00:00Did you know a cult once tried to take over the quiet town of Pemberton in Western Australia?
00:05In the 1980s, Cary Valley Park, now home to RAC Cary Valley Resort, appointed a manager who was
00:11also a member of the Orange People, a cult which had become active in Fremantle at the time.
00:16Its controversial practices provoked the local Perth communities they occupied,
00:20including Fremantle, which became a hub for followers of Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh,
00:25also known as Osho, an Indian guru who preached sexual freedom and superconsciousness.
00:30The Rajneesh movement was labelled a sex cult by locals, and its followers,
00:35known colloquially as the Orange People, due to their distinctive orange and red clothing,
00:39were rapidly gaining a presence in Fremantle and Pemberton, driven by their wild beliefs
00:43and unwavering loyalty to this controversial Indian guru.
00:47In 1985, the manager of Cary Valley allowed a small group of cult members to sublease Cary Valley Park.
00:53Soon, 40 members moved in, and locals became increasingly alarmed by the group's growing presence.
00:59And then, rumours began to swell, and emergency town meetings were held.
01:03Was Pemberton to become their new global HQ?
01:06In April, 60 Minutes aired a report featuring Ma Anand Sheila, Rajneesh's secretary in Australia,
01:12who fast became one of the most notorious figures of the 80s,
01:15thanks to her crude interactions with authority and media.
01:18Sheila, whatever your plans are, we don't want the Rajneesh's, we don't want the orange people in our town.
01:25What can I say? Tough titties.
01:27The Shire shut down their plans for a school, and politicians threatened anti-cult laws.
01:31Eventually, the land was sold, and without a viable base,
01:35the Rajneesh's had little choice but to leave once their leases and plans were terminated.
01:39and the Shire shut down their plans for a school, and they were there once their miscites.
01:39The Shire shut down their plans for independence, after a school, for a school, for a school, for an
01:39season of summer, and after a school, for a school, and put the J.J.
01:39You
