The Mind Creative OCT 2013
However, there was no lack of
perseverance and diligence in
Otim Singh and he soon managed
to learn some trading skills from
compatriots in Ballarat and
Colac. Within a very short
period, he started his own
trading activities. He made the
city of Wolseley his headquarters
and traded both in Western
Victoria and South Australia. In
those days, he would order his
goods from Melbourne and
Adelaide, collect these at
Wolseley station and then go
about distributing the products
across his trading region.
“The Hindoo applicants
are undesirable settlers
in many ways an in any
community of white
settlers…” - 1911
He was soon the target of the
proliferating “Indian Hawker
Nuisance” act in Victoria where
Sikh hawkers were often accused
of being a threat to women living
alone on farms since they (the
hawkers) often pressurised the
ladies into buying their wares.
Driven by these accusations, Otim
Singh moved to Adelaide in 1897
and then soon after this, to
Kangaroo Island. In later years, he
went on record saying that “the
island was a free field for him
since it hardly ever visited by
commercial traders”.
True to his premise, Otim Singh did
very well from there on and
established himself as a wellknown businessperson in the
region. Records show that initially
he “traded his goods on foot with
bundles laden on his back”. He
would visit little farming areas and
towns, study the requirements of
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