By Ethan Benedicto
As the locale ramps up for the community-wide meeting on Tuesday 19 November, a second petition in support of Guru Nanak Lake’s naming has gained some traction, encouraging engagement of the Sikh principles.
In light of the Stop Berwick Springs Name Change petition garnering roughly 5500 signatures, a petition which is stated to be “an appeal on behalf of entire Australian Multicultural Communities” has since hit roughly 2800 signatures on 18 November, just three days after it began.
A community-wide discussion, catered by Berwick MP Brad Battin and Southeastern Metropolitan MP Ann-Marie Hermans is set to take place at the lake by 6pm on Tuesday, with tensions still rising around the renaming.
Federation University engineering professor Dr Harpreet Singh Kandra said that clarity is of the utmost importance regarding the lake and whether it is truly the lack of consultation that residents are angry about or the name itself.
As a notable figure in local initiatives involving the Sikh community, such as partaking in the Safety Engaging with Water pilot program, Kandra said that the lack of consultation is something that the “Sikh community has nothing to do with”.
“Are people compassionate enough to be able to accept the new name as well as an apology [explanation] to the lack of awareness, or are they going to keep on pressing to change the name?
“This is no one’s land, this is Indigenous land, we are all migrants here, so those protesting should actually understand that Indigenous leaders have ticked off the name change.”
The Change.org petition called for the same form of mentioned clarity, to push through the misunderstanding and to spread the message of awareness on what the Sikh community has offered on the wider message of multiculturalism in Australia.
The fear of the unknown is how Kandra coined it, highlighting the lack of what the Guru stands for and what it means will not impact what the lake is, what it has been, and what it will be.
“If the lake’s name changes do you think the purposes of the lake are affected in any way? Do you think people will not be able to walk there, exercise there and enjoy nature?
“Will the ecology of the lake be affected? None of these things are going to happen, there is an ego issue out of this that I don’t understand.
“If you are to look at the history of Guru Nanak, he is a person who has been advocating for love, compassion and world peace, and I think if a lake is named after him, it is acknowledging that we need to have that love and compassion in the community,” he said.
Kandra wanted to emphasise the Sikh community’s efforts and contributions Victoria-wide, such as the Sikh Volunteers Australia and their delivery of food and support throughout natural disasters and the Covid pandemic, as well as the works of the Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria.
He added that the events that have transpired have become too “political”, and questioned if the efforts culminating in now what has reached 5745 signatures is “productive”.
“This might get half a million signatures in support of their petition, but is that productive? Should all of us invest that kind of time in such a trivial matter?
“There are streets in several parts of Victoria such as Church Street or Chapel Street, so why can’t we have a multicultural name, or a name after someone who has always advocated for love and compassion?”
Most of all, Kandra echoed many of the Sikh community’s sentiments to the lake’s renaming backlash, inviting those who are willing and interested to learn more about what the Guru stands for.
“If consultation should have happened, and if the people think that it’s an administrative error, they should tell the Premier to learn from this and not do this in the future.
“The matter should be closed; but if they want the name to be changed, then I think it’s not very in line with the multicultural values of Australia,” he said.
However, he understands that this change is the first of its nature, and acknowledged that “big changes happen in small stages”.
Prior to the meeting at 6pm on Tuesday, many local residents are waiting for their questions to be answered, namely the “why” of the decision, and if the lake’s renaming would affect the names of the neighbouring locality.
