State boost for planned Indian hub

INDIAN Association of Geelong will investigate establishing a purpose-built local hub for its growing Geelong membership.

The group received a $200,000 kickstart from this year’s State Budget for a feasibility study into its planned community centre, which it would then use to advocate for further cash to build the facility.

The Indian Association of Geelong formed in 2020 as an amalgamation of several segmented Indian groups in the area, which are aligned to religions or regions in the subcontinent country.

“The basic concept was to bring them all together onto one platform,” the association’s Mandeep Singh said.

“We get to know all the communities, what their needs are and what their issues are, so we can bring them forward as a whole Indian association.”

The association already proved its worth during the pandemic; Mr Singh said it sourced and sent out 20,000 food boxes for households from a makeshift Deakin University distribution centre during COVID, and raised money to buy ventilators for Indian patients during the height of the country’s outbreak early last year.

Now, as the Geelong Indian community grows, Mr Singh said there was a need to establish a central hub where local members could gather, learn and celebrate unique cultural traditions.

“I came here in 2006, there were not many Indians here. But now we have a significant population, especially with families,” Mr Singh said.

“I’m married now with two kids. My parents come here to visit and might live permanently here in the future, and other families are similar.

“It has to be an independent place where people can enjoy their heritage and enjoy their festivals.

“It’s a big project, but we know that. It needs to come with a proper plan, that’s why this funding was important.”

The association’s vision for its hub involves a venue for celebrations like Diwali and Holi, language classes for children and social events to connect families and older residents.

It has also floated the idea of including markets for goods such as traditional garments that can be elusive in Australia, which would also help the hub be self-sufficient when it operates.

Association members will sit down with architects, financial planners and builders to refine designs and location of a new centre to best suit its needs.

The site of a Sikh temple at Lovely Banks is the most likely landing spot, though a planning committee will investigate securing land elsewhere such as around Armstrong Creek where its population is most concentrated.