Heni Pearson (left) from the Goulburn Multi Cultural Centre has helped the Indian community, organising sponsorships and qualifying for driving licences. “She is magnificent,” says Jaison Pattuvelil (right), a leader in the Goulburn Indian community. Photo: John Thistleton.
Young, highly educated with aspirations to own their homes, start businesses and raise families, members of an emerging Indian community are making their presence felt in Goulburn.
They are filling much-needed positions across the health, aged care and disability sectors. Thirty per cent of nurses at the Goulburn Base Hospital are from India, according to Jaison Pattuvelil, president of the Southern Inland Goulburn Malayala Association (SIGMA).
“If you take the 90 [Indian] families in Goulburn, you can take at least one as a registered nurse from each family,” Jaison said.
SIGMA has 70 families as members, and overall number about 300 people when their children are included. They have come indirectly from Europe, and originate from the one state in southern India, Kerala, which has a population of about 38 million people.
Jaison said many of the families came to this country after the Australian Government made immigration more attractive to lure people after the pandemic from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and other countries.
With a literacy rate of 100 per cent and a strong focus on education, Kerala is called God’s own country and different from India’s other states. But the job opportunities are fewer and the standard of living lower than Australia’s, according to Jaison.
He and his wife Ann have two sons attending Trinity College and have been in Goulburn for two-and-a-half years. They came from the Central Coast where they had lived for six years. They moved to Australia from New Zealand where they had lived for five years.
“We moved to New Zealand to get a better education. My wife Ann did her post-graduate studies there, I did my post-graduate here [Australia] in nephrology [kidney disorders]. She is doing her master’s and working for the hospital,” he said.
“The main reason we moved here was the housing affordability,” he said.
“Goulburn is a most affordable place, calm and quiet; housing is not that concentrated like in the cities.” His family bought a large residential block on Sanctuary Drive and have built their home there.
“The weather is really good here compared to those European countries. Australia has the full package,” Jaison said.
“For me, I am adapted to the colder climate. We actually prefer it a bit colder, rather than a sweaty, humid climate. The only trouble when it is winter, it is a bit windy,” he said. He misses the selection he had in Kerala of fresh tropical food.
Friends playing carrom, a tabletop game of Indian origin, in Goulburn. Indian families gather regularly at the Veolia Centre for carrom, cards, chess and Zumba (led by Goulburn Multicultural Centre manager Heni Hardi). Cricket and indoor badminton are other popular sports. Photo: Southern Inland Goulburn Malayalee Association.
“We have 28 states in India; all the states speak different languages, different dialect, different culture. Those 70 families [in Goulburn] speak the same language called Malayalam.”
Jaison expects more people from South India because of the people already settled here.
The owners of Tractor 5911 and the Golden Tandoori Restaurant are from North India. Mary Queen of Apostles parish priest Fr Joshy Kurien who came to Goulburn in 2019 after six years at the Cootamunda/Harden parish, originates from India. Father Joshy attends all SIGMA’s community occasions, including house blessings and cultural programs. In Kerala more than 18 per cent of the population identify as Christians, the second religious majority are Hindus and the third majority are Muslims.
Indians in Goulburn celebrate Christmas and Easter and bring colour and diversity with their festivals – Vishnu in April, a Hindu festival celebrating the Malayali new year, Onam in August, the annual harvest and cultural festival related to Hinduism and Diwali, the festival of light.
IT workers in their community mostly travel to Canberra or Sydney from Goulburn. But following the rise of working from home during the pandemic, more are now continuing to stay and work from home and travel only once or twice a week.
Others own their own restaurant or petrol station or have set up businesses, as Jaison has done as a registered disability services provider. They see tremendous opportunities in Goulburn, as new arrivals from Europe did following World War II.
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