquescontinuetothrivesupported bynew wavesof Muslimimmigrants.Regardingthe projectbegun in 1976tobuildanAfghan MemorialHallnearthe Adelaidemosque (mentionedat the beginning of this paper), the AustralianInformationServicereported onOctober 6, 1977 that "... buildingplans havebeen suspendedbecausemanymembers of South Australia'sMoslemcommunity feelthatthe numberof devoteesof the religionaregrowingsorapidlyasto make these plansobsoletebefore theycan be put into effect."

14 Notes

1 Australian InformationService,Canberra, 25.V.1976.

2 T.L. McKnight, TheCamel in Australia,Melbourne,1969

3 M.H. Musakhan, ed., Islamin Australia1863 -1932,Perth, 1927,reprinted...by MahometAllum,Afghan, Adelaide. 4 F.A.Martin,Under theabsolute mir, London,1907

5 Serdj ul- akhber (TheTorch of News),Kabul, 4th&5thyears,1914 -1915.

6 Librariessent references andphotocopiedmaterial,other institutionskindly answered variousquestions,individualshelped withtheirknowledge of the subject. Wearegratefulto them all: The NationalLibrary ofAustralia, Canberra,ACT; TheJ.S. Bettye Libraryof WestAustralia,Perth; TheState Library ofSouthAustralia,Adelaide; TheState Library ofNew South Walesor MitchellLibrary,Sydney; TheCharlesRasp Memorial Library,Broken Hill,NSW; the JohnOxley Library,Brisbane;The WaiteAgriculturalResearch Instituteof the Universityof Adelaide;the Bourkeand DistrictHistoricalSociety; the CoolgardieGhost MiningTown TouristBureau; the CloncurryPolice Station; K.A. Badr,Imam of the Perthmosque;Br.M. Bambridge (NSW);B.T. Cash (Vic.); A. Coulis (SA);Rev. A.T. Fitzpatrick(SA);W.N. Scott (Queensland);the late Br.A. Seilenger(WA);A. Skaka,Imam of the Adelaidemosque;and P.S. Sterck, superintendentof theWest TerraceCemetery, Adelaide.

Weowe aspecial debtto E.T.Joyce from Warradale,SA, theveryfirstcorrespondent who answeredouradvertisement inthe Adelaide dailyAdvertiser;and to Br. Cletus Howley, theonlyperson weget to knowpersonally We met in Kabul in 1972 and hewasthe initiatorofourcorrespondenceto Australia. Thanks to his interestand wideknowledgewe wereputincontactwiththe right private informantsand theproperpublicsources.

7.. H. Grattan, Australia,Berkeley, 1947; G. Taylor, Australia, 6thed., Melbourne, 1969; andA. Sharp, The Discovery ofAustralia,Oxford, 1963.

8. New South Wales (1788,Sydney), SouthAustralia(1834, Adelaide),Victoria (1851, Melbourne),Queensland (1859,Brisbane),Western Australia (1890, Perth),Tasmania.

9 E.H.J. andG.E.E. Feeken, The Discoveryand exploration of Australia,Melbourne, 1970, which givesalist ofthe explorers' journals. Forbiographicalinformation seeAustralianDictionaryof Biography,Melbourne, 1966 -67.

10 H. Mincham,The Story of the FlinderRanges,Adelaide,1964,p.45.

11 Argus (Melbourne), 11June 1860; and Morehead,Cooper'sCreek, London, 1963,pp.38ss.

12 A. Morehead,op.cit.

13 Mincham,pp.132ss.; and Elder, Smith&Co. Limited: the first hundredyears, Adelaide, 1972.

14 McKnight, chap. 5 and 6;and H.M. Barker,Camels and theOutback, Adelaide,1972.

15 The Australian Encyclopaedia,Sydney. 1962, givesanarticle entitled"Afghans in Australia"and anotherone"Camels."

The National GeographicMagazine,January 1921,p.97 mentionsthat "theonly

15 considerablegroupof Afghanswhoseem everto havegotten far fromhome isa colony ofmentakentoAustraliasome yearsagofor handlingcamelsonthe Australian deserts." See also "Camelsand Cameleers"in Journal andproceedings, Broken Hill HistoricalSociety, vol.6. Theadventures of Muslimcamelmen in Australiaweredescribed inanothertypeof record,namely fiction. A good example is byD. Gunn, TheStory of LafsuBeg, aboutacamel driver who describes his life and timesinAustraliato Dr. DavidGunn, Sydney, Melbourne,nodate but likelyto have beenpublishedaround 1910.

16 For allproper namesmentionedhereafter,andsomeothers,see"Listofproper names,biographicalelements"onp.21 -24.

17 Encyclopaedia ofIslam, 2nd ed.,Leyden, 1954-4 vol.I, "Afghans" byG. Morgen- stierne;O.Caroe, The Pathans 550B.C.-A.D. 1957, London,1965; andC.Collin Davies, TheProblemof the North-westFrontier1890 -1908,London, 1974.

18 L. Dupree, Afghanistan, Princeton,1973, chap. 18,pp.417 -429.

19 Musakhan,pp.6 -11 and 19-22.

20 Serájul-akhbâr,IV, 24, p.8.

21 TheAge(Melbourne),21January 1893, "Camels in Australia.A visit to theS.A. quarantine station."

22 See Papersonthe Historyof Bourke and district,vol. 4; and Journalandpro- ceedings, Broken HillHistorical Society,vol. 6 (precisereference lacking).

23 Papersonthe History ofBourke and district, vol. 1(reference lacking).

24 WestAustralian (Perth),30 September 1887.

25 Id. 25October, 1887.

26 L. Lyng, Non -Britishers in Australia,Melbourne, 1927,p.187.

27 Observer (Adelaide), 23June 1894.

28 Press (Adelaide), 15 April 1939;andAdvertiser(Adelaide),27May 1950.

29 A.T. Yarwood,AsianMigrationto Australia,Melbourne,1967,p.128;&Musakhan,p.15

30 Serâjul-akhbàr,IV, 6, p.8.

31 Seraj ul-akhbär,V, 10, p.6.

32 McKnight,p.70

33 Martin,p.284.

34 McKnight,pp.67 -69.

35 Police Correspondence Files, Adelaide, 1882/673 and 1888/36.

36 West Australian(Perth), 18January, 1888.

37 Observer(Adelaide),4 July, 1891.

16 38 Cloncurry 100,1867 -1967,Cloncurry ShireCouncil,1967,p.12

39 Personalcorrespondence,Superintendent,WestTerraceCemetery, Adelaide, 21Sept., 1967.

40 Personalcorrespondence, AllanCoulis,PlymptonPark,SA, 22May, 1977. A. Coulis asBroken HillCityLibrariangreatly contributedto the establishment,design andset-upof theArchives sectionat the CharlesRasp Memorial Library. He isnowretiredafter 65yearsat Broken Hill. He most generouslyprovidedme withveryuseful informationand interestingcomments.

41 Personalcorrespondence,Cloncurry PoliceStation, 15Nov., 1976.

42 Personalcorrespondence,B. Cameron, ResearchSecretary, Bourke DistrictHistorical Society, 25November 1976.

43 Lyng,p.187.

44 Seraâjul- akhbdr,IV, 24, p.7.

45 Personalcorrespondence,Br. Cletus Howley,2August, 1973. (Communicationfrom FatherA. Johnson whowas achaplain therein 1945 -47.)

46 Martin,pp.283 -284.

47 AustralianEncyclopaedia,vol. 5, p.78"Immigration."

48 Archives,Battye Library,Perth, which maintainsafileonthiscase.

49 1. Brunato,MahometAllum,Leabrook (SA),1972.

50 Pix (Sydney),vol.8,no.20,15November 1941,pp.3 -5, mainlyphotographs.

51 PersonalinterviewwithGholam AhmadNawid,8/76.Gh.A. Näwid whowasthen theAfgha ConsulGeneral inBombaywelcomedMohammadAlam and familyontheirway to & from Afghanistan.

52 Majalla-eKabul (TheKabulReview),6thyear,no.12, February1937,p.86.

53 Musakhan,p.11, numbered six"Hindooand Sikh Indians"amongthe contributors to the Perthmosque.

54 Serájul-akhbar,IV6,pp.8 -9 (Barakatullahand SayyedJalal Shah);IV, 21,pp. 9 -10 (SayyedJalal Shah);IV, 24,p.7 (id.):andV, 10, pp.4 -7 (id.).

55 Barrier Miner(Broken Hill),30 May 1963, withafine photograph;and Barrier Daily Truth (BrokenHill), 16September, 1973, withaphotograph taken after the restoration ofthe building.

56 G. Farwell, "Camel Town" inWalkabout, 1 February1948,pp.16 -20, reprintedin Travellers'Tracks, Melbourne,1949,pp.61 -70;and id. Land of Mirage, Adelaide, 1960,pp.27 -28.

57 Serâjul-akhbár,IV 21,p.10. Twomoreminaretswereadded laterasshownon more recent photographs.

58 Observer (Adelaide), 1890,1891, 1892, 1894.

17 59 Advertiser(Adelaide), 27May, 1950.

60 Musakhan'sbook and Serajul- akhbar,IV, 21,pp.9 -10provided the following description.

61 It could possiblybe thesameFayz Mohammad knownforhaving made vainefforts

to becomeaBritishsubject.(Seetextp.9 )

62 Musakhan,pp. 2&51.

63 Seeaphotographreproduced inBrunato,p.20, with thefollowingcaption: "Afghan guardof honourtoHisExcellency theGovernor at theCoolgardie Railway opening."

64 Musakhan,pp.46-63

65 Religiouscommunitybornat Qadyan (Punjab) inthe 19thcentury. See Ency- clopaediaof Islam, 2nded., I, "Ahmadiya,"byW. Cantwell Smith.

66 Constitutionof the PerthMosque Incorporated, Perth,nodate, 17cm, 11p.

67 For full particularsabout receipts andexpendituresupto 30 Nov., 1906, seeMusakhan,pp.5 -11 and18 -27.

68 Musakhan,pp.30 -31.

69 Dupree, Afghanistan, Princeton, 1973, chap. 19,pp.430 -440.

70 M. Schinasi, Afghanistanat thebeginning ofthe twentiethcentury.Nationalismand Journalismin Afghanistan.A Study ofSeràjul-akhbâr(1911- 1918),Naples, 1979.

71, Serâjul-akhbár,IV, 24,pp. 7 -8.

72 Id.,V,10, pp.6 -7.

73 T.vanSommers, Religions in Australia, Adelaide,1966,p.139

74 Afew Syriansperhaps in spiteof their being "allpractically Christians," Yarwood, chap. 8.

75 Musakhan,p.30.

76 Dupree,chap. 20,pp.441 -457.

77 Constitution,pp.3 and 11.

78 Feeken,pp.220, 235, 250 and 252.

79 Advertiser (Adelaide), 12 October, 1955; 30March, 1965 and 7 April, 1965.

80 Personal correspondence, Waite Agricultural ResearchInstitute, Univ.of Adelaide, 20 September, 1976.

81 Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1976 (referencelacking).

82 Port Hedland Times, October 11, 1973

18 83 Advocate(AliceSprings),nodate.

84 J.O'Brien,"The GrowingFaith of Islam,"in AustraliaNow, vol. 6,no.4, 1977,pp.26-31, withcoloredplates.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The followingnewspapershavenot been systematically consulted andnot all the bookswereavailable.

Newspapers

Advertiser (Adelaide) Advocate (Alice Springs) Age(Melbourne) Argus(Melbourne) EarnerDaily Truth (Broken Hill) Barrier Miner (Broken Hill) Observer (Adelaide) Pix (Sydney) Port HedlandTimes WestAustralian (Perth)

Books and articles

Australian Dictionary of Biography,Melbourne, 1966-67. The Australian Encyclopaedia,Sydney, 1962. Barker, H.M., Camels and the Outback, Adelaide,1972 Brunato, N. 18171jjJlohometAlJurg,,AfSbon_CaTrivoxi,JierbAliat_AXISI_Ligaler in Australia, Leabrook,SA, 1972 Caroe, O., The Pathans 550B.C.- A.D.1957, London, 1965. Cloncurry 100 1867-1967, Cloncurry Shire Council,1967. Constitutionofthe_parth_MosEueIncorporated, Perth, n.d. Davies,C.Collin, The Problemof the North-WestFrontier 1890-190Q,London, 1974. Dupree, L, Afghanistan, Princeton,1973 Elder, SmithandCo.Limited:the first hundredyears,Adelaide, 1940. Epoyclopaedia,ofIslam, 2nd ed., Leyden 1954 Farwell,G."Camel Town" inWalkabout, 1 February, 1948,pp.16-20. id.,Travellers Tracks,Melbourne, 1949 id., Landpf,Mirage,Adelaide, 1960 id., VanishingAustralians, Adelaide, 1961 Feeken, E.H.J and others, TheDiscovery and Explorationof_Australia, Melbourne, 1970.. Grattan, H., Australia, Berkeley, 1947. Gunn, D., The Story of Lafsuea, the camel driverashe told itto Dr.DavidGunn. Showing how hewent toAustralia and whatbefel him there, Sydney, n.d. Journal and Proceedings,Broken Hill Historical Society,(precise reference lacking). Lyng, J., Non7Britishers in.Australia,Melbourne, 1927. Madigan,C.T.,Crossin5themDead_Heart, Melbourne, 1946.

19 Martin,F.A.,Under _the absoluteAmir, London,1907. Mincham,H.,The..StQry.oLthe F1;n,df,rcs,Adelaide,1964. Moorehead,A., Cooper's,__Creek,London, 1974 McKnight,T.L.,The__Camelin.Australia,Melbourne,1969. Musakhan,M.H., ed.,I_s_lam n_Australi_1863_-1.9.32, Perth, 1927,reprintedby Mahomet Allum,Afghan...,Adelaide,1932. The_ NationalGeographicMagazine,Washington,January, 1921. O.Brien,J., "TheGrowing Faithof Islam"in Australiapow, vol.6, n.4, 1977,pp.26 -31. Papers_on the Historyof Bourkeand District(precisereference lacking). PoliceCorrespondenceFiles, Adelaide. Schinasi,M., Afghanistan_atthe__beginningof the twentiethcentury. Nationalismand journalism inAfghanistan:A study of Serájul- akhbar(1911-1918), Istituto UniversitarioOrientale,Naples,1979. Sharp,A. The DiscoveryofAustralia,Oxford, 1963. Taylor, C., Australia,6th ed.,Melbourne, 1969. Van Sommers,T., Religions inAustralia,Adelaide,1966.

Yarwood,A.T., Asian __migsation_tcz..._Australia. TheBackgroundto_Exclusion 09.6 -1923, Melbourne,1967.

Periodicalsin Persian

Majalla-eKabul (TheKabul Review),Kabul, 1931-4 Seráj u1-akhbár (TheTorch of News),Kabul, 4thand 5thyears,1914-1915.

20 List ofproper names Biographical elements

Thefollowing list gives onlyafew of themany namesof cameleers recordedin various publishedand unpublishedsources (See Bibliography). Thesenames werechosen whensomeinformation about theperson wasgiven. Since Australian ears wereunfamiliar with Muslinnames,the spelling correspondedmore orless, and not alwayshappily, to the sounds; the supposedly correcttranscription of the spelling isgiven here between the brackets.

ABDUL(Abd-ul-) "Afghan camel driver," took partinL.A.Wells' expedition, 1892 (Feeken).

ABDUL KADIR(Abd ul- Qadir) "Amileor sooutsideMarreeisafurther symbol of what has passed. Itismany yearssince Abdul Kadirdied. Hisnameis seldomre- membered. Yet heinitiated the only commercially successfulgroveof date palmsin Australia. The pise house hebuilt isnow worndown to mudwalls four feet highorless. Only two of themanypalms remained(...) He had planted eightacresof them (...) Hence thegrove,whichoncehad producedfirst -class dates, has dwindled toatattered memorial ofoneman's initiative andtoil." (G. Farwell,"Camel Town;')

ABDUL WADE(Abd ul-Wahed ?) Leading figure in camel transport. Arrived in Australia in 1879 and afterafewyearsin the West Australian goldfieldsformed the

Bourke Carrying Company atBourke, NSW.(See text,p.6 )

ABD ul-AHEDCame toKabul in the1920's to negotiate thepurchase ofgoldmines in Afghanistan

AD JOON(HâdiJan?) DiedJanuary6, 1953 at Bourke, NSW,aged 94.

ADROMAN KHAN(Abdur-RahmAn Khan?) "Australia's foremost camel-manof recenttimes andoneof the few remaininglinks with theeraof camel transport,left Darwin by airin February 1950 forKarachi,onhiswayback toPeshawar, wherehe had been born inacamelcamp78yearsbefore. Adroman Khanhas spent50yearsin the Australianinterior with camel teams. In1901 he hadastring of 25, used mainly in carryingsupplies to Kimberleycattle stations. Hedealtin tea, flour, sugarand clothes andin anything else thatwasneeded at the isolatedstations atwhich he called. Afewyearsbeforeleaving Australiahegavehis string of 40 camels toafellow-countrymanand setup atrading store at WaveHill cattle station, NT." (The AustralianEncyclopaedia, I,126;seealso Journaland proceedings, Broken HillHistorical Society,vol.6.)

AESOP "Hadcometo WesternAustralia fromPeshawar in thefar north ofIndia. Owner ofabig string of camels,he-employedmanyAfghansasdrivers, and becamewell.. knownas achampion wrestler andweight lifter"(Brunato, 19, withaportrait takenin 1894 at Coolgardie,WA). Could be thesamechampion wrestler, AnAfghan from Peshawar,recorded by Musakhan,p.22, and namedAbdul KadirShaikh (Sheikh Abd ul-Qadir).

Broken Hill, NSW, aged80. . ALI ACKBAR(Ali Akbar) Died November 20, 1936 at

ANWAR KAKAD ofI.A?)AD (AnwarKzkar) Leading member of theAfghan community and chairman ofthe Perthmosquecommittee in 1906.

21 BELOOCH(Baluch), Tookpartin the Burke and Wills Expedition, 1860.

BARAKATULLAH,Author ofalettersentfrom PerthtoKabul in 1914.

BEJAH DERVISH, Bornin 1867 in Baluchistan and arrived in Australia in 1891. His courage,generosity and endurance during theCalvert Expedition guaranteedhim eternal fame in Australia. He set outwithLawrenceWells in search of two lost explorers; they found them dead in the desert. OnhisreturnBejah Dervishwashonored withareception given by the Adelaide authorities and 50yearslater he still enjoyed showing offaprecious souvenir that Wells had given him, thecompasswhich had saved both their lives. Until he retiredin 1933, Bejah Dervishled hisown caravansand hadanumber of cameldrivers working for him. in 1939 hedeclinedDr.Madigan's invitationtocrossthe SimpsonDesert because of oldage. Hedied inMarreein 1957.

BEJAH,JACK, Sonof Bejah Dervish. Participated in Madigan's expedition in 1939.

BIBIFÁTEMA,Wife ofanAfghan cameleer. Of British origin andaconvert to Islam.

BIBI ZAYNAB,Wife ofanAfghan cameleer. Of French originandaconvert toIslam.

BOX KUDAH(KhodáBakhsh?),Caretaker of the Adelaidemosque."Went backtoIndia about 3years ago[viz. 1972]."

BYE KHAN(Bay Khán?),Manager of Abd ul- Wahed's Bourke CarryingCompany. Died June 9, 1947 atBourke,NSW.

CHEIKH WILLIE(Sher Ali ?),Took part in Lewis' expedition, 1875. (Feeken)

DIN MOHAMED(Din Mohammad), "An Indian gentleman."Architect of the Perthmosque.

DOST MAHOMET(DóstMohammad), "A Pathanfrom Kashmir." Tookpartin the Burke and Wills Expedition, 1860. BuriedatMenindee,NSW.

DOST MOHAMMED(DóstMohammad), "A well-known and wealthyAfghancalledDostMohammad waskilled inabrawl at Port Hedland (...)Dost Mohammadwasgreatly missed in the north-west, beingagood businessman and leader of all the Afghans." HadanItalian wife (Barker,98 -99).

FAIZ MAHOMET(Fayz Mohammad),Born in Qandahar. Merchant and camel proprietor first in South Australia,then in West Australia. (Text,p9 ).

FAIZ MAHOMET (Fayz Mohammad), Afghan, Dorrani. Active member of the Perthmosque. Left for India in 1906 (Text,p11).

GANNY KHAN (Ghani Khan), Owner ofacarryingcompanyat Bourke, NSW.

GOOLAM FAIZ MAHOMED(Gholam Fayz Mohammad)Trustee of the Perthmosque(Constitution, 3).

GOOLAM JOHN (GholámJân),Died Septem''er17, 1910 at Broken Hill,NSW., aged 33.

GOULAM MOHAMMED (GholamMohammad), "At Coolgardie in1896anAfghan named Goulam Mohammad murdered another called Tagh and thengavehimselfup(...) That i:. the only instanceI heard ofanAfghan committingaserious crime." (Barker, 97)

GOULAM ROUSEL( Gholám Rasul), Member of the Adelaidemosque(Brunato, 29).

22 GOOLMAHOMET (Gol Mohammad), DiedinMay 1950inAdelaide (Advertiser5/27/50).

HADJIMOLLAH(Hájji Mollá),Caretaker of theAdelaidemosquein the1890s.

HALLEEM(Halim),Tookpart in both theWarburtonand the Lewis expeditions inthe 1870s.

HOFFIZ MOHAMADHAYAT(Há`fezMohammad Hayat),Indian, Punjabi. Merchant and proprietor of the "Busy Bee"Drapery Establishment inPerth. Trustee of the Perthmosque in 1905.

KHAN, E.A. Ted; Born 1907, died28 January 1976at Broken Hill. Was always interested insport suchasboxing, foot -running,billiards(personal correspondence).

KHANZADA(Khán-zada),"Ridingabull -camel,shortly beforeWWI, Khanzadaisreputed to have carried the mailfrom Broken HilltoWilcannia-adistanceof 120 miles- inoneday" (R.H.B.Kearns, "Broken Hill "). Hada sonGool Zada andadaughter Miriam.

MAHOMET ALLUM (Mohammad Alam),BorninQandahar, died in Adelaide in1964 (Text,p.

MOLADAD(Mawla-Dad),Preceded Bejah Dervishashead of thecamel- driver community and ledprayersat the localmosque. Died after1948 atMarree, SA.

MORAD KHAN, K.B.(Morad Khan),Camel exporter from KarachitoAustralia in the 1860s.

MUSAKHAN,M.H. (MohammadHasanMusaKhan),Afghan Tarin. Bornin Karachi in 1863. Founder, treasurer andsecretary of the Perthmosque. Author of Islam in Australia1863 -1932. (Text,p.11).

MUSA KHANKara-khél,Originated fromGhurghushti, Punjab. Went toAustralia in 1888. As camelproprietor had his traderegistered in 1906 by thenameof M.K. Camels and purchased land in North BrokenHill in 1911. His brotherEnayatullahand 3 other camel handlers originating from thesamevillage workedwith him. In 1932 cameback to hisvillage where hediedin 1958 (Personal correspondence,Mohammad AhsanKhanKara-khél,1978 -1980. M. AhsanisMusaKhan's grandson; he kindly sent us anumber of his grandfather's original documentsaswellasvaluableinformation for whichwe are verygrateful).

NATHOO MOHAMED(Nazar ? Mohammad),Indian Punjabi. Trusteeof thePerthmosque,1905.

NAZARE(Nazar), Took part inLewis' expedition, 1875.(Feeken).

NORA,Daughter ofMohammad Alam. Bornin Adelaide in 1941.

NUR MAHOMMET(Nur Mohammad), "Nurie forshort."J.Bejah's assistant inMadigan's expedition, 1939.

OMRAH(Omar), "An Afghanidentity at Wyndhanin the far north -west ofAustralia, in 1925 at theageof 100. Ayearlater he returned toAfghanistan. Picture from The BattyeLibrary, Perth" (Caption ofafine portrait publishedin Australia Now, Vol. 6,nr.4,1977,p.31).

23 SADADDIN,Charlie(Sa'd ud-din), "BeforeleavingAliceSpringswehad togo see CharlieSadaddin andhis garden(...); it iscurious thatanAfghan shouldhave had the bestvegetablegardenin the place. SadaddincametoAustraliawith camelsoverfiftyyearsago. Hewas a veryoldman, agoodMohammedan,and ahandsome oldfellow,with quite thegrandmanner. Hewas acamel-manin Lord Roberts'newtransport corps onthe famousmarch toKandaharin 1880, andstill had thebearing ofasoldier. Hehadseenwild timesonthenorth -westfrontier ofIndia(...) (C.T. Madigan,CentralAustralia,77).

SAHLEH(Sáleh), Took partin boththe Warburtonand theGilesexpeditionsin the1870s.

SAIDALI(Sa'idAli), "The lastwandering Afghan,Said Ali,ahawker inWesternQueens- land,has latelytaken toatruck"(G. Farwell,Landof Mirage,25). Died at BrokenHillonMay3,1959 aged 71.

SAID SHERJAN(Sayyed SherJan), Treasurer ofthe Perthmosque(Constitution,3).

SALLEY MAHOMET(Sâleh Mohammad),Bornin Kalgoorlie, WA,fromanAfghan father and aFrench mother. A closefriend of Mohammad Alam(Brunato, 61 -64).

SAYYEDJALALSHAH,Bornin Karachiin 1883; arrived inAustralia in 1914 notas a camelman butas areligious adviser to theMuslim cameleercommunity.(Text,p. -).

SIDGOOLAMAELEEN(SayyedGholám Ali),Caretakerof theAdelaidemosque.

SULTAN AZIZ(SoltánAziz), "Could haveclaimedtohave beenthe last ofthe West Darling cameleersin 1929."

SULTANRAZ MAHOMED(Soltán Raz?Mohammad), Camel-dealer at Marree. Died. July24, 1933 inAdelaide aged 75.

SYID OMAR(Sayyed Omar), "In lovingmemoryof Syid O Mar, Mohammedan priest, died 14th July 1915, aged 45years.Erected by his countrymen" (Cloncurry cemetery).

TAGH MAHOMED(TajMohammad), Brother ofFayz Mohammad.

A YARMOHAMMAD, Son of Mawlawi Mohammad Ghaws of Qandahar. Imam at the Perthmosque.

ZARIPH KHAN(ZarifKhan),BorninAfghanistanin 1871, died March 23, 1903at Bourke, NSW aged 32.

ZAREEN(Zarin), "Towardsthe end of 1927 the last of the active Afghancamelmenleft the Marble Bar district" (Barker,1, 97 -98).