kamahl: the triumph of hope

Kamahl’s journey from where it all began in 1953 as a chronically shy Tamil teenager named Kandiah Kamalesvaran. He arrived in Australia at the height of the White Australia policy, to complete his education. Little did he know where or what he would beome by choosing to study in Australia. For what was supposed to be a short term stay in Australia turned his world into a life most people could only dream of in the music industry. Kamahl has been in the music industry for over 70 years. He was one of the first people to appear in concert at the Sydney Opera House and has graced world stages such as London Palladium and Carnegie Hall to name a few. It has been reported Kamahl has sold more than 20 million records worldwide. He recorded more than 30 albums and earned more than 100 Gold and Platinum records. This isn’t however just a story of how a show business identity became famous, it is a quintessential migrant success story. It also chronicles how much Australia has changed over the last seventy years. Armed with a unique talent, priceless friendships he made along the way, and unflinching hope he trans- formed into one of Australia’s most talented and loved performers. The larger than life Kamahl

Keith Cameron lives on the Central Coast of NSW with his wife of over forty years, Amy. He was born in Sunderland in the North East of England before emigrating to Australia with his family as a 12 year old child. He began his working life as an advertising copywriter in the late seventies. In the years that followed, his role has broadened into developing advertising, PR and creative marketing strategies for some of Australia’s best-known brands. As a self-described ’ ten-pound pom’, he has always been fascinated by the role that migrants have played,