One would think that it takes water cannons, water-bombing aircraft and fire retardants to fight bushfires, not water bottles purchased from a supermarket, right?
Two weeks ago, Khalsa Assist began doing exactly the latter.
Registered less than six months ago, this charity began supplying relief material to fire-ravaged areas only recently.
But in such a short span of time, the volunteers of Khalsa Assist have delivered over 7,000 bottles of water to the communities and firefighters impacted by the bushfires that continue to rage across their home state of Queensland.
Based in Brisbane, this charity is headed by taxi-driver Nachhatar Singh Dosanjh, aka ‘Nash Dosanjh’.
In addition to buying pallets of water bottles from supermarkets, he along with his team of five, also contacts gurdwaras (Sikh temples) in Queensland to check if they want to send any relief material to the people who are battling bushfires across the state.
“In the Sikh faith, serving water to the thirsty is a tradition. We are only following that,” says Mr Dosanjh referring to the tradition of ‘chhabeel’ (offering free water and soft drinks to people during peak summers) in the Sikh culture.
Khalsa Assist's van is flagged off at the Brisbane Sikh Temple earlier this week. Source: Supplied
Talking to SBS Punjabi, he says the donors as well as recipients prefer supply of water bottles and energy drinks instead of cooked food from charities like theirs.
“The firefighters are so busy fighting fires that they don’t have the time to eat a proper meal. So all they ask for is water to keep them hydrated in blistering conditions or at the most, some ready-to-eat snacks like muesli bars. That’s why we focus on supplying mostly water,” says Mr Dosanjh.
“Such social service is in the long-term interest of the Sikh community. We now live in Australia, and will continue to do so. So Aussies should know who the Sikhs are, and that they are there to lend a helping hand when the need arises. Our community never bats an eyelid before reaching out to the needy,” says Mr Dosanjh with a sense of duty and pride in his faith.
Mr Dosanjh adds that being a very new charity organisation, he is overwhelmed by the support Khalsa Assist has got in such a short period of time.
Khalsa Assist volunteers in the bushfire-hit area of Rathdowney. Source: Supplied
But he admits that buying such large quantities of bottled water can be a challenge in itself, leave alone delivering it.
“I’m very mindful that I’m using other people’s money so I ensure I use it judiciously. I shop around and check where I can get the best price. That itself, is a job,” he laughs.
Mr Dosanjh drives a Maxi Taxi, which has of late become his delivery van for relief material to fire-hit places like Riverina and Rathdowney in Queensland.
“It gives me the freedom that a hired truck won’t. I just load the relief material in my Maxi Taxi as needed and drive away without having to bother with booking a truck,” says Mr Dosanjh, who also associated with an association of taxi drivers and owners in Queensland.
Earlier this week, two gurdwaras in the capital of Queensland -- Brisbane Sikh Temple at Eight Mile Plains and Singh Sabha Temple at Taigum -- flagged off vans carrying bottled water and fruit destined for places impacted by bushfires.
Click on the player at the top of the page to listen to this interview in Punjabi.
