We were told that the program would be held in two sessions. The first session, known as a training camp would be held during the Term 1 school holidays. The second session, residential camp, would take place during the Term 2 holidays. 

The training camp was all about basics. We learned about formulating and preparing legislative bills on issues which were of concern to us as youths.

I along with fellow sikh Rana Singh were both selected for the same portfolio area; Multicultural and Ethnic affairs. After much deliberation, we  eventually settled on a bill to target racism in the state. The bill called for the establishment of a Cultural Religious Appreciation Committee. This committee would implement a compulsory program aimed at teaching appreciation of religions and cultures in Australia to year 7-8 students.

While we achieved much, we also found that our efforts had left us with key flaws that needed correcting. This led our portfolio to split into Sponsors and Refuters of the bill. Discussions between those sponsoring the bill and those refuting against it left us with much to mull over as we left at the end of our first session or training camp.

I could not wait for Term 2 to end and for the holidays and the residential camp to start.

What I experienced was amazing.  We went to parliament, to debate the bills which we had worked so hard on. The atmosphere in which we worked was awesome. We functioned like actual parliamentarians and even surprised them with the calibre of our debates.

At parliament, all portfolios came together into Government and Opposition groups. We as Government spoke on a wide spectrum of issues which including adolescent health care, domestic violence, bridging the gap between rural and regional areas and euthanasia. Arguing each time for our party, before voting with our conscience at the resolve of the debate.

Each day, different portfolio groups would present and debate their bills. The night before our bill was to be presented was a hectic and nervous one with last minute details being addressed.

On the morning itself, all our hard work came to 45 minutes of intense debate and when the vote was taken our bill had been passed with unanimous numbers.  It was then handed to the relieving Premier of NSW to view and amend before debate in the house.

I was also fortunate enough to make a ministerial speech before Parliament during the course of the day. I spoke about Sikhism and how Sikhs in the community were targeted by racism and the words did not have fall on deaf ears, with many interested to know more about our faith and ways of life.

But it was not all about work, we enjoyed some valuable fun time throughout the course of the camp, with rugby and soccer games, a cruise and a disco. Not surprisingly, I have come away with many new friendships and I hope these will last for a long time.

On a personal note, this has been the most empowering experience of my life! I have learnt so much. I now know what it is to work under pressure, how to write speeches and how to command attention instead of demanding it.

I am glad I was given this opportunity not only to represent myself as an individual, but my community, my electorate and Sikhs all around.

I have learned how to make a difference and what steps I can take to change the world.  I would recommend this program to anyone who qualifies for it. It is not just a camp. It is a life experience.

The Hike

I started my training in February, with the view that given the demands of working in a professional services firm and part-time study, I’d be hard pressed to dedicate the amount of time I’d need to get into peak physical condition for the Trail. As such, I had a long lead in and my focus was on getting as much training as early as possible to make the colder winter months that coincide with exam time easier.

I began by doing long walks – starting at about 12Ks on a Saturday, working my way up to 25K's + during March. However, this does not simulate the hilly terrain of Kokoda, nor does it provide you with the necessary strength involved with carrying a pack in extremely hot and humid conditions.

The Pain

So, with my legs strong enough to carry me for 5+ hour walks, I started climbing stairs and steep hills in and around Kensington and Coogee. And for the past 3 months pretty much all I’ve been doing 2-3 times a week is climbing, climbing and more climbing. To add to the challenge of the climb, I’ve progressively increased the weight I’ve carried on my back. I started with nothing and have added barbell weights into my backpack and am now carrying about 12-14 Kilos.

Have no doubt, this is excruciating on the legs, feet, lungs and shoulder muscles but from the reading I’ve done of people’s training, there is nothing more important than getting hours under your belt and your legs trained to go up and down hills and stairs.

So, with only a few days to go I think I’m at my peak condition but only time will tell whether I’m good enough to finish the trail. I’ve heard real horror stories of people collapsing, having to be rescued by helicopters and also some deaths but also stories of achievement and triumph of spirit over body. Whatever the outcome, I’m sure this will be an experience I’ll cherish for all my life.

I will aim to post from PNG if I get the chance. Either way, I’ll see you on the other side!

Check back soon for my next update on how my journey went!

The Man

To give you a bit of background on myself, I’m a 23 year old Sydney resident, was born in Bombay, but spent most of my youth growing up in Darwin, NT. I completed my undergraduate degree at UNSW and currently work as a Management Consultant for a company called The LiTMUS Group, while also studying a Master of Finance degree.

The Mission

The Kokoda Trail is a trek that links the Northern and Southern coasts of Papua New Guinea and is famous for staging one of the bloodiest Australian campaigns in World War II. The Trail itself is single file and stretches 96 KMs from Port Moresby to the village of Kokoda through some of the most isolated and rugged terrain in the world. Across a series of battles through 1942, the Australian Armed Forces were able to subdue the largest land assault by the Japanese on Australian occupied territory to prevent Australia falling into Japanese hands. In the process, 600+ Australians were killed, and while the Japanese forces had over 6,500 casualties.

Over the last few years, the Kokoda trail has come to symbolise a pilgrimage of sorts for Australians of all ages who wish to pay homage to the young troops who sacrificed their lives for the luxuries we enjoy today.

For me, personally as an Australian and young Sikh this trek presents me with the opportunity to honour their sacrifice but also a compelling challenge in the discipline required during my training and on the trek itself.

Over the coming weeks I’ll taking you on this journey with me, as I prepare to embark on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Click here for my next update on my gruelling training regime!

"Light travels faster than sound , that is why some people appear very bright until you hear them speak".

Not this writer’s words, but those of Iqbal Singh. The words were on his first slide in his powerpoint presentation at his talk in Sydney on Saturday,  May 1^st 2010.

He probably meant it as a throwaway line to generate some thought or humour, but in his case, this is not true.
He appears bright and when he speaks one quickly realises that this is a man who not only appears bright, but also has a very bright mind.

Not surprisingly, this 45-year-old educator from the Sunshine Coast in Northern Queensland was invited to Canberra to join the Federal Government’s 2020 Vision Conference. This is just one of the many accolades this Sikh who works as a School Principal has collected over the years.

With his full beard and turban, he could easily pass for a new Sikh migrant from the Punjab. That is until he opens his mouth and speaks.

Put a curtain around him and you would swear the man speaking is an Australian born and bred in this country for many generations.

Iqbal was born in Bopa Rai Kalan, near Nakodar, in Jalandhar District in North West Punjabi in India.

He was a baby when his father migrated to Australia with his family. They settled in Perth before moving to Queensland. He received all his education in Australia and has a science background. Choosing to become an educator he has achieved much and is today recognised not only in his chosen field, but has also been recognised as a bright mind by the Queensland government. Iqbal today serves on the Queensland government’s 2020 vision panel as well.

In many ways he is a leading light among Sikhs in Queensland and himself highly values Sikh principles. His Sikh values have not prevented Iqbal from living, playing and being an Australian in every sense of the word.

Iqbal was in Sydney on a flying visit on Saturday when he met and spoke at a special strategic planning workshop organised by Sikh Youth Australia (SYA).

His talk was titled “Unlocking The Power Of Australia’s Sikh Youth. Retaining Sikh Identity and Contributing To A Thriving Inclusive Australia Beyond 2020.”

He spoke to an audience of about 60 people which included Sikh teenagers, Sikhs in their early 20s and Sikh parents from Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Queensland.

The group had been invited to attend the workshop to discuss future plans for SYA’s growth and development. Facilitated by two external consultants, Mahesh Enjeti and Manraj Khuman, a number of innovative and creative opportunities were identified.

In his talk Iqbal looked at Identity and Culture and the individual’s role in relation to his family, peers  and the local Gurdwara and broader Sikh community. The impact of these factors and their connection with the broader Australian public was also discussed.

He also discussed how our Sikh Identity in Australia could contribute towards National Productivity and also touched on the issue of Sikh Social Capital. He felt Sikhs could be social entrepreneurs by finding the right kinds of collaborations to accelerate social change.


In concluding, he made  a number of suggestions on how youths could promote Sikh identity.These included:

a) A better articulation of the Sikh Identity
b)Use of a strength-based approach
c)Developing plans for a stronger network
d)Defining organisational culture in terms of actions and behaviours
e)Looking at technology –  especially Internet Cafes – where the message could be spread and highlighting the issue at Sikh events and Gurdwaras.

His talk left many at the workshop with much food for thought.  Iqbal may be up on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, but it is obvious that he has much to contribute to the Sikh Community on a National level in Australia.

He gave two presentations which can be viewed and downloaded below:

An explanation of the 5 K's of Sikhism - Iqbal Singh, Brisbane

Unlocking the power of Sikh Youth - Iqbal Singh, Brisbane

Shukrana: A Song of Gratitude

by Jessi Kaur

O Lord our God,

Gracious and kind Waheguru,

Today is the beginning of the month of Vaisakh.

We, your children, gather here to thank You

For bestowing so much upon us, on this day of Vaisakhi.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God,

Wondrous Waheguru

Father and Mother of the Universe

Who dwells in us,

And blessed are we, Your children

Chosen by You as the Khalsa,

The pure ones, Your very own - we thank You

On this day of Vaisakhi for bestowing so much upon us.

You have given us

This season of joy and festivity.

In Punjab, the land of our fathers,

The farmers are rejoicing for a bounteous harvest.

And wherever we, Your children, live

Across the five continents,

You have kept us in prosperity and chardi kalaa.

Blessed are You, O lord our God

Who has granted us life and sustenance

And helped us in our daily tasks.

O Father and Mother of the Universe

Who dwells in us,

We bow in gratitude to You

For sending us ten great Gurus

That blessed the earth

With the glorious examples of their lives

And taught us to live in grace and appreciation.

You sent us Guru Nanak,

Who sang of Your glory and

Through whom You delivered to us

The great hymn of Japji

So we may contemplate the wonder

Of Your Creation.

Your bard, our first great Guru

Stripped the veil of ignorance

So the Truth could be heard.

The Truth of Your existence,

Of the oneness of Your creation,

Of the universality of Your presence.

The truth that had been shrouded

Shone again through Your son, Guru Nanak.

You sent us Guru Angad,

Who exemplified humility and seva

And gave of himself so unreservedly

That we could learn to give

And give without expectation

And yet be humble.

O Lord, our Waheguru

We thank You for this lesson of life

And ask of You that we not forget

What You taught us through Guru Angad.

You sent us Guru Amardas,

Also dedicated to service

And humility, so we could yet again

Learn the hard lessons of selfless love and seva,

So difficult for humans, so freely flowing from You

Through yet another great Guru.

We thank You, O Waheguru,

O Lord our God, Father and Mother

Of the Universe

For the Great Guru Amardas

Who became the hope of the hopeless,

The home of the homeless,

The shelter of the shelterless!

Guru Amardas, who forbade the women

From hiding their light

And gave them their rightful place beside men.

You sent us Guru Ramdas,

Who gave us the Harmandar and Amritsar,

The temple of God and the pool of immortality,

So we keep our sight on our true destiny.

Guru Ramdas taught us

Birth and caste are of no avail;

It is good deeds that make us Godly.

You sent Guru Arjan Dev,

Who sang beauteous songs of love.

Who showed us

That the path to liberation

And to You is through love.

Love of You, our Waheguru

And the love of Your creation.

And furthermore taught us

To love ourselves enough;

For each one of us is Your child

And worthy of love, too.

We thank You for Guru Arjan Dev,

The fountainhead of Gurbani,

Your greatest gift to us!

Guru Arjan sang of Your glory

And of flowing with Your Hukam,

Even as he sat on hot griddles

Tortured by the tyrant Mughal.

You showed us, through his great sacrifice,

To face the pain and sorrow of life

With sweet grace and equanimity.

To live in gratitude

Even through times of difficulty and strife.

Help us, dear Waheguru, O Lord our God,

Father and Mother of the Universe,

To remember this tough lesson

As we go through our days.

You sent us Guru Har Gobind,

Who showed us how to live

In the eternal balance of spiritual

And temporal power - miri and piri.

Help us, dear Lord, to forever be just,

Not get swayed by the winds,

But be centered in everything we do.

You sent us Guru Har Rai,

The merciful one, who showed kindness

To the meek and the sick and

Taught us to be humane.

He took the wounded birds

Under his care and for the suffering

And ailing populace he, in his great generosity,

Offered free care and medicine.

He taught us to be kind, not just

To our fellow humans,

But extend our warmth and caring

To the birds and animals,

For they are part of Your kingdom, too.

And we, Your children, must be merciful

To Your entire creation.

You sent us Guru Harkrishan,

The great healer, who lived

And died serving the sick.

In his great example, You showed

That wisdom, service and spirituality

Have nothing to do with age.

You sent us Guru Tegh Bahadur,

Another chosen son,

Who made the supreme sacrifice of his life

For the great principle of freedom of worship.

You are infinite, O Father

And Mother of the universe.

And there are infinite ways

Your children worship You.

Through your chosen son, the great Tegh Bahadur,

You spoke loud and clear

For everyone's right to worship

The way they choose.

We thank You, O Lord our God Waheguru,

The Father and Mother of the Universe,

For giving us a large-hearted

Acceptance and respect for those

That choose different ways of worshipping You.

We thank You for the wisdom of

Tolerance in our thoughts and deeds.

As if this was not enough -

You sent us a King of Kings

A prophet par excellence,

A poet so supreme -

Our tenth great Guru, Gobind Singh!

He bestowed upon a downtrodden people

The spirit of joy,

To face adversity with courage

And to be fearless at all times.

He made the sparrows fight the hawks

And the meek take up swords

To crush tyranny.

On this great day of Vaisakhi,

Through the gift of Amrit

He brought about the reversal of our fortune,

Turning us into human lions

Who are compassionate at heart.

He created the Khalsa

As part of Your Will,

And proclaimed each one shall be

The supreme man or woman -

Unfailing in courage,

High in integrity,

Steeped in divinity,

Unparalleled in valor,

Undaunted by challenges -

A being so supreme

That he or she is unique -

God's Own -

The Khalsa.

He asked for five heads

And he got them one by one:

Bhai Daya Singh,

Bhai Dharam Singh,

Bhai Himmat Singh,

Bhai Mohkam Singh,

Bhai Sahib Singh.

It was no coincidence

That each of their names

Exemplified a trait that

The Khalsa must embody:

Compassion, principle-centered living,

Courage, dignity and princeliness.

O Lord our God, Waheguru,

Father and Mother of the Universe,

We are eternally grateful to You

For giving us our tenth great Guru

And his five beloved ones,

So we may forever remember

The virtues we must inculcate.

As if this was not enough -

You gave us a nurturing Mother

In Mata Sahib Kaur,

Who bade us to maintain

Sweetness in our life.

We thank You, O Lord our God Waheguru

For the great sons of Guru Gobind Singh:

Sahib Ajit Singh, Sahib Jujhar Singh,

Sahib Zorawar Singh, Sahib Fateh Singh,

Who lived as princes

And died like kings.

Let us not forget the bravery, dignity

And valor of ones so young and tender.

And the magnanimity of the father,

The tenth Guru himself,

Who let them be sacrificed

For a righteous cause.

Let not their sacrifice be in vain.

Let us never shirk our duties as parents.

And finally, the gift of all gifts -

Through Guru Gobind Singh,

You gave us Guru Granth Sahib.

Our living Guru,

The voice of Waheguru,

To guide us and to nurture us,

To sustain us at all times,

To give us hope,

To be our guiding light,

The beacon of our life!

Need we ask for more?

Can we ask for more?

You have blessed us,

Our fathers and mothers

And our future generations.

For how can we want more

When we have a living Guru,

Our Guru, the center of all bliss and blessings?

So let us thank and praise,

Extol and adore,

Applaud and honor You,

The Lord our God Waheguru,

Father and Mother of the universe,

For the multitudinous blessings

You have showered upon us.

We thank You on this Vaisakhi Day

For rebirth and chardi kalaa,

For our Gurus and our gifts,

For Gurbani and for music,

For our food and our arms,

For self-sufficiency in every realm.

For joy in every heart

Through the practice of Simran.

And, most of all, for being

Our Father and our Mother -

So gracious and kind,

So giving and sublime.

We thank You today

And always, dear Lord Waheguru!

SOURCE: Courtesy of Daily Mail Reporter
24th February 2010

Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji's life was saved by the padding in his turban

A sikh fighter pilot's life was saved by the padding in his turban after he was forced to ditch his plane in a WWII dogfight.

Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji, one of only a handful of Indian ace flyers in the RAF, crashed into the English Channel after his plane was shot down in a mid-air skirmish.

Advised to plant his stricken Hurricane in the sea because he was unable to swim, the 22-year-old nose-dived into the water.

Rescuers boarded boats to help the young flyer, who crashed landed near the White Cliffs of Dover, and pulled him from the wreckage with bad head injuries.

But Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji, now 91, has told how his specially-adapted headgear, which even had his wings sewn onto it, acted as a cushion for the crash-landing.

He said: 'The padding of my turban saved me, it was full of blood. I was taken to the hospital but after seven days I was back to flying again.' 

He added: 'I couldn't swim. I carried on until I saw the white cliffs of Dover and I thought, "I'll make it."  

'The aircraft was a total wreck. I was dragged out and I heard voices saying, "He's still alive, he's still alive." Because my eyes were closed I couldn't see.' 

Sqdn Ldr Pujji added how his turban was fitted so that the earphones could go over the top and how he carried a spare in his cockpit.

'I had a special strap made to hold my earphones. I used to carry a spare turban with me so I would have one if I got shot down.

'I thought I was a very religious man, I shouldn't take off my turban.' 

Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji surrounds himself with wartime memorabilia at his sheltered accommodation block in Gravesend, Kent.

Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji, one of only a handful of Indian ace flyers in the RAF, crashed into the English Channel after his plane was shot down in a mid-air skirmish

He relived his daring wartime exploits ahead his memoirs published later this year, called For King and Another Country.

He said he signed up for the RAF after responding to an advert declaring 'Pilots needed for Royal Air Force' in an Indian newspaper.

And after learning to fly in 1937 he was one of only eight pilots from the Empire colony deemed good enough for fighter duties.

Arriving in August 1940, at the height of the Battle of the Britain, the young officer then flew countless missions against Hitler's Luftwaffe.  

He said: 'Every day was a question of life and death. Every flight we made we weren't sure we were going to come back.

'It's a job which can't easily be described, escorting convoys over the English Channel, going over occupied countries looking out for enemies, escorting bombers and making interceptions.

A Spitfire (foreground) and a Hawker Hurricane: Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji's turban saved his life when he was forced to crash land his Hurricane in the sea

'In one minute we would have to be strapped in and up in the air ready to meet enemy fighters. This was three to four times a day, throughout six months.' 

He had another lucky escape when he was shot down by Rommel's army in the Western Desert in north Africa.

He said: 'I didn't know what to do. I wasn't on fire, I didn't get hurt. I knew if I carried on north I would get to the Mediterranean, but any other direction I knew nothing.

'I gave up and sat on top of my plane and after a while I saw a cloud of dust. I did not mind who it was picking me up, Germany or Britain.

'I started waving my shirt and luckily it was the British.' 

Sqdn Leader Pujji, who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery, hit the headlines last year after campaigning against the BNP.

He was angered by party leader Nick Griffin's use of the iconic Spitfire to symbolise Britishness.