Abdul Ziadulla Fazulla
| Town/City | Broken Hill |
|---|---|
| First name | Abdul Ziadulla |
| Last name | Fazulla |
| Country of Origin | Punjab, India |
| Date of Birth | c1877 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1894 |
| Submitted by | Christine Adams |
Story
Abdul Ziadulla Fazulla was one of the first cameleers to make his home permanently in Broken Hill. He had a wide range of clients around Wilcannia, Tibooburra and Wentworth.
In 1917, his relatives, who lived somewhere between England and Pakistan, sent a letter asking him to help them out because their farm was going bad. He had a share in the farm over there but he wrote back and told them to keep his share of the farm. He didn\’t want it. He couldn\’t help financially because he\’d been sick with asthma. He said he had to release his camels out in the paddocks.
When trucks started to be used for freight in about 1925, there was conflict between the Afghans and the truck drivers because there wasn\’t much work for the cameleers but when the wet came, the trucks were useless and traders called on the camels again to get the load out on time. They all worked together for a while until the trucks finally took over and then the cameleers around Broken Hill just turned their camels loose. The last camel load left Broken Hill in September, 1929.
Abdul Ziadulla Fazulla worshipped at the Broken Hill Mosque until the day he died in 1960. Men only attended the Mosque but young boys joined their elders for a feast called ‘charity\’ Whilst there were a number of practising Muslims during his lifetime, Fazulla Ab was the last practising Muslim before the Mosque closed down. The Mosque is now in the care of the Broken Hill Historical Society.