The following is an extract taken from the booklet “Centenary Jubilee of the Kfarsghab Migration 1880 – 1980 under the Patronage of His Excellency the Ambassador of Lebanon and Madame Raymond Heneine”.  The Australian Kfarsghab Lebanese Association.  Wentworth Hotel, Sydney, Australia, Saturday, 9 August 1980.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF AKLA (Mr Joseph Barakat)

Your Excellency Raymond Heneine, Ambassador of Lebanon, and Madame Heneine; Honorable Members of Parliament; Reverend Fathers; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen.

On my behalf and on behalf of the Kfarsghab community, I wish to welcome you all to our Centenary celebration.  I would also like to thank you for being here with us tonight and sincerely hope that you will all enjoy yourselves.

I would like to mention a special welcome to his Excellency Raymond Heneine, Ambassador of Lebanon, and Madame Heneine and to say how happy we all are to be with you tonight.

Kfarsghab is a little town perched in the heights of the Lebanese mountains where the famous cedars are legendary.  Like the rest of Lebanon, its population has been subjected to migratory waves, the most recent of which we are celebrating tonight with the centenary of the arrival of the first party from Kfarsghab.

Lebanese migration began with our ancestors, the Phoenicians, who roamed the seas long before the birth of Christ and reached the furthermost spaces of the then known world.  They sailed the oceans and reached Europe and Brazil in search of a world which would give them an outlet for their goods, their culture and their dominion.

Commerce prospered to the point where it became necessary to keep some sort of records of the various transactions.  Out of necessity the alphabet was born.  It was conceived by an ancient Phoenician sage in the Phoenician city of Byblos, on the shores of Lebanon.  Later in the year 1900 BC, Cadmus, the son of King Ashnar from Byblos, perfected this alphabet and presented to the world a system of symbols capable of adapting words to meaningful sentences.  Through its use in his travels, it became a vehicle, not only for commerce but as a means of communication, promotion of culture and the exchange of knowledge.  This means of dissemination of knowledge of culture became the great asset of the first Lebanon migration.

The second wave of Lebanese migration originated in 1841 at a time when Maronites were being persecuted for their religious beliefs.  This persecution then spread to other Christian groups in the mountains forcing thousands of Lebanese to flee to the Americas.  The first Lebanese migrant set foot in the United States of America in 1854.  He was Antonios Bshihlany.

Later, in 1880, my great grand-father, Karam Abi Arab and his wife, Hala, left Kfarsghab, reached Pennsylvania in the United States and settled in Philadelphia, the city of the Liberty Bell, symbol of Independence and Freedom.

We are celebrating tonight, my dear friends, the centenary of Kfarsghab migration (1880 - 1980).  From 1880 to this day, Kfarsghab, the small village in the mountains near the Cedars of Lebanon, has given this world 11,000 people of 90% of the descendants, almost all of whom live in Australia.

The people of Kfarsghab are known to have deep faith in God.  They are generous, hard-working, loyal and law-abiding.  Their hard work in their new homeland has not gone unrewarded.  Our success has enabled us to help many of our fellow Lebanese settle in this country.  We join with all Lebanese, who, like us, have come to Australia looking for peace and freedom, determined to succeed through faith and hard work.

No matter where the Kfarsghabi have settled in the world, he has been quick to acquire a measure of security and prosperity which has enabled him to participate in all the activities of his adopted country, sharing in its progress and advancement.

We have contributed to the prosperity of Australia.  We are proud of it; and shall always continue to do so.  Whenever necessary, we are willing to fill any gaps that many occur through the indifference of other ethnic groups.  Australia is now our country and our love for it is no less than our love for Lebanon.  We are indebted to Australia as Australia, we believe, is indebted to us and as Australians we are helping to develop the political, social and economic framework of the country by contributing a higher than average proportion of academics, clergy, judges, doctors, economists, solicitors, barristers, engineers, architects, builders, tradesmen, businessmen, farmers, politicians, pharmacists, accountants, school teachers, librarians, social workers and others.  This shows that we are ever present in all facets of Australian life.

The relationship between Australia and the Lebanese communities are of the highest consequence and it is important that our Government responds to the many problems that beset Lebanon.  We would be happy to have an assurance that the Australian Government will always strive, within the Charter of the United Nations, for the maintenance of peace in Lebanon and the solution of the Palestinian problem with justice for all.

For our part we shall at all times and in all circumstances remain loyal to Australia.  We shall respect and uphold its constitution, laws and traditions.  We shall continue to participate in its advancement and if need be, defend its soil with all the ardor and strength we possess.

The Lebanese migrant has multiplied and prospered.  The number of persons of Lebanese descent at present living in other countries is estimated at 15 million, or five-times the current population of Lebanon.

It can truly be said that the Lebanese are citizens of the world.  For those of us living in Australia, it has become our most earnest desire to ensure that the international spirit which prevails our community will be translated into activity at all levels to the welfare and benefit of all citizens in Lebanon and in this, our beloved country of Australia.  In this spirit the people of Kfarsghab will always be in the vanguard.