The New South Wales mid-north coast is home to Australia’s oldest Sikh community and in Woolgoolga, everyone is welcome. A success story of multiculturalism, some Punjabi Sikh’s can trace their roots back here to over 120 years ago. Now, it’s a flourishing town filled with the bright and inclusive warmth of the many families that call it home.
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00:00At this Sikh temple on the New South Wales mid-north coast, everyone is
00:06welcome to join in and share a meal. Selfless service is a core tenet of the
00:13Sikh faith and now it's a core part of what makes Wulgulga, Wulgulga.
00:17Wulgulga is just very special. For the Punjabi Sikh community in particular, I
00:23think Wulgulga is a success story in terms of multiculturalism. A quarter of
00:28the locals here have Indian heritage. Some can trace theirs back to six initial
00:33Punjabi Sikh families and a migration story that spans more than 120 years.
00:39But it was the period following World War II and the community's embrace of
00:44banana farming that made those roots permanent. I think it's fantastic and
00:49we're quite blessed here in Wulgulga having such a large number of Punjabi
00:53and Sikh background people. Even those who've moved to Wulgulga more recently
00:58report feeling a sense of belonging.
01:01I can call it a little paradise hidden from many Australians here. They need to
01:07discover this wonderful place.
01:08Australia's first two Sikh temples were built here in the late 1960s and still serve as
01:15hubs for the community. But the past few years have seen a new cultural institution
01:20establish itself. The Sikh Heritage Museum of Australia.
01:24We have so many different people that come through here of all different walks of life
01:28and they all seem to take something with them when they leave here. For a long time people
01:33were so inquisitive of why the Sikh community settled here, what was the Sikh temples, what
01:38they represent. And I think we needed to tell that story.
01:43A story that continues to grow with the cultural richness of the town.