AGURUDWARA FORALL

Thelate Dr AMARJITSINGH MORE, OAM

Forhisservice to medicine, andto thelocal andSikh communitiesof Woo/goo/go saproud Sikh and aproud Australian, DrAmarjitSingh Morewasdeeplypassionate aboutboth identities, serving bothcommunitieswith unwavering com1nitment.

"Our Gurushave taught usto follow apathofrighteousnessand truth and to createa free, con1passionate, tolerant, and egalitarian society," heonce said. "These vaJues are the same asthoseofAustralian society. SikhsfoughtalongsideAustralian diggersin the 1nanybattlesin WWl and WW2 touphold the valuesofaden1ocratic, free, andjustsociety. OurGuruswere martyred fordefendingthesevalues."

DrAn1arjitSinghMorewasfelicitated withtheOAM honouron thisyear's Australia Day.

"1 am deeplyhun,bled, andalsosad," hisdaughterSasha More told IndianLink aboutthehonourforherfather.

Dr More passedlastApril.

"Buthehimselfwouldhave said,what's all thefussabout! Hewasaverygracious man,verydeserving."

As founderandgeneralpractitioner attheWoolgoolga Medical Centre, Dr Morewasamuch-lovedmemberofthe comn1unjty. AsaSikhelder,hewashighly regardedwithin the local Sikh coIDJnunity, and tookon aleadership roleinthe buildingofthenewFirstSikhGurudwara.

"He lovedworkingfor thegurudwara," Sasha recounted. "Fro1nplanningthrough to buildingand inauguration, he was involvedatevery step,goingto the site everydayevenwhenhewassick. He also travelledwidelyforfundraising. Ican safelysay,withouthi1ntherewould be no gurudwara. 1t ishislegacy."

Thenewtemplewasgrantedheritage statusayearafterbeinginaugurated.

DrMorearrivedinAustralia in 1964as a 13-year-old. Buthisfamily'slinksto this countrygowaybackbeforeFederation. His greatgrandfathercame herein 1800s,and the familydivided theirtimebetweenIndia andAustralia. Hisgrandfatherstarteda bananaplantation thatthe familystill owns.

DrMorebecameschoolcaptain ofthe localpublicschool inWoolgoolga,andthen wentto the UniversityofQueensland to studymedicine.

He chosehowevertoreturn to Woolgoolga toservehisadopted city. Deeplyinvolved inthecommunity, he founded the LionsClubofWoolgoolga in 1976, and wasmemberformanyyears. He was alsoasupporterofthe Returnedand Services LeagueofAustralia.

Asa Sikhelder, healsoplayed apart in makingtheAustralianSikhGames the hugeannual event it istoday.

Hiscommitment toboth his nativeand adoptedidentitieswasevidentwhenhe saidattheinaugurationofthe NewSikh Gurudwara in 2019, "Weareonly the custodiansofthisuniqueandiconicplace ofworship,but itbelongsto all Woolgoolga and Australia.ThisGurdwarais foremost aplace ofworshipforSikhs, butithas broughttogetherindividuals, communities, and faiths fortheimprovedunderstanding betweenus all."

Itisa sentiment thathlsfamilyfollowsto the letter.

"Mybrotheriscurrentlythevice presidentofthe temple committee, and my

• also include lifestyle. Coffs, with its beachside setting, is paradise!"

'Paradise' is a term he also uses to describe his adopted country, especiaJJy given his experiences ofApartheid South Africa,where hisfamilyhaslived since the early 1900s.

"Although I havegood memories of mychildhood, these are overwhelmingly predominated by the racist rule, police brutality,controlofwherewe could or could notgo. I'm pleased or see the backofit. Ofcourse, the situation haschanged, nowthatitis politically different."

He faced no such jssues here in Australia.

"There were manydoctors ofcolour when l arrived here," herecalled. "I've worked with many doctors ofIndian origin forexample-allbrilliant, they function at averyhigh level."

How wouldhe adviseyoungdoctors comingintodayas NewAustralians?

"I'd sayto them, do work tothe best of yourability. It's allabouteffort, effort, effort. This is afaircountry, and it will giveyouopportunities. There could be cousin issecretary," Sasha revealed. "We believe thattheGurudwara isacommunity centreand invite the mainstream inatany opportunity."

Incaseyou'rewonderingaboutthat unusual surname fora Sikh, Sasha clarified, "Ltcomes fromtheHindustani termforpeacock. Dad'suncle moved to Englandandchanged his na1ne there."

Ltis aname thatsuits DrAmarjit perfectly.

The peacocksymbolismacross various culturesstandsfor nobility,holiness, guidance,protectionandwatchfulness. lt is also symbolic ofrejuvenation-a connection between thepast, presentand future.

Rajni Anand Luthra

barriers to entry to begin with, but isn't that true ofanycountry - noone will acceptyou straightoffwithopen arms. Manypeople ofcolourare now heads ofdepartments, doing reallywell. You can see that in the Indian diaspora - the barriers are high, and those that do get through are talented. By no means is this sheerluck; there's thousandsofyears of history behind such achievement. Today's Uberdriver is the parent oftomorrow's professional-it's partoftheir cultural strength."

Rajni Anand Luthra