Key Points
- Amar Singh, founder of Turbans 4 Australia, is the 2023 Australian Local Hero.
- Mr Singh has shared his personal story after arriving in Australia with his family in 1998.
- He said his charity was born out of a desire to "help build bridges" and create a more harmonious future.
Amar Singh's spirit was "tested, but it was never broken" after he arrived in Australia.
Like fellow migrants, his life here started out of a suitcase, when he came from India's Punjab state in 1998 with his mother, two older sisters and older brother.
He was 15 years old.
On 25 January, Mr Singh was named the in Canberra, after previously being named NSW's Local Hero.
"Many things were set against me," Mr Singh said in his address at the NSW awards on 20 January, speaking of India's caste system and growing up in a single-parent household.
"Then coming to Australia and feeling lonely, isolated and experiencing racism that at times made me feel sick in my stomach."
Then coming to Australia and feeling lonely, isolated and experiencing racism that at times made me feel sick in my stomach.Amar Singh
Mr Singh recalled going to school in Sydney's south-west where one of his teachers thought his name was hard to pronounce.
"So, he decided to change my name to David," he said.
"I can remember when I started TAFE a few years later, I thought to myself ... if you want to speak with me, you better use my real name."
Amar Singh when he was 18 years old. Source: Supplied / Amar Singh
'Sikhs in Australia became targets of hate'
Mr Singh became an Australian citizen in 2000, and said he has been a proud Australian Sikh ever since.
But after the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001 "a lot changed".
"A turban-wearing Sikh stood out and were suddenly seen as a bad person, a threat because of the way they looked," he said.
"The first victim of a hate attack in the United States was a Sikh service station owner. Sikhs in Australia became targets of hate as well, including me."
A time when he was verbally abused while truck driving in Sydney in 2014 was "the last straw".
"I have had enough. But what could I do? Who would listen to me and why would they care?"
Mr Singh decided to share his story with radio host Ray Hadley and asked him to visit his community temple - which he accepted.
"If we build walls around ourselves, how can we expect people to know about our faith, values and community?" Mr Singh said.
'People are scared of the unknown'
Following the visit - during which Mr Singh shared a story about being called a "terrorist" while working in Wollongong - Hadley asked him to tell the story on live radio.
"I was gobsmacked when the same bloke who had called me a terrorist in Wollongong rang 2GB and apologised," he said.
"That moment was the catalyst for me to start work on setting up a charity.
If we build walls around ourselves, how can we expect people to know about our faith, values and community?Amar Singh
"I’m proud of being a Sikh, a migrant and a true-blue Aussie.
"I had changed the mind of one person by being open and reaching out."
Mr Singh said he came to realise that "people are scared of the unknown".
"So the more we can open our hearts and arms to each other, the better things will be. That's what I decided to do."
'Building bridges' with Turbans 4 Australia
Mr Singh went on to set up Turbans 4 Australia, which he calls "an organisation to help all Australians in need regardless of race, creed, colour, or life circumstances".
Every week, the charity packages and distributes up to 450 food and grocery hampers to those experiencing food insecurity in Western Sydney.
It has also organised drought relief, in northern NSW, bushfire-affected communities on the state's south coast and
For Mr Singh, one of the most important times to deliver the Sikh teaching of respect is when people are experiencing hardship.
"I believe when we are helping anyone, they are on the same level as us."
Amar Singh loads parcels into a car for delivery to those impacted by COVID lockdowns in Sydney in 2021. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
In turn, Mr Singh said his charity work helped to foster his own sense of belonging - "that this is my country, too."
"We do all this to show all groups in the community that as Australian Sikhs, we are part of this great Australian community," he said.
We do all this to show all groups in the community that as Australian Sikhs, we are part of this great Australian community.Amar Singh
Turbans 4 Australia started as a small group of volunteers. Today, it has over 300 volunteers running community pantries in Sydney, Melbourne, and the Northern Rivers region, and organising cultural events.
"I wanted to play a role in helping to create a more harmonious future. I wanted to help build bridges," he said.
"I never dreamed Turbans 4 Australia and I would be here where we are today."
'Mates helping mates'
Mr Singh calls his story a "simple" one that "comes from the heart".
He describes himself as "a man who fought to find his place in Australian society".
"The hardest thing was to write this speech and deliver it here today," he said.
"I'm better at getting trucks on the road, loaded with goodies for our friends in need.
"Mates helping mates."
