The Black Smith or Smithy
A
blacksmith
is
a
metalsmith
who
creates
objects
from
wrought
iron
or
steel
by
forging
the
metal,
using
tools
to
hammer,
bend,
and
cut
(cf.
whitesmith).
Blacksmiths
produce
objects
such
as
gates,
grilles,
railings,
light
fixtures,
furniture,
sculpture,
tools,
agricultural
implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils and weapons.
While
there
are
many
people
who
work
with
metal
such
as
farriers,
wheelwrights,
and
armorers,
the
blacksmith
had
a
general
knowledge
of
how
to
make
and
repair
many
things,
from
the
most
complex
of
weapons
and
armor
to
simple
things
like
nails
or
lengths of chain.
Origin of the term
The
"black"
in
"blacksmith"
refers
to
the
black
fire
scale,
a
layer
of
oxides
that
forms
on
the
surface
of
the
metal
during
heating.
The
origin
of
"smith"
is
debated,
it
may
come
from
the
old
English
word
"smythe"
meaning
"to
strike"
or
it
may
have
originated
from
the
Proto-German "smithaz" meaning "skilled worker."
Blacksmiths
work
by
heating
pieces
of
wrought
iron
or
steel
until
the
metal
becomes
soft
enough
for
shaping
with
hand
tools,
such
as
a hammer, anvil and chisel. Heating generally takes place in a forge fueled by propane, natural gas, coal, charcoal, coke or oil.
Some
modern
blacksmiths
may
also
employ
an
oxyacetylene
or
similar
blowtorch
for
more
localized
heating.
Induction
heating
methods are gaining popularity among modern blacksmiths.
Color
is
important
for
indicating
the
temperature
and
workability
of
the
metal.
As
iron
heats
to
higher
temperatures,
it
first
glows
red,
then
orange,
yellow,
and
finally
white.
The
ideal
heat
for
most
forging
is
the
bright
yellow-orange
color
that
indicates
forging
heat.
Because
they
must
be
able
to
see
the
glowing
color
of
the
metal,
some
blacksmiths
work
in
dim,
low-light
conditions,
but
most
work
in
well-lit conditions. The key is to have consistent lighting, but not too bright. Direct sunlight obscures the colors.
The techniques of smithing can be roughly divided into forging (sometimes called "sculpting"), welding, heat-treating, and finishing.
Forging
Forging—the
process
smiths
use
to
shape
metal
by
hammering—differs
from
machining
in
that
forging
does
not
remove
material.
Instead,
the
smith
hammers
the
iron
into
shape.
Even
punching
and
cutting
operations
(except
when
trimming
waste)
by
smiths
usually re-arrange metal around the hole, rather than drilling it out as swarf.
Forging uses seven basic operations or techniques:
Drawing down
Shrinking (a type of upsetting)
Bending
Upsetting
Swaging
Punching
Forge welding
These
operations
generally
require
at
least
a
hammer
and
anvil,
but
smiths
also
use
other
tools
and
techniques
to
accommodate
odd-sized or repetitive jobs.
Drawing
Drawing
lengthens
the
metal
by
reducing
one
or
both
of
the
other
two
dimensions.
As
the
depth
is
reduced,
or
the
width
narrowed,
the piece is lengthened or "drawn out."
As
an
example
of
drawing,
a
smith
making
a
chisel
might
flatten
a
square
bar
of
steel,
lengthening
the
metal,
reducing
its
depth
but
keeping its width consistent.
Drawing
does
not
have
to
be
uniform.
A
taper
can
result
as
in
making
a
wedge
or
a
woodworking
chisel
blade.
If
tapered
in
two
dimensions, a point results.
Drawing
can
be
accomplished
with
a
variety
of
tools
and
methods.
Two
typical
methods
using
only
hammer
and
anvil
would
be
hammering on the anvil horn, and hammering on the anvil face using the cross peen of a hammer.
Another
method
for
drawing
is
to
use
a
tool
called
a
fuller,
or
the
peen
of
the
hammer,
to
hasten
the
drawing
out
of
a
thick
piece
of
metal.
(The
technique
is
called
fullering
from
the
tool.)
Fullering
consists
of
hammering
a
series
of
indentations
with
corresponding
ridges,
perpendicular
to
the
long
section
of
the
piece
being
drawn.
The
resulting
effect
looks
somewhat
like
waves
along
the
top
of
the
piece.
Then
the
smith
turns
the
hammer
over
to
use
the
flat
face
to
hammer
the
tops
of
the
ridges
down
level
with
the
bottoms
of
the
indentations.
This
forces
the
metal
to
grow
in
length
(and
width
if
left
unchecked)
much
faster
than
just
hammering
with
the
flat
face of the hammer.
Bending
Heating iron to a "forging heat" allows bending as if it were a soft, ductile metal, like copper or silver.
Bending
can
be
done
with
the
hammer
over
the
horn
or
edge
of
the
anvil
or
by
inserting
a
bending
fork
into
the
Hardy
Hole
(the
square
hole
in
the
top
of
the
anvil),
placing
the
work
piece
between
the
tines
of
the
fork,
and
bending
the
material
to
the
desired
angle. Bends can be dressed and tightened, or widened, by hammering them over the appropriately shaped part of the anvil.
Some
metals
are
"hot
short",
meaning
they
lose
their
tensile
strength
when
heated.
They
become
like
Plasticine:
although
they
may
still
be
manipulated
by
squeezing,
an
attempt
to
stretch
them,
even
by
bending
or
twisting,
is
likely
to
have
them
crack
and
break
apart.
This
is
a
problem
for
some
blade-making
steels,
which
must
be
worked
carefully
to
avoid
developing
hidden
cracks
that
would
cause
failure
in
the
future.
Though
rarely
hand-worked,
titanium
is
notably
hot
short.
Even
such
common
smithing
processes
as
decoratively twisting a bar are impossible with it.
Upsetting
Upsetting
is
the
process
of
making
metal
thicker
in
one
dimension
through
shortening
in
the
other.
One
form
is
to
heat
the
end
of
a
rod
and
then
hammer
on
it
as
one
would
drive
a
nail:
the
rod
gets
shorter,
and
the
hot
part
widens.
An
alternative
to
hammering
on
the hot end is to place the hot end on the anvil and hammer on the cold end.
Punching
Punching
may
be
done
to
create
a
decorative
pattern,
or
to
make
a
hole.
For
example,
in
preparation
for
making
a
hammerhead,
a
smith
would
punch
a
hole
in
a
heavy
bar
or
rod
for
the
hammer
handle.
Punching
is
not
limited
to
depressions
and
holes.
It
also
includes cutting, slitting, and drifting—all done with a chisel.
Combining processes
The
five
basic
forging
processes
are
often
combined
to
produce
and
refine
the
shapes
necessary
for
finished
products.
For
example,
to
fashion
a
cross-peen
hammer
head,
a
smith
would
start
with
a
bar
roughly
the
diameter
of
the
hammer
face:
the
handle
hole
would
be
punched
and
drifted
(widened
by
inserting
or
passing
a
larger
tool
through
it),
the
head
would
be
cut
(punched,
but
with
a
wedge),
the peen would be drawn to a wedge, and the face would be dressed by upsetting.
As
with
making
a
chisel,
since
it
is
lengthened
by
drawing
it
would
also
tend
to
spread
in
width.
A
smith
would
therefore
frequently
turn the chisel-to-be on its side and hammer it back down—upsetting it—to check the spread and keep the metal at the correct width.
Or,
if
a
smith
needed
to
put
a
90-degree
bend
in
a
bar
and
wanted
a
sharp
corner
on
the
outside
of
the
bend,
they
would
begin
by
hammering
an
unsupported
end
to
make
the
curved
bend.
Then,
to
"fatten
up"
the
outside
radius
of
the
bend,
one
or
both
arms
of
the
bend
would
need
to
be
pushed
back
to
fill
the
outer
radius
of
the
curve.
So
they
would
hammer
the
ends
of
the
stock
down
into
the
bend,
'upsetting'
it
at
the
point
of
the
bend.
They
would
then
dress
the
bend
by
drawing
the
sides
of
the
bend
to
keep
the
correct
thickness.
The
hammering
would
continue—upsetting
and
then
drawing—until
the
curve
had
been
properly
shaped.
In
the
primary
operation was the bend, but the drawing and upsetting are done to refine the shape.
Welding
Welding is the joining of the same or similar kind of metal.
A
modern
blacksmith
has
a
range
of
options
and
tools
to
accomplish
this.
The
basic
types
of
welding
commonly
employed
in
a
modern workshop include traditional forge welding as well as modern methods, including oxyacetylene and arc welding.
In
forge
welding,
the
pieces
to
join
are
heated
to
what
is
generally
referred
to
as
welding
heat.
For
mild
steel
most
smiths
judge
this
temperature by color: the metal glows an intense yellow or white. At this temperature the steel is near molten.
Any
foreign
material
in
the
weld,
such
as
the
oxides
or
"scale"
that
typically
form
in
the
fire,
can
weaken
it
and
cause
it
to
fail.
Thus
the
mating
surfaces
to
be
joined
must
be
kept
clean.
To
this
end
a
smith
makes
sure
the
fire
is
a
reducing
fire:
a
fire
where,
at
the
heart,
there
is
a
great
deal
of
heat
and
very
little
oxygen.
The
smith
also
carefully
shapes
mating
faces
so
that
as
they
come
together
foreign
material
squeezes
out
as
the
metal
is
joined.
To
clean
the
faces,
protect
them
from
oxidation,
and
provide
a
medium
to
carry
foreign material out of the weld, the smith sometimes uses flux—typically powdered borax, silica sand, or both.
The
smith
first
cleans
parts
to
be
joined
with
a
wire
brush,
then
puts
them
in
the
fire
to
heat.
With
a
mix
of
drawing
and
upsetting
the
smith
shapes
the
faces
so
that
when
finally
brought
together,
the
center
of
the
weld
connects
first
and
the
connection
spreads
outward under the hammer blows, pushing out the flux (if used) and foreign material.
The
dressed
metal
goes
back
in
the
fire,
is
brought
near
to
welding
heat,
removed
from
the
fire,
and
brushed.
Flux
is
sometimes
applied,
which
prevents
oxygen
from
reaching
and
burning
the
metal
during
forging,
and
it
is
returned
to
the
fire.
The
smith
now
watches
carefully
to
avoid
overheating
the
metal.
There
is
some
challenge
to
this
because,
to
see
the
color
of
the
metal,
the
smith
must
remove
it
from
the
fire—exposing
it
to
air,
which
can
rapidly
oxidize
it.
So
the
smith
might
probe
into
the
fire
with
a
bit
of
steel
wire,
prodding
lightly
at
the
mating
faces.
When
the
end
of
the
wire
sticks
on
to
the
metal,
it
is
at
the
right
temperature
(a
small
weld
forms
where
the
wire
touches
the
mating
face,
so
it
sticks).
The
smith
commonly
places
the
metal
in
the
fire
so
he
can
see
it
without
letting
surrounding
air
contact
the
surface.
(Note
that
smiths
don't
always
use
flux,
especially
in
the
UK.)
Now
the
smith
moves
with
rapid
purpose,
quickly
taking
the
metal
from
the
fire
to
the
anvil
and
bringing
the
mating
faces
together.
A
few
light
hammer
taps
bring
the
mating
faces
into
complete
contact
and
squeeze
out
the
flux—and
finally,
the
smith
returns
the
work
to
the
fire.
The
weld
begins
with
the
taps,
but
often
the
joint
is
weak
and
incomplete,
so
the
smith
reheats
the
joint
to
welding
temperature
and
works
the
weld
with light blows to "set" the weld and finally to dress it to the shape.
Finishing
Depending on the intended use of the piece, a blacksmith may finish it in a number of ways:
A
simple
jig
(a
tool)
that
the
smith
might
only
use
a
few
times
in
the
shop
may
get
the
minimum
of
finishing—a
rap
on
the
anvil
to
break off scale and a brushing with a wire brush.
Files bring a piece to final shape, removing burrs and sharp edges, and smoothing the surface.
Heat treatment and case-hardening achieve the desired hardness.
The wire brush—as a hand tool or power tool—can further smooth, brighten, and polish surfaces.
Grinding stones, abrasive paper, and emery wheels can further shape, smooth, and polish the surface.
A
range
of
treatments
and
finishes
can
inhibit
oxidation
and
enhance
or
change
the
appearance
of
the
piece.
An
experienced
smith
selects
the
finish
based
on
the
metal
and
on
the
intended
use
of
the
item.
Finishes
include
(among
others):
paint,
varnish,
bluing,
browning, oil, and wax.
Striker
Blacksmith's striker
A
blacksmith's
striker
is
an
assistant
(frequently
an
apprentice),
whose
job
it
is
to
swing
a
large
sledgehammer
in
heavy
forging
operations,
as
directed
by
the
blacksmith.
In
practice,
the
blacksmith
holds
the
hot
iron
at
the
anvil
(with
tongs)
in
one
hand,
and
indicates
where
to
strike
the
iron
by
tapping
it
with
a
small
hammer
in
the
other
hand.
The
striker
then
delivers
a
heavy
blow
to
the
indicated
spot
with
a
sledgehammer.
During
the
20th
century
and
into
the
21st
century,
this
role
has
become
increasingly
unnecessary and automated through the use of trip hammers or reciprocating power hammers.
The blacksmith's materials
When
iron
ore
is
smelted
into
usable
metal,
a
certain
amount
of
carbon
is
usually
alloyed
with
the
iron.
(Charcoal
is
almost
pure
carbon.)
The
amount
of
carbon
significantly
affects
the
properties
of
the
metal.
If
the
carbon
content
is
over
2%,
the
metal
is
called
cast
iron,
because
it
has
a
relatively
low
melting
point
and
is
easily
cast.
It
is
quite
brittle,
however,
and
cannot
be
forged
so
therefore
not
used
for
blacksmithing.
If
the
carbon
content
is
between
0.25%
and
2%,
the
resulting
metal
is
tool
grade
steel,
which
can
be
heat
treated
as
discussed
above.
When
the
carbon
content
is
below
0.25%,
the
metal
is
either
"wrought
iron
(wrought
iron
is
not
smelted
and
cannot
come
from
this
process)
"
or
"mild
steel."
The
terms
are
never
interchangeable.
In
preindustrial
times,
the
material
of
choice
for
blacksmiths
was
wrought
iron.
This
iron
had
a
very
low
carbon
content,
and
also
included
up
to
5%
of
glassy
iron
silicate
slag
in
the
form
of
numerous
very
fine
stringers.
This
slag
content
made
the
iron
very
tough,
gave
it
considerable
resistance
to
rusting,
and
allowed
it
to
be
more
easily
"forge
welded,"
a
process
in
which
the
blacksmith
permanently
joins
two
pieces
of
iron,
or
a
piece
of
iron
and
a
piece
of
steel,
by
heating
them
nearly
to
a
white
heat
and
hammering
them
together.
Forge
welding
is
more
difficult
with
modern
mild
steel,
because
it
welds
in
a
narrower
temperature
band.
The
fibrous
nature
of
wrought
iron
required
knowledge
and
skill
to
properly
form
any
tool
which
would
be
subject
to
stress.
Modern
steel
is
produced
using
either
the
blast
furnace
or
arc
furnaces.
Wrought
iron
was
produced
by
a
labor-intensive
process
called
puddling,
so
this
material
is
now
a
difficult-to-
find
specialty
product.
Modern
blacksmiths
generally
substitute
mild
steel
for
making
objects
traditionally
of
wrought
iron.
Sometimes
they use electrolytic-process pure iron.
Many
blacksmiths
also
incorporate
materials
such
as
bronze,
copper,
or
brass
in
artistic
products.
Aluminum
and
titanium
may
also
be
forged
by
the
blacksmith's
process.
Each
material
responds
differently
under
the
hammer
and
must
be
separately
studied
by
the
blacksmith.
Workmen in the sunshine harvester factory … picture courtesy the
Museums Of Victoria
The first camel in Australia.
The
Phillips
brothers,
(Henry
Weston
Phillips
(1818-
1898);
George
Phillips
(1820-1900);
G
M
Phillips
(?-
?))
bought
nine
camels
at
Tenerife
in
the
Canary
Islands.
Four
or
six
of
the
beasts
were
loaded
aboard
the
SS
Apolline
which
had
been
chartered
by
Henry
in
London.
The
Apolline,
under
Captain
William
Deane,
docked
at
Port
Adelaide
in
South
Australia
on
12
October
1840
and
the
sole
surviving
beast,
named
Harry, became the first camel in Australia.
By
the
mid–1800s,
exploration
in
Australia
was
at
its
peak
with
expeditions
setting
out
almost
monthly.
The
race
to
map
the
continent,
locate
natural
resources
or
find
new
places
to
settle
moved
away
from
the
coast
and
further
into
the
inhospitable
heart
of
Australia.
It
was
soon
obvious
that
the
traditional
horses
and
wagons
used
for
such
expeditions
were
not
suitable
in
this
strange
and
foreign
land.The
solution
to
the
problem
of
finding
suitable
transport
for
inland
exploration
and
travel
was
to
bring
in
camels.
As
nobody
at
the
time
knew
how
to
handle
camels,
cameleers
were
recruited
to
Australia
as
well.
The
introduction
of
camels
and
the
so-called
'Afghan'
cameleers
proved
to
be
a
turning
point
in
the
exploration and development of the Australian interior.
Afghan and Decorated Camel
Afghan
and
Decorated
Camel,
1901.
Image
courtesy
of the State Library of South Australia: B 14739.
For
a
short
period
of
time
from
the
1860s
to
the
early
1900s, these cameleers and their 'ships of the desert'
became
the
backbone
of
the
Australian
economy.
They
accompanied
exploration
parties,
carrying
supplies
and
materials
where
horses
and
oxen
could
not.
They
carted
supplies,
mail
and
even
water
to
remote
settlements.
They
transported
the
supplies,
tools
and
equipment
needed
for
the
surveying
and
construction
of
some
of
Australia's
earliest,
and
greatest,
infrastructure
projects,
such
as
the
Overland
Telegraph
and
Trans-
Australian Railway.
The first cameleers
In
the
1800s,
explorers,
settlers,
ranchers
and
prospectors
sought
to
unlock
the
mystery
and
potential
of
the
vast,
inhospitable
interior
of
Australia.
Horses,
and
to
a
lesser
degree
donkeys
and
bullocks,
were
the
traditional
beasts
of
burden
on
early
expeditions
into
Australia's
interior.
Many
of
these
expeditions
ended
in
disaster
and
tragedy.
As
well
as
requiring
regular
watering
and
large
stocks
of
feed,
horses
were
easily
exhausted
by
the
tough
and
often
sandy
ground
and
supposedly
'spooked'
by
the
Australian terrain.
One
camel
being
winched
over
the
side
of
the
boat
while a number of Afghans watch.
Unloading camels at Port Augusta, ca.1920.
Image
courtesy
of
the
State
Library
of
South
Australia: B 68916.
A 'solution to the problem'
As
early
as
1839,
camels
were
proposed
as
the
solution
to
the
problem
of
transport
while
exploring.
The
first
expedition
to
use
a
camel
was
the
1846
Horrocks
expedition.
'Harry',
as
the
camel
was
named
by
the
party,
proved
the
worth
of
using
camels
in
expeditions.
In
1846
a
Melbourne
newspaper
reported
that
the
camels
could
carry:
from
seven
to
eight
hundred
pounds
weight
...
they
last
out
several
generations
of
mules
...
the
price
paid
for
them
does
not
exceed
one
half
of
that
paid
for
mules
...
and
it
is
proved
that
these
'ships
of
the
deserts'
of
Arabia
are
equally adaptable to our climate.
Other
small
successes
followed
and
by
1858,
many
prominent
Australians
were
calling
for
the
introduction
of
camels,
including
South
Australian
Governor,
Richard MacDonnell:
“I
despair
of
much
being
achieved
even
with
horses;
and
I
certainly
think
we
have
never
given
explorers
fair
play
in
not
equipping
them
with
camels
or
dromedaries
and
waterskins,
which
in
Africa
I
found
the best methods of carrying liquid.”
Governor
Richard
MacDonnell
to
Charles
Sturt
10
August
1858.
Quoted
in
Mrs
Napier
Sturt's
'Life
of
Charles Sturt' (1899)
.
Purchase and recruitment
At
the
same
time,
the
Victorian
Expedition
Committee
commissioned
George
Landell,
a
well-known
horseman
who
exported
to
India,
to
buy
camels
and
recruit
cameleers,
because
'the
camels
would
be
comparatively
useless
unless
accompanied
by
their
native
drivers'
(from
VEE
committee
minutes,
19
May
1859).
The departure of the Burke and Wills expedition.
The
departure
of
the
Burke
and
Wills
expedition,
1881, Lithograph. Image courtesy of the
State Library of Victoria: mp010346.
In
1860,
24
camels
and
three
cameleers
from
arrived
in Melbourne to join the Burke and Wills
expedition.
Although
this
expedition
ended
in
disaster
with the loss of many lives, including those
of
Burke
and
Wills,
the
camels
again
proved
their
ability to survive the harsh and dry conditions of
the Australian outback.
By
the
late
1860s,
most
Australian
states
were
importing
camels
and
cameleers.
In
1866,
South
Australian
Samuel
Stuckey
brought
in
more
than
100
camels
and
31
cameleers.
Over
the
next
decade,
more
and
more
camels
and
cameleers
were
brought
to
Australia
as
breeding
programs
and
trading
routes
were
established.
It
is
estimated
that
from
1870
to
1900
alone,
more
than
2,000
cameleers
and
15,000
camels came to Australia.
Servicing infrastructure projects
The
cameleers
were
also
instrumental
in
the
success
of
some
of
early
Australia's
most
ambitious
infrastructure
projects.
They
carried
food
and
supplies
to
the
surveying
and
construction
teams
working
on
the
Overland
Telegraph,
which
ran
through
the
heart
of
the
continent
between
Adelaide
and
Darwin.
Once
the
project
was
completed,
they
continued
to
carry
supplies
and
mail
to
the
settlements
and
townships
which sprang up along the line.
They
also
operated
supply
and
equipment
trains
during
the
development
of
the
rail
link
between
Port
Augusta
and
Alice
Springs,
which
became
known
as
the
Afghan
Express,
and
later
the
Ghan.
The
Ghan's
emblem
is
an
Afghan
on
a
camel
in
recognition
of
their
efforts
in
opening
up
the
inhospitable
interior
to
the rest of Australia.
The cameleers
The Ghan Logo
The
Ghan
logo.
Image
courtesy
of
Great
Southern
Rail Limited.
The
cameleers
were
collectively
known
as
'Afghan'
cameleers.
While
some
were
originally
from
Afghanistan,
others
came
from
countries
such
as
Baluchistan,
Kashmir,
Sind,
Rajastan,
Egypt,
Persia,
Turkey
and
Punjab,
so
spoke
a
variety
of
languages.
Their
common
bond
was
their
Islamic
religion
and
the
fact
that
they
were
almost
exclusively
young
or
middle-aged men.
Not quite welcome
Almost
all
of
the
cameleers
who
came
to
Australia
during
this
period
faced
enormous
hardship.
While
their
skills
were
needed
and
mostly
appreciated,
they
were
largely
shunned
by
the
European
communities.
Indeed, racism and anger towards them was rife.
The Mosque, Marree
The
Mosque
at
Hergott
Springs.
The
pool
in
the
foreground
was
used
by
worshippers
for
washing
their feet before
entering
the
Mosque,
ca.1884.
Image
courtesy
of
the
State Library of South Australia: B 15341.
'Ghan Tours'
The
vast
majority
of
cameleers
arrived
in
Australia
alone,
leaving
wives
and
families
behind,
to
work
on
three
year
contracts.
They
were
either
given
living
quarters
on
a
breeding
station,
such
as
Thomas
Elder's
Beltana,
or
marginalised
on
the
outskirts
of
towns
and
settlements.
It
was
not
uncommon
for
outback
towns
to
have
three
distinct
areas—one
for
Europeans,
one
for
Aboriginals
and
one
for
cameleers,
which
became
known
as
Afghan,
or
Ghan,
towns.
This
social
division
was
even
reflected
in
the
town
cemeteries,
such
as
those
of
Farina
and
Marree.
But
while
it
was
extremely
rare
for
the
cameleers
to
interact
with
Europeans,
there
was
more
acceptance
by
the
local
Aboriginal
populations.
Indeed,
some
cameleers
married
local
Aboriginal
women
and
had
families here.
In
the
so-called
Ghan
towns,
cameleers
would
often
build
a
mosque
that
would
not
only
serve
as
a
place
of
worship,
but
as
a
gathering
place
that
offered
the
cameleers
a
sense
of
community
that
they
could
not
find
elsewhere.
The
remains
of
the
oldest
mosque
in
Australia,
built
in
1861,
are
near
Marree
(Hergott
Springs)
in
South
Australia.
This
was
once
one
of
the
country's
most
important
camel
junctions
and
in
its
heyday was called Little Asia or Little Afghanistan.
Portrait
of
Saidah
Saidel,
last
of
the
Afghan
camel
drivers
Robin
Smith,
Last
of
the
camel
drivers,
unknown.
Image courtesy of Territory Stories: PH0780/0010.
In
some
instances,
European
attitudes
to
the
cameleers
focused
on
their
religion.
In
other
cases,
it
was related to their
perceived
pride
and
independence
as
at
the
time,
Afghanistan
was
really
only
known
to
most
Australians as the country
that
had,
unlike
British
India,
resisted
the
British
forces.
This
perception
was
further
enhanced
in
the
settlers' eyes when
cameleers
on
Beltana
station
went
on
strike—one
of
Australia's first successful strikes.
Relations
on
the
Western
Australian
goldfields
1890s
As
the
cameleers
became
more
established,
many
set
up
their
own
competing
businesses
and
enterprises,
often
resulting
in
ill-will
and
sometimes
even
open
conflict.
One
of
the
most
notable
examples
of
this
was
on
the
Western
Australian
goldfields
in
the
late
1890s.
Years
of
simmering
tensions
between
Afghan
cameleers
and
European
bullock
teamsters
escalated
to
the
point
where
the
cameleers
were
openly
demonised
in
the
press
and
accused
of
various
acts
of
aggression,
including
monopolising
and
befouling
waterholes.
This
resulted
in
Hugh
Mahon,
the
local
federal
Member,
raising
the
issue
with Prime Minister Barton in parliament.
A
subsequent
investigation
by
police
was
ordered
and
the
state's
Police
Commissioner
ultimately
reported
that,
while
there
had
been
many
'reports
and
rumours
of
Afghans
polluting
the
water
and
taking
forcible
possession
of
dams',
there
was
actually
'no
evidence
obtainable'
to
support
these
reports
and
complaints.
In
fact,
the
investigation
found
that
the
only
trouble
'of
a
serious
nature'
was
that
a
cameleer
had
been
shot
and
wounded
by
a
white
teamster
for
failing
to
give
way.
Camel Train
Camel
train
laden
with
chaff
for
interior
stations
in
the
far
North
with
an
Afghan
camel
driver,
ca.1911.
Image
courtesy
of
the
State
Library
of
South
Australia:
B
14808.
Providing
drought
assistance
in
far
western
New
South Wales, 1900s
But
not
all
white
Australians
shunned
the
cameleers.
When William Goss became the first European to
see
Uluru,
he
named
a
nearby
well,
Kamran's
Well,
after his lead cameleer and a nearby hill, Allanah
Hill,
after
another
cameleer.
And
in
1902,
after
the
devastating Federation Drought, the Attorney-
General
received
a
letter
from
a
John
Edwards
stating that:
It
is
no
exaggeration
to
say
that
if
it
had
not
been
for
the
Afghan
and
his
Camels,
Wilcannia,
White
Cliffs,
Tibooburra,
Milperinka
and
other
Towns,
each
centres
of
considerable
population,
would
have
practically ceased to exist.
Contractors and entrepreneurs
As
the
cameleers
became
accustomed
to
the
Australian
landscape
and
people,
many
saw
a
way
to
create
opportunities
for
themselves
by
branching
into
business
on
their
own
or
in
partnership
with
Europeans.
So
successful
were
they
that
by
the
end
of
the
nineteenth
century,
Muslim
merchants
and
brokers dominated the Australian camel business.
Fuzzly Ahmed and Faiz Mahomet
Some
of
the
most
successful
of
the
cameleer
entrepreneurs
included
Fuzzly
Ahmed,
who
worked
the
Port
Augusta–Oodnadatta
line
for
many
years
before
moving
to
Broken
Hill,
and
Faiz
Mahomet,
who
arrived
at
the
age
of
22
and
settled
in
Marree,
where
he
operated
as
a
Forwarding
Agent
and
General
Carrier
before
moving
to
and
setting
up
an
operation
in
the
Coolgardie
goldfields
with
his
brother,
Tagh
Mahomet.
Abdul Wade
Camels
and
camel
merchants
at
Mt.
Garnet,
Queensland, ca. 1901
Unknown,
Camels
and
camel
merchants
at
Mt.
Garnet,
Queensland,
ca.
1901
[The
man
in
the
suit
and hat,
holding
the
camel,
is
Abdul
Wade].
Image
courtesy
of
the State Library of Queensland: 13127.
But
perhaps
the
most
successful
of
all
the
Afghan
cameleers
was
Abdul
Wade.
Wade
arrived
in
Australia in
1879
and
initially
worked
for
Faiz
and
Tagh
Mahomet.
In 1893, Wade moved to Bourke, NSW, and began
importing
camels
and
recruiting
Afghan
cameleers
for
the recently formed Bourke Camel Carrying Co.,
New South Wales.
In
1895,
Wade
married
widow
Emily
Ozadelle,
with
whom he had seven children, and in 1903 purchased
Wangamanna
station
in
New
South
Wales,
which
he
established
as
a
camel
breeding
and
carrying
business.
At
the
height
of
his
success,
Wade
had
four
hundred
camels and sixty men working for him.
Respected
by
his
employees
and
nicknamed
the
'Afghan
prince',
Wade
worked
hard
at
being
seen
as
an
equal
by
his
Australian
peers.
He
dressed
as
a
European,
educated
his
children
at
top
private
schools
and
even
became
a
naturalised
citizen.
But
success
in
Australian
society
eluded
Wade
and
his
attempts
at
fitting
in
were
ridiculed.
At
the
end
of
the
camel
era,
Wade
sold
his
station
and
returned
to
Afghanistan,
where
he
surrendered
his
Australian
passport.
The end of an era
In
the
early
twentieth
century,
motorised
and
rail
transport
was
becoming
more
common
and
the
need
for
camels,
and
cameleers,
was
slowly
dying.
Ironically,
two
of
the
greatest
contributions
of
the
Afghan
cameleers,
the
Ghan
railway
and
Overland
Telegraph,
were
also
to
herald
the
start
of
their
demise.
Immigration Restriction Act 1901
Certificate
exempting
Said
Kabool
from
the
Dictation
Test,
1916.
Said
Kabool
arrived
in
Australia
in
1896
and worked in
Coolgardie
for
seven
years.
Image
courtesy
of
the
National
Archives
of
Australia:
NAA:
E752,
1916/42,
p. 12.
As
many
of
the
cameleers
were
in
Australia
on
three
year
contracts,
they
would
usually
return
to
their
homes and family
after
each
contract,
before
returning
to
Australia.
Some
discovered
that
they
were
no
longer
granted
permission to return
to
Australia.
Others
found
that
they
now
had
to
sit
the
dictation
test
under
the
Immigration
Restriction
Act,
1901 (which
kept
out
new
cameleers
and
denied
re-entry
to
those
who
left),
or
apply
for
exemption.
Many
were
denied
naturalisation
due to their 'Asian' status.
In
1903,
a
petition
on
behalf
of
more
than
500
Indians
and
Afghans
in
Western
Australia
was
placed
before
the
Viceroy
of
India,
Lord
Curzon.
The
petition
made
four
major
complaints
against
'certain
legislative
restrictions'
facing
the
cameleers:
they
were
unable
to
hold
a
miner's
right
on
the
goldfields;
they
could
not
travel
interstate
for
work,
'except
under
the
most
stringent
conditions';
they
were
not
allowed
to
re-
enter
Australia
if
they
left;
and
they
were
not
able
to
be naturalised. Nothing was to come of their petition.
Rail and road transport
Feral
Camels
cover
approximately
40%
of
land
area
in the NT. Image courtesy of the Northern Territory
Government
Natural
Resources,
Environment,
The
Arts and Sport.
By
the
1930s,
Australia's
inland
transport
was
controlled
by
rail
and,
increasingly,
road
networks.
Facing
the
prospect
of
no
employment
and
a
sometimes
hostile
government
and
people,
many
of
the
cameleers
returned
to
their
homelands,
some
after
decades
of
living in Australia. Others remained and turned to
other
trades
and
means
of
making
a
living.
Rather
than see their camels shot, they released them into
the
wild,
where
they
have
since
flourished.
In
2007,
the estimated feral camel population of Australia
was
around
1
000
000,
approximately
half
of
which
were in Western Australia.
The last of the cameleers
By
1940,
few
cameleers
remained.
Philip
Jones
relates
the
tale
of
some
of
the
last
of
the
Afghan
cameleers
in
reCollections,
the
Journal
of
the
National Museum of Australia:
“In
the
Adelaide
summer
of
1952
a
young
Bosnian
Muslim
and
his
friends,
newly
arrived
immigrants,
pushed
open
the
high
gate
of
the
Adelaide
mosque
As
Shefik
Talanavic
entered
the
mosque
courtyard
he
was
confronted
by
an
extraordinary
sight.
Sitting
and
lying
on
benches,
shaded
from
the
strong
sunshine
by
vines
and
fruit
trees,
were
six
or
seven
ancient,
turbaned
men.
The
youngest
was
87
years
old.
Most
were
in
their
nineties;
the
oldest
was
117
years
old.
These
were
the
last
of
Australia's
Muslim
cameleers...
Several
had
subscribed
money
during
the
late
1880s
for
the
construction
of
the
mosque
which
now,
crumbling and decayed, provided their last refuge.”
It
is
only
in
recent
years,
with
the
South
Australian
Museum's
Australian
Muslim
Cameleers
exhibition
(developed
with
support
from
the
Visions
of
Australia
program)
and
book,
that
the
story
and
the
contribution
of
these
pioneers
to
Australia's
history
and
development has been told.
Australia’s Muslim Cameleers exhibition pictures &
dialogue courtesy ABC Alice Springs.
…. CLICK TO VIEW
The above information and more can be accessed on the
Australian Government website
http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story
/afghan-cameleers
