Pearl divers

Muslims were crucial to the development of the pearlshelling industry along Australia's northern coast. In the late 19th century, so-called 'Malays' from South-East Asia were brought to Australia to work as indentured labourers in the shell-rich waters around Thursday Island, Darwin and Broome. Employed as divers, cooks, pump hands, and crewmen, Malays provided shellers with a source of cheap labour. The work was dangerous, and exploitation was common.

By the turn of the century, Broome was the world's major pearlshelling centre. It was home to a varied and sometimes explosive mix of cultures, that included Malays as well as Japanese, Chinese, 'Koepangers' (usually from Timor) and Aboriginal people. Living conditions were basic, but in the 1930s the town's Muslims established a small mosque.

White Australia Policy

With the implementation of the White Australia Policy, non-European indentured labourers were excluded from most industries. But the shellers successfully lobbied for an exemption on economic and racial grounds. A Royal Commission agreed in 1916 that white workers were unsuited to the physical demands of pearlshelling. Malays continued to be employed in the industry until the 1970s. 

In the postwar years, Malays were at the centre of controversies that highlighted difficulties in both the White Australia Policy and the indentured labour system. In 1947, the Chifley government attempted to deport a group of Malay seamen who had been admitted during the war as refugees. The plight of these men, many of whom had married Australian women, won considerable public sympathy. 

Protests

At about the same time, leaders of the Malay community in Broome came into conflict with the pearlshellers when the Malays sought to improve their working conditions. At the urging of employers these 'troublemakers' were deported. Further deportations were thwarted in 1961, when students, unionists and others protested against the treatment of two Malay pearl divers. Public concern over such cases reflected growing unease with the operations of the White Australia Policy.

The Colombo Plan

In the 1950s and 1960s another group of Malays were treated very differently, often invited into the lives and homes of ordinary Australians. Under a cooperative development scheme known as the Colombo Plan, thousands of students from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan and India [Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Japan] came to Australia to attend local tertiary institutions.  

Under the Colombo Plan, Australia provided economic and technical assistance to South and South-East Asian countries. By contributing to social and economic development, it was hoped to maintain security and stability within the region, steering Australia's neighbours clear of communism. Australian policy-makers also expected that the positive relationships established under the scheme would help defuse criticism in Asia of the White Australia Policy. 

Changing perceptions

The Colombo Plan certainly changed perceptions in Australia, where the presence of the friendly young Asian students contributed to the thawing of old, entrenched prejudices. The majority of the students were Muslims from middle-class families. Intelligent and usually proficient in English, they were quickly accepted by their Australian hosts. Friendships were forged as many Anglo-Celtic homes welcomed the newcomers.

The 2000th Colombo Plan student

The selection and arrival of the 2000th Colombo Plan student, an 'attractive Malayan girl', was the subject of extensive publicity both in Australia and Asia. Twenty-one-year-old Ummi Kelsom was an ideal ambassador for the scheme. The fifth child of an upper-middle class family, she spoke English fluently, and was both a badminton champion and a keen girl guide. She had even prepared for her visit to Australia by learning how to drive a Holden. 

The students were happy to show off their own cultures. They attended barbecues and dances, although the Muslim students avoided drinking alcohol. Keen soccer players, they fitted in well with sports-mad Australians. The students formed their own teams and joined local soccer leagues.

Muslim students attended their local mosque and fasted and celebrated on the special Eid days. The young female students, most of whom trained as nurses, wore the modest Malayan dress of sarong and kebaya, with a thin scarf over one shoulder. They did not wear veils or the hijab, often associated with Muslim women today.

After completing their courses in fields such as nursing, engineering, business studies and economics, most Colombo Plan students returned to their homelands. Many of them later became leaders in their own societies: senior public servants, politicians, economic planners, businessmen and educators. They often maintained links with Australia, visiting regularly, and even sending their children for schooling. This generation of leadership helped significantly to develop trade and diplomatic links with Australia.

This is an extract from Uncommon Lives: Muslim Journeys a collection of stories previously published by the National Archives.