Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Revesby (Sydney)ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਿੰਘ ਸਭਾ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ, ਰੀਵਜ਼ਬੀ (ਸਿਡਨੀ)

Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara at Revesby, in Sydney's south west, is the first gurdwara established in Sydney and an entry in our guide to Gurdwaras in Australia. Run by Sri Guru Singh Sabha, the Sikh Association of Sydney, it grew from a first meeting of five men in November 1976 into a complex of properties along The River Road, with a new temple building, a Punjabi school and a library, all raised by the sangat, the congregation.

What is Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Revesby?

It is a gurdwara, the Sikh place of worship, whose name means the doorway to the Guru. Like every gurdwara it is built around the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh scripture honoured as the eternal Guru, and it serves its congregation with daily prayer, kirtan, sacred music, and a kitchen for langar, the free vegetarian meal open to all. The Sabha's welcome rests on Ik Onkar, the opening words of the scripture: one God, and all people His children, a phrase the association renders as "One father God, we are all His children". The gurdwara stands at 14 to 22 The River Road, Revesby NSW 2212, just off Canterbury Road.

How was Sydney's first gurdwara founded?

The Sikh Association of Sydney was founded at its first meeting on 7 November 1976, held at Campbelltown at the surgery of Dr Joginder Singh. Five men were present: Dr Joginder Singh Sekhon, Charan Singh Kooner, Ajit Singh Kalra, Balwant Singh Chadha and Amrik Singh Pala. The meeting focused mainly on establishing a gurdwara in Sydney, and a constitution was written and registered with the Department of Fair Trading.

The first general meeting followed on 9 January 1977 at Sydney Grammar High School. Charan Singh Kooner was elected president, with Udam Singh Singhota as vice president, Ajit Singh Kalra as secretary, Dr Joginder Singh Sekhon as assistant secretary and Bawa Singh Jagdev as treasurer. Their task, as the association's history puts it, was mainly to establish a Gurdwara Sahib in Sydney.

Buying a church on The River Road

The chance came on The River Road in Revesby, where a church building owned by the Sydney City Mission was listed for auction at 35,000 dollars and found no buyer at that price. The Mission agreed to sell it for 33,000 dollars to trustees of the Sabha. A resolution made any member who paid 1,000 dollars a trustee, and eleven members gave that sum and became trustees. On 31 March 1978 the properties at 14 and 16 The River Road were bought in the trustees' names.

The first executive committee meeting was held at the new complex on 9 April 1978. The first function was Baisakhi, held with the guidance and assistance of Giani Teja Singh of Woolgoolga, and Sikhs and well-wishers came from all over Australia. The gurdwara was officially opened on 19 November 1978 by M. J. R. Mackellar, the federal Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs of the time. It was the first gurdwara established in Sydney and, by the association's account, the third in Australia, after the two temples at Woolgoolga.

Growing along The River Road

The complex grew piece by piece. A kitchen complex was built in 1979 and 1980, its cost paid for by Pritam Kaur Panesar. In November 1982 the adjoining property at 18 The River Road was bought for 60,000 dollars, to start the Khalsa School and the Guru Nanak Library. In 1988 another property, at 9 Victoria Street behind the site, was bought for 110,000 dollars to give access from two roads and solve the parking problem, and that year the properties were transferred from the eleven trustees to the association itself, which became sole owner on 16 November 1988. A fifth property, 20 The River Road, was bought in 1999. The present temple building was constructed at a cost of over two million dollars, with the cooperation of the sangat, and recent improvements for the sangat, especially older members, include a new kitchen, a lift and an extension of the Punjabi School.

Worship, Punjabi school and community life

Worship follows a steady weekly rhythm. On most weekday mornings Asa di Vaar is sung from 7:45 to 8:15, and in the evening Rehras Sahib is read at 6:25 followed by kirtan. Saturday begins with a longer Asa di Vaar from 7:00 to 9:00, and on Sunday Asa di Vaar runs from 8:30 to 11:00 with kirtan from 11:00 to 12:30. Regular Sunday diwans have been held since the earliest years, with Punjabi taught in the morning before the Bhog ceremony. The Punjabi School at the gurdwara has been running for many years, taught voluntarily by committed teachers, and the Sabha has also been a regular participant in the Sikh National Games held each year over the Easter holidays.

How do you visit Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara?

You visit at 14 to 22 The River Road, Revesby. The River Road is off Canterbury Road: coming from Bankstown on Canterbury Road, turn left into The River Road and the building is on the right, just after the shopping complex. Everyone is welcome, Sikh or not. Cover your head, remove your shoes, and sit on the floor of the prayer hall for the diwan; stay afterwards for langar in the kitchen complex. Sydney's other best known gurdwara, the Sikh Centre run by the Australian Sikh Association at Glenwood, stands across the city in the north west.