March 24, 2024 • 19 mins
We visit an outback mosque in the boom-and-bust mining town of Broken Hill.
Caretaker Bobby Shamroze tells tales from Australia's early cameleering trade and the hardworking Muslim immigrants who were its backbone.
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Kate (00:00):
This is Roadshow and Tell, mixed for Radio 1RPH.
A show where we visit specialtymuseums so you can learn things
you never knew you wanted to.
in the vast red expanse ofAustralia's Outback lies the
town of Broken Hill.
A speck on the map, home to18,000 people, broken Hill is a
(00:22):
13 hour drive from Sydney, orsix hours from Adelaide.
On the fringes of town, on adusty plot stand, a pair of
fibro sheds that are the BrokenHill Mosque Museum.
Here, an untold story awaits.
It's a reminder of thesignificant contributions of
Muslim immigrants who shapedtrading routes, ventured into
uncharted territories, and builtearly inland infrastructure.
(00:45):
Sadly, it is an overlookedchapter in our shared history.
During the late 19th and early20th centuries, Afghan Kemalis
led camel trains through thisunknown and arid land for trade,
supplies, and surveying.
On these routes, towns emerged,their city limits expanding to
include Afghan camps for thedrivers of the camels.
(01:06):
Towns like Coolgardie in WesternAustralia, Maree, Bourke,
Cloncurry and Alice Springs allhoused Afghan camps and
eventually also erected modestmosques.
The Broken Hill Mosque remainslargely unchanged from when it
was built in the 1890s.
Constructed with wood andcorrugated iron, It includes a
(01:27):
prayer room in a small adjoininganteroom which was historically
used for washing.
Two olive trees at the entranceto the property, planted by the
Islamic Council of New SouthWales in 2008, provide shade to
the mosque.
We speak to caretaker BobbyShamroze, the son of prominent
Afghan cameleer Shamroze Khanand grandson of the last Mullah.
(01:48):
He shares the incredible storyof the mosque, his ancestry, and
the brave cameleers whotraversed the outback of a
foreign land.
The Broken Hill Mosque is on thetraditional lands of the Wilyaki
people.
today I'm with Bobby Sham Roseat the Broken Hill Mosque
Museum.
(02:09):
Bobby, how are you today?
Very
Bobby (02:10):
good, thank you.
That's good.
Kate (02:12):
Mosque and Outback Mosque.
How did this happen?
Bobby (02:15):
to be?
Well, in the early days when thecamels came out to the Outback
that, oh, old Afghans blokescame out with them, and anyhow,
they, some of them ended up herein Broken Hill.
Kate (02:28):
While they were called Afghan cameleers, they weren't
all from Afghanistan.
It wasn't even a country at thatstage.
They came from areas that arenow Pakistan, India, and
Afghanistan, and belong topredominantly four main ethnic
groups, pashtun, Baluchi,Punjabi, and Sindhi.
They were nicknamed Afghans asit was easier and they were
(02:49):
Muslim.
Bobby (02:50):
And so they decided to, to stay there and work the
camel's here.
but before they got going, Ithink they built this, built
this little mosque and there wasanother one out the west of
Broken Hill.
They built that one too.
But there was only in the finishthere was only two people out
there.
So in 1,903, They brought thatother little mosque down here
(03:15):
and planted it at the back here.
They did it right at the back ofthis, and they just left it
there and apparently they, theyused it for the caretaker that
was looking after the mosque atthe time.
Kate (03:26):
So there were two mosques here for,
Bobby (03:28):
there was, yeah, two, there was one out the west and
one here, but the little one outin the west was just, just that
little shed thing at the backthere, and they brought that
down there in 1,903 on thejenka.
And the other two blokes, theycame down there and mingle with
the rest of the blokes, cause asyou could see around here,
there's a big camp around here.
(03:49):
It was a big area.
There was nothing, nothing here,but the mosque in them days and
a couple of houses around place.
This one they say in 1887 insome books and in other books
they say in 1891.
But, what I can think about,they probably started to build
(04:10):
it in 1887, we bought materialsand they had little bits and
pieces, and by the time theyfinished it would've been 1891.
And, uh, my dad and granddad,they used to come down here and
pray.
My dad came out here in 18 94,from India.
(04:31):
Ua, whatever place.
And my granddad must have cameout here a couple of years
earlier than dad, but he landedat, Freemount all over the west
and he worked his way out here.
He finished up and Broken Hilland Dad, I'm not quite sure if
he got off the boat down at aplace called Port Abbott in
Victoria or in Port Augusta.
(04:53):
But he had a lot to do with PortAugusta in the early days cuz he
used to buy the camels from PortAugusta.
Then he'd bring him here overland to Broken Hill and sell
him.
He's more like a dealer too, youknow.
He had heaps of camels.
Kate (05:07):
Afghan Cameliers were integral to Australia's
development as a nation.
Camel trains, also calledcaravans, were at the heart of
every major inland developmentproject.
In an era before roads andrailways, these caravans were
the lifeline that wouldtransport essential goods.
Their trade brought much neededsupplies like water, mail and
(05:27):
equipment to inland towns,fuelling their progress and
prosperity.
Within a decade of the firstcameleers arriving, Afghans with
their camels had built theOverland Telegraph from Adelaide
to Darwin, and, the famous trainline from Port Augusta to Alice
Springs pays homage to theirwork on this.
It was previously called theAfghan Express, which was then
(05:49):
shortened to"The Ghan".
Between 1870 and 1920,approximately 20, 000 camels and
2, 000 to 4, 000 cameleerslanded in Australian ports.
At its peak, there were anestimated 400 South Asians
living in Broken Hill.
Camel drivers led hundreds ofcamel trains throughout inland
Australia in the 19th century,and their travels mean that they
(06:12):
were among the first nonIndigenous people to view iconic
landmarks of Central Australia,such as Kata Tjuta and Uluru.
This also meant that theyestablished camps in each hub on
the Camel Trade Routes.
These were known as Ghan Towns.
So those early cameleers, whydid they bring camels?
Like instead of horses oranything,
Bobby (06:32):
another cattle?
What happened was it would'vebeen the, the blokes like Kidman
and And elder people like thatthey would've had the camels
come out here.
A lot of it from Karachi placecalled Karachi, apparently some
of most of them.
And they brought some of thehandlers out with'em.
And I think what's happened whenthey came out with the camels,
(06:53):
they probably offered the job ofworking them.
Kate (06:55):
The cameleers would come to Australia on temporary work
contracts that didn't allow forwomen or children to join them.
Bobby (07:02):
So, and that's how, that's how it come about.
And they're all around here.
They used to go up toTibooburra, down to Victoria,
down to Wentworth, white Cliffs,Wilcannia, all around as there
was other Camel, camel driverstoo that were up in Burke.
Like that bloke kept his name.
(07:23):
Here he is, got a book, Wade abWade's book.
But there was, there was lots,there was lots of cameleers
here.
Some of them married Aboriginalwomen.
Like that bloke on hand.
He married Aboriginal woman.
And they lived down there arounda couple of blocks down.
Most of their family grew up inBroken Hill,
Kate (07:41):
The Aboriginal populations and Afghan cameleers shared
strong connections andintermarriage was quite common.
Both groups found themselvessegregated from the European
settlers who resided in thecentral areas of the Ghan towns.
Instead, they lived on theoutskirts, leading simpler
lives.
Unfortunately, both communitiesfaced discrimination and
(08:01):
marginalisation at the hands ofthe European settlers during
those early days.
In her work Australianama,writer Samir Khatun, found that
various Aboriginal languagespreserve references to Afghan
cameleers.
For instance, in the Arabunnalanguage spoken near Maree, a
significant hub on the CamelTrade Route, the word"abiganas"
(08:22):
was used to refer to Afghans.
Aboriginal language historiesalong these camel routes are
rich with mentions ofcameleering culture, often
containing fragments of SouthAsian songs and phrases
intertwined with them.
So they've a lot of descendantsof their Yeah.
Early cames are still around.
Bobby (08:37):
Yeah.
They've still got a lot of, lotof'em around.
I'm the only one left aroundhere now.
In my, my family?
Kate (08:46):
So about this building, it's quite small.
So how many people was it builtfor to pray here?
Bobby (08:51):
The building here, it's only like a prayer room.
This wasn't anti room.
This is the way they used tocome in and walk into there and
take their shoes and everythingoff before they went into,
actually, they took their shoesoff outside.
Back in them days.
But saying it's only a, a museumwash museum now people can leave
their shoes on in this area.
because I get a lot of schoolkids too, you know, come here.
(09:13):
And, and then they if they wantto go in there, they can take
their shoes off.
I'd go out there and have alook.
Kate (09:18):
And what's the history of this building as a museum?
Bobby (09:21):
Well, it's lucky to be still here for the simple
version is when my oldgrandfather died, all the land
around there, you can seethere's no houses, nothing
around here.
Back in them days it was allopen and all the old camel
blokes, they just have littlehumpies around here.
Living and that camel yards areat the back of here.
(09:43):
And that's why they turned intoa museum Cause no one came here.
And the council was gonna knockthe building down.
And the.
The bloke on the council stoppedthem from doing it.
Otherwise, there'd not be nohistory left here.
The only time I had anything todo was when I started to do work
with the history and that.
Because I knew a bit about thehistory being a dad and my
(10:03):
grandfather and it was fallingdown the floors and all, were
all broken and, and then theyarmy me all.
But as you can see here now,there's a lot of stuff not back
in here yet.
Cause when they renovated it,they took everything out and
packed it all up.
Kate (10:19):
So it needed a lot of restoration work?
Bobby (10:21):
Yeah.
They spent a bit of money here,but not enough.
And it in September, they'regonna have an opening day here.
Cause they're putting on theircabinets.
And, and all little tablets,instead of having that big thing
in their going, all littletablets and so people can come
in and just press and they canread the story, things like
(10:42):
that.
Yeah.
Hopefully it happens before Igo.
I haven't been her good myself.
Kate (10:48):
So Bobby, why should people come and visit the mosque
museum?
Bobby (10:51):
Well, they should come and have a look at the history.
And see where, how hard theyworked in the early days.
It weren't just a Afghancameleers.
There's a lot of Ozzie Cameshere too.
Not only here, all around otherplace.
And that's why the country'slike it is now.
Cause that they had transportsome of them.
I got photos there.
One like with a camel, ten fourhundred mile.
(11:14):
To go to deliver stores and asto bring wooden up back.
Kate (11:18):
And Bobby, what's your favorite part of the museum?
Bobby (11:21):
My favorite part of the museum is telling people about
it.
Yep.
Kate (11:24):
Just telling the stories.
Stories, you know.
Speaking of stories, Bobby hasan incredible story.
Bobby (11:29):
All my family's gone and me, grandma's family and me,
mum's family, they're all dead.
I, I'm the only one left out ofher.
I, I had a brother and a sister,but with the running away
business, so my mum left when Iwas only four years old.
She left the, took off and leftdad with the three kids.
(11:50):
Because my old daddy was 63 whenI was born and mum was only 24.
And I think after a few yearsbeing an older, older chap and,
and mum was only a young girl,uh, I'd say she would've been
about 17 or 18 when she's withdad.
And how that come about was backin them days, it was they had
(12:12):
the what do you call it, thedepression and all that.
And my grandma, she had 14children.
Two of them had died.
And, and grandma was only, onlya young woman when she died.
She was only 49 when she died.
And she died in 1949.
And she I think she, see Dad waspretty wealthy.
(12:32):
Dad had houses there and camelbusiness and that, and you know,
he used to do a lot of Hawkingtoo.
You know, he used to go up tothe Menindee, Wilcannia that
places and sell, sell likeclothes and things like that to
the aboriginal people too, youknow, up there.
When he finished with thecamels, he, he, he worked on the
mine cuz the camels had finishedin 1929.
Kate (12:54):
With the conclusion of the First World War, the demand for
camel trains and the presence ofAfghan cameleers in the
Australian outback dwindled.
Motorised vehicles had takenover as the primary mode of
transportation for people andtrade, rendering the need for
camels obsolete.
Unemployment loomed over theonce vital cameleers, pushing
them towards day labouring andhawking as a means of survival.
(13:16):
Eventually the camels and theirskilled handlers faded from the
outback, becoming mere remnantsof a bygone era.
During the 1940s, Bobby's fatherheld on to a few camels,
providing joy rides for localchildren and a reminder of the
past in a changing world.
Bobby (13:32):
No one wanted the camels anymore cause they had lorries
coming out, you know, and carscoming out back there.
But occasionally they'd be usingthe camel team to maybe cart a
bit of wool or, or work on theworks for the mines.
I've got some photos I can showyou after if you wanna.
Okay.
And yeah, and what happened was,I think my wife asked my mother
(13:54):
in later years when me mum comeback and I started.
You know, to get in contact withher again.
Cause I hadn't seen her foryears.
And my wife asked her how shemet dad, you know, and she said,
well, love it was like this,back in them days, things were
pretty hard.
And, and my dad owed Bobby's dadmoney for camels and for
(14:16):
rebuilding a house.
But dad rebuilt the house forhim for nothing.
I know that the house got burntdown and dad had it rebuilt for,
and she said, I has to deal.
She said she has to deal.
So, but I, I don't know.
I don't believe that.
So that's
Kate (14:31):
how your parents met
Bobby (14:33):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and I think what happenedto old grandma, she probably
said, you get on to old Shammy,he'll look after you.
He's got plenty of money.
the bit where mum, mum met dad?
That was all right.
Was having a good life for acouple of years until mum went.
When she went I was left withdad and me brother and sister
went with relatives, I think.
And so you were stuck.
(14:53):
That was that was the finish ofit.
Kate (14:56):
How long have you been in Broken Hill now?
Bobby (14:58):
I been come back here in 19 60.
I came back here, yeah, I was20.
Kate (15:04):
Just as we are wrapping up, I hear a call to prayer
start.
This is scheduled on a plug inradio in the anteroom, five
times a day.
When the mosque was in use, thecall to prayer would be sung
verbally from the mosque'sground to summon the men in the
nearby Afghan camp.
Pamela Rajkowski, author of Inthe Tracks of Camelmen, document
(15:24):
the memory of Abdul Fazula, anAfghan descendant.
He vividly recall witnessingMohammed Raffi standing on the
cement outside the mosque,cupping his hands with his palms
outwards besides his faceissuing the call to prayer.
Through his voice, the sacredcall echoed over the camp,
drifting toward the gar town,situated at the northern end of
(15:45):
Chapel Street.
If the devotees were not near amosque for the morning or
evening prayers, they would praywherever they were.
Many old timers from Broken Hillrecall seeing Afghans in the
bush working with their cameltrains, stopping midway at a
certain time, kneeling on theirmats and praying.
So, Bobby, thank you so much foryour time today.
It's been a real pleasurespeaking to you.
Bobby (16:07):
That's all right.
That's, that's real good to meetup with you.
Kate (16:18):
Currently, in Broken Hill, there is no operational mosque,
although there is a Sufibookstore in town, which offers
prayer ceremonies.
The museum is housed in thesmall anteroom of the mosque,
and displays camel bells, nosepegs, photographs, original
stepping stones, camel saddles,traditional headgear, and other
items associated with Islam.
(16:39):
The mosque is open Tuesday toSaturday from 10am to 4pm for a
gold coin donation and can beopen for worship on request.
Bobby (16:48):
Some people come out when they, some Muslim people come
out.
They want to come and pray.
I just come over and open up for'em.
Let'em pray.
Yeah.
I don't pray.
Cause I was never taught, dadnever taught me nothing.
Only thing he taught me was howto run away.
Anyhow, I, I just look after forthe history.
And to keep, keep the historygoing, you know?
(17:09):
Beautiful.
Yeah.
Kate (17:13):
Despite being born with a Muslim name, Amin Noola
Shamroze, Bobby was not raisedMuslim.
He is one of the lastdescendants of cameleers in
Broken Hill, and his pride inhis lineage absolutely radiates.
Journals and diaries of earlyEuropean explorers report with
admiration of the Afghans, theirunwavering commitment to Islam,
(17:33):
excellent character, reliabilityand stamina.
Yet, the contributions of theCamel Drivers Often went
unrecognised, with history bookswritten to favour the white
explorers who led theexpeditions.
While the legacy of theCamaleers is often forgotten,
some place names still showtheir lasting impacts.
Beja's Hill in WA and Cameron'sWell in the remote Northern
(17:57):
Territory serve as quietreminders of their spirit.
These remnants, plus the BrokenHill Mosque Museum, serve as a
reminder of how South Asianswere really indispensable to
Australia's growth anddevelopment as a nation.
Thanks for listening to Roadshowand Tell.
If you enjoyed this deep diveinto a specialty museum, make
(18:19):
sure you subscribe so you don'tmiss an episode.
We're a new podcast.
So if you wanna help support us,please share it with a friend
and leave a rating and review.
If you are involved with or knowof a regional or specialty
museum that should be featured,please get in touch at
roadshowandtell@gmail.com.
I'm your host, Kate.
(18:42):
Roadshow and Tell was edited andproduced on the lands of the
Gadigal people.
I acknowledge the TraditionalCustodians of the various lands
on which you may be listeningfrom, and the lands that the
museums featured in this podcastreside on.
I also acknowledge anyAboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander people listening tothis podcast.
I pay my respects to elderspast, present, and emerging, and
(19:06):
celebrate the diversity ofAboriginal peoples and their
ongoing cultures and connectionsto the lands and waters of
Australia.
This is Roadshow and Tell, mixed for Radio 1RPH.
A show where we visit specialtymuseums so you can learn things
you never knew you wanted to.
in the vast red expanse ofAustralia's Outback lies the
town of Broken Hill.
A speck on the map, home to18,000 people, broken Hill is a
(00:22):
13 hour drive from Sydney, orsix hours from Adelaide.
On the fringes of town, on adusty plot stand, a pair of
fibro sheds that are the BrokenHill Mosque Museum.
Here, an untold story awaits.
It's a reminder of thesignificant contributions of
Muslim immigrants who shapedtrading routes, ventured into
uncharted territories, and builtearly inland infrastructure.
(00:45):
Sadly, it is an overlookedchapter in our shared history.
During the late 19th and early20th centuries, Afghan Kemalis
led camel trains through thisunknown and arid land for trade,
supplies, and surveying.
On these routes, towns emerged,their city limits expanding to
include Afghan camps for thedrivers of the camels.
(01:06):
Towns like Coolgardie in WesternAustralia, Maree, Bourke,
Cloncurry and Alice Springs allhoused Afghan camps and
eventually also erected modestmosques.
The Broken Hill Mosque remainslargely unchanged from when it
was built in the 1890s.
Constructed with wood andcorrugated iron, It includes a
(01:27):
prayer room in a small adjoininganteroom which was historically
used for washing.
Two olive trees at the entranceto the property, planted by the
Islamic Council of New SouthWales in 2008, provide shade to
the mosque.
We speak to caretaker BobbyShamroze, the son of prominent
Afghan cameleer Shamroze Khanand grandson of the last Mullah.
(01:48):
He shares the incredible storyof the mosque, his ancestry, and
the brave cameleers whotraversed the outback of a
foreign land.
The Broken Hill Mosque is on thetraditional lands of the Wilyaki
people.
today I'm with Bobby Sham Roseat the Broken Hill Mosque
Museum.
(02:09):
Bobby, how are you today?
Very
Bobby (02:10):
good, thank you.
That's good.
Kate (02:12):
Mosque and Outback Mosque.
How did this happen?
Bobby (02:15):
to be?
Well, in the early days when thecamels came out to the Outback
that, oh, old Afghans blokescame out with them, and anyhow,
they, some of them ended up herein Broken Hill.
Kate (02:28):
While they were called Afghan cameleers, they weren't
all from Afghanistan.
It wasn't even a country at thatstage.
They came from areas that arenow Pakistan, India, and
Afghanistan, and belong topredominantly four main ethnic
groups, pashtun, Baluchi,Punjabi, and Sindhi.
They were nicknamed Afghans asit was easier and they were
(02:49):
Muslim.
Bobby (02:50):
And so they decided to, to stay there and work the
camel's here.
but before they got going, Ithink they built this, built
this little mosque and there wasanother one out the west of
Broken Hill.
They built that one too.
But there was only in the finishthere was only two people out
there.
So in 1,903, They brought thatother little mosque down here
(03:15):
and planted it at the back here.
They did it right at the back ofthis, and they just left it
there and apparently they, theyused it for the caretaker that
was looking after the mosque atthe time.
Kate (03:26):
So there were two mosques here for,
Bobby (03:28):
there was, yeah, two, there was one out the west and
one here, but the little one outin the west was just, just that
little shed thing at the backthere, and they brought that
down there in 1,903 on thejenka.
And the other two blokes, theycame down there and mingle with
the rest of the blokes, cause asyou could see around here,
there's a big camp around here.
(03:49):
It was a big area.
There was nothing, nothing here,but the mosque in them days and
a couple of houses around place.
This one they say in 1887 insome books and in other books
they say in 1891.
But, what I can think about,they probably started to build
(04:10):
it in 1887, we bought materialsand they had little bits and
pieces, and by the time theyfinished it would've been 1891.
And, uh, my dad and granddad,they used to come down here and
pray.
My dad came out here in 18 94,from India.
(04:31):
Ua, whatever place.
And my granddad must have cameout here a couple of years
earlier than dad, but he landedat, Freemount all over the west
and he worked his way out here.
He finished up and Broken Hilland Dad, I'm not quite sure if
he got off the boat down at aplace called Port Abbott in
Victoria or in Port Augusta.
(04:53):
But he had a lot to do with PortAugusta in the early days cuz he
used to buy the camels from PortAugusta.
Then he'd bring him here overland to Broken Hill and sell
him.
He's more like a dealer too, youknow.
He had heaps of camels.
Kate (05:07):
Afghan Cameliers were integral to Australia's
development as a nation.
Camel trains, also calledcaravans, were at the heart of
every major inland developmentproject.
In an era before roads andrailways, these caravans were
the lifeline that wouldtransport essential goods.
Their trade brought much neededsupplies like water, mail and
(05:27):
equipment to inland towns,fuelling their progress and
prosperity.
Within a decade of the firstcameleers arriving, Afghans with
their camels had built theOverland Telegraph from Adelaide
to Darwin, and, the famous trainline from Port Augusta to Alice
Springs pays homage to theirwork on this.
It was previously called theAfghan Express, which was then
(05:49):
shortened to"The Ghan".
Between 1870 and 1920,approximately 20, 000 camels and
2, 000 to 4, 000 cameleerslanded in Australian ports.
At its peak, there were anestimated 400 South Asians
living in Broken Hill.
Camel drivers led hundreds ofcamel trains throughout inland
Australia in the 19th century,and their travels mean that they
(06:12):
were among the first nonIndigenous people to view iconic
landmarks of Central Australia,such as Kata Tjuta and Uluru.
This also meant that theyestablished camps in each hub on
the Camel Trade Routes.
These were known as Ghan Towns.
So those early cameleers, whydid they bring camels?
Like instead of horses oranything,
Bobby (06:32):
another cattle?
What happened was it would'vebeen the, the blokes like Kidman
and And elder people like thatthey would've had the camels
come out here.
A lot of it from Karachi placecalled Karachi, apparently some
of most of them.
And they brought some of thehandlers out with'em.
And I think what's happened whenthey came out with the camels,
(06:53):
they probably offered the job ofworking them.
Kate (06:55):
The cameleers would come to Australia on temporary work
contracts that didn't allow forwomen or children to join them.
Bobby (07:02):
So, and that's how, that's how it come about.
And they're all around here.
They used to go up toTibooburra, down to Victoria,
down to Wentworth, white Cliffs,Wilcannia, all around as there
was other Camel, camel driverstoo that were up in Burke.
Like that bloke kept his name.
(07:23):
Here he is, got a book, Wade abWade's book.
But there was, there was lots,there was lots of cameleers
here.
Some of them married Aboriginalwomen.
Like that bloke on hand.
He married Aboriginal woman.
And they lived down there arounda couple of blocks down.
Most of their family grew up inBroken Hill,
Kate (07:41):
The Aboriginal populations and Afghan cameleers shared
strong connections andintermarriage was quite common.
Both groups found themselvessegregated from the European
settlers who resided in thecentral areas of the Ghan towns.
Instead, they lived on theoutskirts, leading simpler
lives.
Unfortunately, both communitiesfaced discrimination and
(08:01):
marginalisation at the hands ofthe European settlers during
those early days.
In her work Australianama,writer Samir Khatun, found that
various Aboriginal languagespreserve references to Afghan
cameleers.
For instance, in the Arabunnalanguage spoken near Maree, a
significant hub on the CamelTrade Route, the word"abiganas"
(08:22):
was used to refer to Afghans.
Aboriginal language historiesalong these camel routes are
rich with mentions ofcameleering culture, often
containing fragments of SouthAsian songs and phrases
intertwined with them.
So they've a lot of descendantsof their Yeah.
Early cames are still around.
Bobby (08:37):
Yeah.
They've still got a lot of, lotof'em around.
I'm the only one left aroundhere now.
In my, my family?
Kate (08:46):
So about this building, it's quite small.
So how many people was it builtfor to pray here?
Bobby (08:51):
The building here, it's only like a prayer room.
This wasn't anti room.
This is the way they used tocome in and walk into there and
take their shoes and everythingoff before they went into,
actually, they took their shoesoff outside.
Back in them days.
But saying it's only a, a museumwash museum now people can leave
their shoes on in this area.
because I get a lot of schoolkids too, you know, come here.
(09:13):
And, and then they if they wantto go in there, they can take
their shoes off.
I'd go out there and have alook.
Kate (09:18):
And what's the history of this building as a museum?
Bobby (09:21):
Well, it's lucky to be still here for the simple
version is when my oldgrandfather died, all the land
around there, you can seethere's no houses, nothing
around here.
Back in them days it was allopen and all the old camel
blokes, they just have littlehumpies around here.
Living and that camel yards areat the back of here.
(09:43):
And that's why they turned intoa museum Cause no one came here.
And the council was gonna knockthe building down.
And the.
The bloke on the council stoppedthem from doing it.
Otherwise, there'd not be nohistory left here.
The only time I had anything todo was when I started to do work
with the history and that.
Because I knew a bit about thehistory being a dad and my
(10:03):
grandfather and it was fallingdown the floors and all, were
all broken and, and then theyarmy me all.
But as you can see here now,there's a lot of stuff not back
in here yet.
Cause when they renovated it,they took everything out and
packed it all up.
Kate (10:19):
So it needed a lot of restoration work?
Bobby (10:21):
Yeah.
They spent a bit of money here,but not enough.
And it in September, they'regonna have an opening day here.
Cause they're putting on theircabinets.
And, and all little tablets,instead of having that big thing
in their going, all littletablets and so people can come
in and just press and they canread the story, things like
(10:42):
that.
Yeah.
Hopefully it happens before Igo.
I haven't been her good myself.
Kate (10:48):
So Bobby, why should people come and visit the mosque
museum?
Bobby (10:51):
Well, they should come and have a look at the history.
And see where, how hard theyworked in the early days.
It weren't just a Afghancameleers.
There's a lot of Ozzie Cameshere too.
Not only here, all around otherplace.
And that's why the country'slike it is now.
Cause that they had transportsome of them.
I got photos there.
One like with a camel, ten fourhundred mile.
(11:14):
To go to deliver stores and asto bring wooden up back.
Kate (11:18):
And Bobby, what's your favorite part of the museum?
Bobby (11:21):
My favorite part of the museum is telling people about
it.
Yep.
Kate (11:24):
Just telling the stories.
Stories, you know.
Speaking of stories, Bobby hasan incredible story.
Bobby (11:29):
All my family's gone and me, grandma's family and me,
mum's family, they're all dead.
I, I'm the only one left out ofher.
I, I had a brother and a sister,but with the running away
business, so my mum left when Iwas only four years old.
She left the, took off and leftdad with the three kids.
(11:50):
Because my old daddy was 63 whenI was born and mum was only 24.
And I think after a few yearsbeing an older, older chap and,
and mum was only a young girl,uh, I'd say she would've been
about 17 or 18 when she's withdad.
And how that come about was backin them days, it was they had
(12:12):
the what do you call it, thedepression and all that.
And my grandma, she had 14children.
Two of them had died.
And, and grandma was only, onlya young woman when she died.
She was only 49 when she died.
And she died in 1949.
And she I think she, see Dad waspretty wealthy.
(12:32):
Dad had houses there and camelbusiness and that, and you know,
he used to do a lot of Hawkingtoo.
You know, he used to go up tothe Menindee, Wilcannia that
places and sell, sell likeclothes and things like that to
the aboriginal people too, youknow, up there.
When he finished with thecamels, he, he, he worked on the
mine cuz the camels had finishedin 1929.
Kate (12:54):
With the conclusion of the First World War, the demand for
camel trains and the presence ofAfghan cameleers in the
Australian outback dwindled.
Motorised vehicles had takenover as the primary mode of
transportation for people andtrade, rendering the need for
camels obsolete.
Unemployment loomed over theonce vital cameleers, pushing
them towards day labouring andhawking as a means of survival.
(13:16):
Eventually the camels and theirskilled handlers faded from the
outback, becoming mere remnantsof a bygone era.
During the 1940s, Bobby's fatherheld on to a few camels,
providing joy rides for localchildren and a reminder of the
past in a changing world.
Bobby (13:32):
No one wanted the camels anymore cause they had lorries
coming out, you know, and carscoming out back there.
But occasionally they'd be usingthe camel team to maybe cart a
bit of wool or, or work on theworks for the mines.
I've got some photos I can showyou after if you wanna.
Okay.
And yeah, and what happened was,I think my wife asked my mother
(13:54):
in later years when me mum comeback and I started.
You know, to get in contact withher again.
Cause I hadn't seen her foryears.
And my wife asked her how shemet dad, you know, and she said,
well, love it was like this,back in them days, things were
pretty hard.
And, and my dad owed Bobby's dadmoney for camels and for
(14:16):
rebuilding a house.
But dad rebuilt the house forhim for nothing.
I know that the house got burntdown and dad had it rebuilt for,
and she said, I has to deal.
She said she has to deal.
So, but I, I don't know.
I don't believe that.
So that's
Kate (14:31):
how your parents met
Bobby (14:33):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and I think what happenedto old grandma, she probably
said, you get on to old Shammy,he'll look after you.
He's got plenty of money.
the bit where mum, mum met dad?
That was all right.
Was having a good life for acouple of years until mum went.
When she went I was left withdad and me brother and sister
went with relatives, I think.
And so you were stuck.
(14:53):
That was that was the finish ofit.
Kate (14:56):
How long have you been in Broken Hill now?
Bobby (14:58):
I been come back here in 19 60.
I came back here, yeah, I was20.
Kate (15:04):
Just as we are wrapping up, I hear a call to prayer
start.
This is scheduled on a plug inradio in the anteroom, five
times a day.
When the mosque was in use, thecall to prayer would be sung
verbally from the mosque'sground to summon the men in the
nearby Afghan camp.
Pamela Rajkowski, author of Inthe Tracks of Camelmen, document
(15:24):
the memory of Abdul Fazula, anAfghan descendant.
He vividly recall witnessingMohammed Raffi standing on the
cement outside the mosque,cupping his hands with his palms
outwards besides his faceissuing the call to prayer.
Through his voice, the sacredcall echoed over the camp,
drifting toward the gar town,situated at the northern end of
(15:45):
Chapel Street.
If the devotees were not near amosque for the morning or
evening prayers, they would praywherever they were.
Many old timers from Broken Hillrecall seeing Afghans in the
bush working with their cameltrains, stopping midway at a
certain time, kneeling on theirmats and praying.
So, Bobby, thank you so much foryour time today.
It's been a real pleasurespeaking to you.
Bobby (16:07):
That's all right.
That's, that's real good to meetup with you.
Kate (16:18):
Currently, in Broken Hill, there is no operational mosque,
although there is a Sufibookstore in town, which offers
prayer ceremonies.
The museum is housed in thesmall anteroom of the mosque,
and displays camel bells, nosepegs, photographs, original
stepping stones, camel saddles,traditional headgear, and other
items associated with Islam.
(16:39):
The mosque is open Tuesday toSaturday from 10am to 4pm for a
gold coin donation and can beopen for worship on request.
Bobby (16:48):
Some people come out when they, some Muslim people come
out.
They want to come and pray.
I just come over and open up for'em.
Let'em pray.
Yeah.
I don't pray.
Cause I was never taught, dadnever taught me nothing.
Only thing he taught me was howto run away.
Anyhow, I, I just look after forthe history.
And to keep, keep the historygoing, you know?
(17:09):
Beautiful.
Yeah.
Kate (17:13):
Despite being born with a Muslim name, Amin Noola
Shamroze, Bobby was not raisedMuslim.
He is one of the lastdescendants of cameleers in
Broken Hill, and his pride inhis lineage absolutely radiates.
Journals and diaries of earlyEuropean explorers report with
admiration of the Afghans, theirunwavering commitment to Islam,
(17:33):
excellent character, reliabilityand stamina.
Yet, the contributions of theCamel Drivers Often went
unrecognised, with history bookswritten to favour the white
explorers who led theexpeditions.
While the legacy of theCamaleers is often forgotten,
some place names still showtheir lasting impacts.
Beja's Hill in WA and Cameron'sWell in the remote Northern
(17:57):
Territory serve as quietreminders of their spirit.
These remnants, plus the BrokenHill Mosque Museum, serve as a
reminder of how South Asianswere really indispensable to
Australia's growth anddevelopment as a nation.
Thanks for listening to Roadshowand Tell.
If you enjoyed this deep diveinto a specialty museum, make
(18:19):
sure you subscribe so you don'tmiss an episode.
We're a new podcast.
So if you wanna help support us,please share it with a friend
and leave a rating and review.
If you are involved with or knowof a regional or specialty
museum that should be featured,please get in touch at
roadshowandtell@gmail.com.
I'm your host, Kate.
(18:42):
Roadshow and Tell was edited andproduced on the lands of the
Gadigal people.
I acknowledge the TraditionalCustodians of the various lands
on which you may be listeningfrom, and the lands that the
museums featured in this podcastreside on.
I also acknowledge anyAboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander people listening tothis podcast.
I pay my respects to elderspast, present, and emerging, and
(19:06):
celebrate the diversity ofAboriginal peoples and their
ongoing cultures and connectionsto the lands and waters of
Australia.
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