I was so honoured first time I met Contor and Hassan family members when I visited Mackay in 2005. I had my first conversation with Imam Barry Hassan in Bahasa Indonesia the Indonesia National language. It was amazing as he spoke bahasa Indonesia in very good Indonesia accent. He was born in Australia as well as his parent. The Contor and the Hassan family were very happy when I gave them an Indonesia CD music of Indonesian National anthems. They loved Indonesia Raya.
At that moment, Mr. Barry Hassan and wife tried to record their family tree who originally from Cikande region west of Java island. It was not an easy task as their grandparent never kept in touch with their family since they left Indonesia back in 1885. It was a time consuming and lots of patients and searching involved.
About a year ago Sister Maryam Contor lent me two books about her family the first Indonesian Muslims who settle in Mackay 1885. I really touched by her caring with my enthusiasm to know more about Mackay mosque. She said “The history of Javanese Muslims in Mackay had been recorded in this book”.
One book about stories of Muslim Women in Queensland; compiled by Emad Soliman "Butterflies in Fresh Fields"; the other book is written by Nahid Kabir. “Muslims in Australia; immigration, race relations and cultural history”. Published by KEGAN PAUL; ISBN 0-7103-1108-7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahid_Kabirwikipedia.org/wiki/Nahid_Kabir .
In her book, Nahid Kabir wrote:
History of Indonesia’s Muslim in Mackay, Australia.The first Muslim contact with the continent of Australia took place before European settlement, as early as the 17th century when the Macassan (Makassar) people come to the north coast on fishing expeditions. They came to catch ‘trepang’ commonly known as sea slugs.
( C.C MacKnight, the voyage to Marege: Macassan Trepangers in Northern Australia (Carlton: Melbourne university Press, 1976)’pp.48-60; see also M.L.Jones, “Muslim Impact on Early Australian Life”, in M.L.Jones, et al., eds, An Australian Pilgrimage: Press in Association with the museum of Victoria, 1993), pp.31-48; A. Saeed, Islam”, in G. Davison, et al., eds, The Oxford Companion to Australia history (South Melbourne, Vic,: Oxford University Press, 2001), pp 356-7
A Javanese presence in Australia can be traced from the 1880’s when some came to north Queensland to work as labourers in the sugar industry. A few of their Australian-born third and fourth generation children have retained the Islamic religion. They recalled their forebears’ contribution to Australia during wartime.
Javanese settlement in Mackay 1880-1999After being refused access to labourers from India in the 1860’s, the sugar planters of Queensland showed interest in employing Javanese indentured labourers because they appeared to be submissive and skilled in sugar cane plantation work. As early as 1863 Queensland Premier R.G.W. Herbert expressed interest in establishing commercial relations with java and noted that the island was well-suited to export coloured labour. John spiller, who successfully grew the first cane in Mackay in the 1860s, had learnt sugar-growing and manufacture in Java. He was thus accustomed to the advantage of having a servile labour force and hoped to bring some of his labourers to the colony. In the 1880s when Mourilyan Sugar Company employed a significant number of Javanese, the management held that this ethnic group was capable of managing the boilers, performing mill-work, and driving locomotives. The manager of the company, N.J. Bullard, said that the Javanese were preferable to Melanesians because they could be used continuously in wet weather, and did not have same high death-rates as the Islanders. (McGrath, Exile into Bondage, pp.42-3)
On 31 March 1886, “The Mercury” newspaper reported that 160 Javanese labourers arrived in Mackay to work for the Colonial Sugar Company’s plantation at Homebush and 85 men would be employed by the Melbourne-Mackay sugar company. See Anon., “Malays, Javanese and South Sea Islanders in Mackay 1885-1900”, cited in M. Hislop, et al., eds, Sweet Settlement: The Making of Mackay and Pioneer Valley 1860-1918 (Rockhampton, Qld: Central Queensland University Press, 1995), p.115.
A fourth generation Javanese Muslim, Imam Barry Hassan of Mackay, said that his forebears told him that at the turn of the century there were roughly 600 Muslims in Mackay.
Mackay historical society and Museum Inc confirmed that was about in 1885 more than 200 immigrants came from around a small village in Western Java near Jakarta called Cikande. http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/cemeteries/peri_cemetery.html
Mackay historical society and Museum Inc confirmed that was about in 1885 more than 200 immigrants came from around a small village in Western Java near Jakarta called Cikande. http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/cemeteries/peri_cemetery.html
Regarding the living conditions of the first arrivals, second generation Australia-born Javanese people recalled that they lives in Malayan-Javanese style grass huts made of bamboo. Inside they had their bed and mosquito nets.
Socially, these people did not meet any discrimination in practising their religion. In 1976 Clive Moore’s interviews with the second generation Contor brothers, John Ismat and Tom Isma Contor, revealed that they were not discriminated against by their employers for practicing their Islamic faith, and John Contor became the local Imam. Tom Contor maintained that during working hours they offered salat and observed ramadhan.
Imam Hassan maintained that his parents, who were third generation Muslims, practiced their religion, but they did not pass their beliefs and practices on their next generation. These young people learnt about islam from outside contact such as Imam Rane in Brisbane (tape 39, mackay, 22 April 1999).
Fred Atim Shadiman, recalled that the earlier generations had a mosque made out of grass. Which was later burnt by a cane fire. They called it a Muslim church. They also called the Islamic Festivals, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha, Malay Christmas. (tape 39; tape 42, mackay, 23 April 1999).
The Javanese Muslims Mackay also gave contribution to the World War II.Hazel Neah Saron, a third generation Javanese, recalled her late husband’s (Arthur Saron) experience during World War II. Elaine Mariyam Crenen, a third generation Javanese recalled the Voluntary Devence Force service of her father, the late John Ismat Contor during the World War II. She also recalled that her brother Vivian Sunim Contor became a national service man at the age of 18 years, based at an army camp in Brisbane. Imam Barry Hassan, a fourth generation Australian-born Muslim of Javanese origin, recaled his late uncle Alec Aleman enlisted himself voluntarily in AIF in the Wolrd War II. He served in Jerusalem, Creta, New Guinie and the Middle East. His other relative, Edward Long was over in Malaysia fighting and he was killed as a prisoner-of war.
Muslim cemeteries.
As the first Javanese labourers arrived in Mackay in 1885 which they were brought here by The management of C.S.R. Homebush Mill and the Palms Mills, they understood that the Javanese and Malay muslims, buried their dead differently to europeans then The Manager of The palms Mill Mr. John W. In 1913 set aside some land for Javanese to create a burial ground on the northern banks of Bakers Creek, near Walkerston. Mackay, Qld. All the first muslim generation burried at that place. The cemetry name is Piri Cemetery.
As the first Javanese labourers arrived in Mackay in 1885 which they were brought here by The management of C.S.R. Homebush Mill and the Palms Mills, they understood that the Javanese and Malay muslims, buried their dead differently to europeans then The Manager of The palms Mill Mr. John W. In 1913 set aside some land for Javanese to create a burial ground on the northern banks of Bakers Creek, near Walkerston. Mackay, Qld. All the first muslim generation burried at that place. The cemetry name is Piri Cemetery.
Mackay Mosque.The Islamic society was formed in 1977 by the generation of Javanese Muslims in Mackay. They received donations from other Islamic society in Australian and the Muslims World organisation, RABITA for the construction of the mosque.
It was a great time as almost their family members came to help to build the mosque. Some of family members were not Muslim as since a few of the third and forth generations married into the wider community. In 1980 the first mosque was declared and approved by the Mackay City Council at 13 December 1999. As that time of construction, council wouldn’t let them build a mosque so the Mackay mosque is only an ordinary house with two minarets up in front the house.
Mackay Muslims and their neighbours.Since the beginning when Mackay’s first Islamic society was formed in 1977. Men and women gathered and raise fund to build a mosque. Cake stalls are still organised to raise fund to cover the ongoing costs. In 2000, sister Asida Oliver as the one of forth generation of Javanese and Malay Muslim Mackay started a tradition of morning tea fund raising once a year at her home for the Islamic Society. Non-Muslims from wider community enjoy these occasions and everyone enjoys chatting and socialising. She also baked for cake stalls which they run from time to time for fund raising.
Sister Elayne Mariyam Crenan, the youngest of John Contor’s twelve children is known as a friendly and helpful girl. She is always delightful telling stories about her family tree history and how they built the mosque. Sister Asida, Sister Asneah and sister Asiah are good chefs; they spoil everybody with their delicious cake. Their favourite are puff cake, pavlova and rengginang (gluten rice crackers).
Mackay muslims always invite the neighbours close by mosque to enjoy Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-Adha celebrations. They have a good companionship with the neighbours.
There were many ethnics, nationals and culture backgrounds in Mackay muslims community at this moment, there are from Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Fiji, Bosnia, Bangladesh, Palestine, Malaysia, South Africa, Sudan, England, Australia and Egypt. In the past few years when the terrorism issues rose up, we invited Mackay locals to learn about our religion. It is important to our Islamic Society to be part of cultural diverse communities and work with Government and non Government organization to promote community harmony. It will also build an understanding which leads to harmony and better pluralistic society in Australia.
There were many ethnics, nationals and culture backgrounds in Mackay muslims community at this moment, there are from Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Fiji, Bosnia, Bangladesh, Palestine, Malaysia, South Africa, Sudan, England, Australia and Egypt. In the past few years when the terrorism issues rose up, we invited Mackay locals to learn about our religion. It is important to our Islamic Society to be part of cultural diverse communities and work with Government and non Government organization to promote community harmony. It will also build an understanding which leads to harmony and better pluralistic society in Australia.
My testimonial:
Well. I migrated to Australia at 2005. At that moment; the Australia muslims were in the hot water from misleading information and news about jihad. Media opinion about Bali bombing by muslim terrorist in the newspapers have stirred the public opinion worsen. Well, some of angry people wrote their opinion and comment harshly in newspapers and websites. It was become a critical situation after the controversial comment of Sheikh Taj Din Al Hilali about hijab insulted non muslim and muslim in Australia. From what happened as result media’s misleading, have initiated me to write my opinion about how beautiful Australia. Please have a look at my blog. http://leylaainitadewi.blogspot.com/2007/05/beautiful-australia.html and
http://leylaainitadewi.blogspot.com/2006/11/shut-up.html
Well. I migrated to Australia at 2005. At that moment; the Australia muslims were in the hot water from misleading information and news about jihad. Media opinion about Bali bombing by muslim terrorist in the newspapers have stirred the public opinion worsen. Well, some of angry people wrote their opinion and comment harshly in newspapers and websites. It was become a critical situation after the controversial comment of Sheikh Taj Din Al Hilali about hijab insulted non muslim and muslim in Australia. From what happened as result media’s misleading, have initiated me to write my opinion about how beautiful Australia. Please have a look at my blog. http://leylaainitadewi.blogspot.com/2007/05/beautiful-australia.html and
http://leylaainitadewi.blogspot.com/2006/11/shut-up.html
Mackay muslim Open Day on Sunday 6 November 2006 has invited Mackay locals to learn about Islam and discussed the explanation hot issue about jihad and hijab. The speaker was DR Muhammad Abdalla from Griffith University of Brisbane. http://www.griffith.edu.au/er/gazette/climate-change/articles/griffith-gains-islamic-studies-centre.html. I knew secular society in Australia does not really have a great interest in religions at all but many locals non Muslim came to the park and listened to DR Muhammad Abdalla lecture. To be honest I agreed with his concept about Islam and Australia Muslims. From there I then started supporting the Multicultural initiated by Australia Government.
sources:
Muslims in Australia; immigration, race relations and cultural history by Nahid Kabir. Published by KEGAN PAUL; ISBN 0-7103-1108-7
- In my opinion, this book is noteworthy if you wanted to know the history and learning more about Muslims migrant in Australia but I was a little disappointed by the cover as was not illustrating the Australia Muslims but an Indonesian Muslim Bin Laden’s supporter on a street protest in Surabaya, Indonesia.
- The newspaper clippings belong to Sister Maryam Elaine Crenan.
- Photo (V.D.C 15th BATT.”A”COY. No.3 PLTN) belongs to Sister Maryam Elaine Crenan
- private foto documentation.
Butterflies in Fresh Fields, stories of Muslim Women in Queensland; compiled by Emad Soliman.
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