It was not until a UN-supervised referendum on April 6, 1984 that the people of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands were handed the same rights as other Australians.
"My mum used to be one of the maids [at Oceania House] and then she was also the gardener. Then they were caught, one time, trying to steal bananas or guavas, and she got kicked out and had to work for the copra industry. Dad also worked in the copra industry.
"It was only the eldest in the family, or if your father was one of the supervisors for the Clunies-Rosses, then you would have that privilege, that all your kids would be schooled, but in most families only one or two kids or none could go. Around 500 Cocos Malays live on Home Island, while another 120 people, mostly from the mainland, live on West Island."On West Island, you feel like you're in an Australian country town. Here on Home Island, you feel like you are in Malaysia; you have a different vibe in the community," Ms Sloan said.
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