Invisible by Jacqueline Leckie

Author:Jacqueline Leckie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Massey University Press
Published: 2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Sali Mahomet, known as ‘Ice Cream Charlie’, circa 1930, when he worked in Cathedral Square, Christchurch.

The ‘luscious lascar’

In 1912, NZ Truth opined that Mr Falconer from the Dunedin Seamen’s Rest was ‘crawling to niggers’ when he hosted a Christmas treat of a tour of Dunedin for 21 lascars (Indian seamen) working on a cargo tanker that had berthed at Port Chalmers: ‘The party afterwards visited St. Clair, but they did not take part in the bathing. Not much! For two reasons at the very least. Out at St. Clair the young men and young women, who go in for surf bathing, are a clean, healthy, fine physiqued lot, and the young men are strong of arm, and hold stronger views upon a White New Zealand. If Ram Chowdar or Boh Stink had dared to shove his greasy carcase in amongst the surfers, then ‘Truth’ ventures to say that Ram Chowdar and Boh Stink deceased would have ornamented the sands some days later, and the ‘Den of Airlie’ would have been two cheap niggers short.

‘Second reason is that Lascars don’t like water — at any rate for bathing purposes — as it might wash off some of THE ‘GHEE’ AND PALM OIL from their greasy carcases … Dunedin ought to go and HIDE ITS HEAD IN SHAME over this disgraceful episode of the Lascar sailors. The idea of allowing a lot of low-caste Asiatics to mingle with white people is repugnant to everyone but the most ignorant.’8

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