MELBOURNE, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Consul General to Melbourne, Datuk Dr Mohd Rameez Yahaya has urged Malaysian Sikh professionals here to return to Malaysia to assist in the country's nation building.
He said Sikhs from all walks of life had made tremendous contributions to Malaysia and this had been acknowledged.
"Over the years, hundreds of Sikhs have left Malaysia to seek new opportunities, and having gained experience and expertise, we need you to spend some time in Malaysia to train and encourage our younger generation," Mohd Rameez said.
He said Malaysia's TalentCorp programme would guide them in re-establishing themselves in Malaysia.
Mohd Rameez was speaking at the combined Deepavali celebration and annual dinner of the Victorian Sikh Association at the Manningham Function Centre, in Melbourne, Saturday night.
The consul general later told BERNAMA that it was the most joyous Malaysian event he had attended since being posted here in June 2011, and praised the Sikhs as a highly educated and vibrant community.
"Sikhs are a warrior race and they have brought strength of character and professional ability in all walks of life in Malaya and later Malaysia.
"Your forefathers who came from Punjab worked hard and saved for the betterment of the family in a new land. Education for their children was foremost in their minds," he said.
Mohd Rameez said each generation of Sikhs had done better and achieved more than the previous generation.
At the dinner, attended by more than 210 people, awards were presented to Darshan Singh, formerly of Taiping, for his tireless work over many years for the welfare of the Sikhs here and the sports excellence award to Amberjeet Louise Kaur, 16, who represented Victoria State in hockey and could be up for national selection.
She is the grandniece of the late Karpal Singh, a prominent lawyer and member of the Malaysian Parliament.
Legend awards were presented to pioneers Manjit Singh Sidhu and Kerpal Singh Marne.
Victorian Sikh Association secretary Gurbinder Singh said Malaysian and Singaporean Sikhs held special functions about four times a year.
"We see a lot of young faces. The older folks tend to stay away but they are kept informed by our weekly newsletter," said Gurbinder, a financial adviser in Melbourne.
--BERNAMA