Christmas 2008 v Christmas 1974

By Christmas morning in 1974 we were drinking Galliano out of the bottle and using a gas stove on the back of my work panel van underneath the mess that had been our home. Yes, the annual reminder of Cyclone Tracy, which literally blew Darwin away on Christmas Day 1974.

Lots of funny stories and lots of heartbreak. We were relatively lucky, as our house while a write-off was still partially intact, but many others including some friends had their entire house and everything in it blown away.......literally, and all that was left was floorboards and the toilet bowl! And there were many like that around town, especially in the area of the northern suburbs of Darwin.

The town was evacuated, and many who left, never returned. The city was declared a disaster zone, and effective control was passed to the military in effect, at least for a brief period. We did not evacuate, and as we then had a 13 month old baby, life was at times, very interesting. A time for people to come together to help each other, to cope with the trauma and drama of the event and, as many Australians seem to do, to also crack a few jokes about the event.

It was a turning point for Darwin in modern times. People who remained wanted the town to be rebuilt and to be something better. Those who left did not have that view. Simple things.......even the gardens around houses were better after the cyclone; a deeper and improved community spirit.

Many of those still around the city do have issues with the screech of tearing sheet metal. That was an awesome noise during Cyclone Tracy, as it was usually followed by a wall or a house blowing away after the roof tore off.

There are some intriguing pictorial displays around Darwin with the NT Museum display a very much visited area. Ask Google for more information.

But Christmas 2008 is much more sedate. Cyclone Billy is now a Category 4 system, but heading out to sea off WA so probably will not cause trouble. A friend in Broome was headed off for a cyclone party just after it blew by there on the 23rd......but at a Category 1 level, and offshore.

Merry Christmas to all. Remember those less fortunate than you. While our table was replete for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner, with fine china and a snowy white tablecloth, not everyone is that lucky.