The story starts in Katherine at 11.35PM 24th December 1974, as a lot of people did I was trying to ring a mate in NSW to pass on some Xmas cheer and BS, the exchange operator said she had lost contact with Darwin as they had a bit of a storm coming in. Finished work at a local servo and off to bed to see what Santa brings the next day. Xmas morning 1974 in Katherine was full overcast with an eerie peacefulness and quiet. No one was on the streets and the day was on and off fine drizzle. No one had really heard about what had happened with the bit of a storm overnight in Darwin. Later in the afternoon battered and bruised cars without windscreens were limping into Katherine. Some of these cars were filled with families in there pyjamas and nightdresses, the only possessions they had left in the whole world. They were cold, hungry, dishevelled, lost, confused, stunned, totally unbelieving that this had happened and some people had absolutely no idea where they were going or what the future days held for them. Behind the scenes NTA swung into action to organise for vehicles to be fuelled, people fed, people to be helped out with some clothes,emergency repairs to vehicles. I was helping out at the Mobil Service Station which was owned by Robin Shepherd, he had his family up for Xmas. The onslaught of vehicles and people requiring assistance didnt abate until the New Year. Some of the stories sounded so far fetched and more like a movie script than real life. The carnage and damage was so extreme for one house not breaking a fence pailing to the next door house being totally levelled. At the time I was a 18 and even at that age it was hard not to get emotional at the site of a 5 year old child dressed in dirty pyjamas dragging a one armed doll behind them. Over the next week it was pump fuel, change tyres, do minor mechanical repairs on car that you wouldnt drive to the corner shop, have a quick bite to eat, grab a few hours (3 or 4 if we were lucky) and back into it again. Across the road from the servo some organisation had set up a Soup Kitchen and clothes drop off point. I t was pretty heart breaking to see people dropping off presents they had received themselves and giving them to people who have just had their whole world turned upside down. One story that stuck in my mind was a bloke who had been partying the night before, had a few too many and tried a joint for the first time. He went off to bed drunk and stoned, he said he heard a noise of a window breaking, got up the next morning to check the broken window, looked out and saw the whole street gone - said he was never touching another joint until he realised it was real live situation. I could go on for hours with stories and antedotes but would just like to give a belated thank you to all the volunteers all over Australia who gave so much time to help the people of Darwin who evacuated by road, also to the people who gave some of their Xmas gifts to people who had just lost everything. It would be interesting to know if any of the survivors still have the gifts as momentos. I know I will certainly never forget the week following Tracy and remember the people who were there working tirelessly helping people get to where they were going. Some of the images of the first cars will be forever etched in my memory. This is the first time in 40 years I have actually related a lot of this and every time I hear Bill and Boyd singing their song I think back to that week........
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 23:34:22 +0000
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