This site is the personal project of me, Cathryn Doney. I am a survivor of Cyclone Tracy, and for over 15 years have been involved in running the Cyclone Tracy Survivors Facebook group, providing admin services and support to its over 7,000 members.
As the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy approached, my objectives for this website were:
- To provide a way to remember and honour the victims in perpetuity, to help tell their stories, acknowledge their families, and perhaps find answers that were not possible in the past – so that they are more than just a name on a memorial plaque.
- To establish a central repository for all things Cyclone Tracy, preserving this information in one place, in perpetuity. Lest we forget.
- To acknowledge and provide a voice for survivors to tell their stories in their own words, in a non-commercial, not-for-profit forum (this website is entirely hosted and paid for by me).
- To draw attention not only to the survivors but also to those who helped, including the military, front-line responders, volunteers, those who offered refuge, and everyone who contributed, even in the smallest of ways.
- To raise awareness and education about Top End cyclones for current and future residents of the Northern Territory.
- To foster reflection at a national level on how Tracy brought Australia together as a nation, what we’ve learned since, and how we have responded to other disasters.
I am not affiliated with the Remembering Cyclone Tracy Committee and am not involved in their commemoration activities. I was a founding member of the Committee in early 2022, but it soon became clear that our goals diverged. The Committee is focused on the 50th anniversary commemorations, while my aim is to build a lasting resource that honours the victims and preserves the legacy of Cyclone Tracy beyond a single milestone. For that reason, I chose to step away from the Committee and concentrate on creating this site. If you’d like to contact the RCT Committee, please email rct74darwin@gmail.com.
I continue to support survivors through the Cyclone Tracy Survivors Facebook group. If you’re a survivor, I warmly invite you to CLICK HERE TO JOIN over 7,000 members.
If you would like to support me in this work, donations are greatly appreciated. Your support means a lot and will help keep this project going.
And lastly, if you’d like to get in touch, please email me directly at admin (at) cyclonetracy.au.