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On Boxing Day 1974, we invited our next door neighbours to dinner in our brand new Hoppers Crossing home. At that time I was based at Point Cook and was working through Christmas, except for public holidays. Helen had worked a day shift at Altona Hospital, [having had to resign her commission from the RAAFNS after marrying a Cpl], and we were sharing a wine with our friends when I received a phone call from the RAAF Laverton Orderly Officer, advising me I would be flying out to Darwin in the morning. When I asked why, the incredulous response was, “Haven’t you seen the news? There has been a cyclone in Darwin – turn your TV on.” Indeed, I had not seen the news and was otherwise occupied, landscaping our new garden – which now would have to wait. Next morning at 0700, I reported to the RAAF Laverton flight line and after some hours waiting, with a couple of other seconded personnel, we boarded a C130 Hercules for Darwin, stopping off at RAAF Richmond to fill the aircraft with fresh water, food and other stores and to pick up a few more personnel.
The flight was one of many other RAAF C130 aircraft destined to Darwin on 27 December, and was uneventful other than the view of devastation, seen as we approached the Darwin base. Whilst the view from the aircraft portholes was limited, the destruction and debris on the ground was unbelievable, with flattened hangers, badly damaged aircraft, including a RAAF Dakota, and even the historic bloodhound missile, mounted at the base entry, was destroyed. Almost all the total area was a mass of corrugated iron, building debris and uprooted vegetation, except the airstrips were spotlessly clean having been thoroughly cleared to permit safe air movements. The scene was truly surreal.
After unloading from the C130 on the end of the strip, we were taken by landrover, the driver required to find a safe passage through the ground obstacles, as no roadways were cleared, destined to one of the least damaged buildings, which had some terminal facilities. I was heartened to see the Salvos were already setting up a booth, to provide food and refreshment for passengers and crew alike, and besides being very busy, were suprisingly hesitant to take my donation at that time. The Base Medical Flight [BMF] was my next stop, and given the total destruction of neighbouring married quarters and other structures, I was astounded to see very little external damage to this building, perhaps saved because it was relatively new. Apart from a little fascia damage, the roof and walls all appeared intact. Inside the BMF there was a ‘hive’ of activity, as staff had a continuous flow of casualties, some RAAF, some dependents, some neither, through the Treatment Room, mainly dealing with lacerations sustained during the cyclone, or during early clean-up. I remember watching a very proficient Dental Assistant, inserting a neat line of sutures in a patients lacerated leg – certainly not her normal line of work. Eventually I was allocated a bed space on the corridor floor, alongside the half a dozen or so other personnel already arrived. The bed spaces continued to be filled, as more staff arrived on incoming aircraft.
I was later to learn that the cyclone was not unexpected. Apparently there were numerous warnings during the prior week, with a major alert 4 days previous from another cyclone, but then it turned away from the city and ‘all clear’ was declared. Even with the warnings of Cyclone Tracy, it was an on again/off again situation, as the path changed. Consequently there was some complacency amongst the locals, as during the day on Christmas Eve, some senior base personnel had decided the risk was not so great, as to need to cancel their fishing trip on nearby Fannie Bay. Cyclone warnings or not.
During the evening of the 24th December, the cyclone path did change. Whilst initially tracking on a south westerly path, through the Arafura Sea adjacent the coast, in the early hours of Christmas Eve the path changed to a south easterly direction and headed towards landfall and Darwin city. At 0145 hours the cyclone was directly over the RAAF Base, before changing direction again and proceeding
towards Darwin CBD, then at about 0300 it resumed a south easterly path of destruction towards the Gulf of Carpentaria, but destroying DCA, RAAF and RAN radio transmitters on route. At the height of the storm wind speed was registered at 217kph, and before breaking, the rain gauge recorded 195mm in 8 hours. Typical of all cyclones, when the `eye` was overhead, the wind stopped and all was quiet. However this was only temporary relief, as soon as the eye passed, the turmoil began again, but this time in the opposite direction. Much of the damage was done in this stage.
Many RAAF personnel were housed in ‘married quarters’ on the base. These buildings were typically 2 story structures, with a living area upstairs constructed with timber and glass, often with louvre windows, and downstairs a masonry block bathroom and laundry. This was fortunate, in that families were able to seek refuge downstairs, when the roof and second storey were damaged or destroyed, however they were left with only the clothing, [often night attire], they were wearing at the time, and losing all personal effects and furniture from the floor above.
Across the devastated city, there was widespread death and destruction and extensive injuries. The senior Hospital anaethetist was almost decapitated on his way to work, when struck by flying corrugated iron roofing, and added to the fatality count. Following the impact there was no water supply, no power supply, no working sanitation and most importantly. no communication – trees were uprooted or denuded of all foliage, birds and insects disappeared. Even those who had kept a battery radio, [as was advised in cyclone season preparation], were not immune, as both radio stations also failed.
At that time Major General Alan Stretton was leading the Canberra based Natural Disasters Organisation, and was soon on the ground, arriving on the first aircraft into Darwin. He was appointed, and given total control of the region, by Deputy Prime Minister Dr Jim Cairns, as Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was on leave overseas. Among his top priorities was the restoration of communication between the RAN, RAAF, Army and Police as well as the rest of the nation. Whilst the Darwin hospital was substantially damaged, it still provided some services with support from local voluntary organizations, including the Red Cross who quickly endevoured to maintain records of personnel movements, as some residents had already began evacuating south by road, assuming their vehicle was roadworthy and having lost all else.
My work in the BMF, along with the many other seconded personnel, was limited to assisting the regular staff in the Treatment Room, and general duties around the BMF. Even this mundane work had its surprises however, as when I went to remove a pillow from the linen closet, I unearthed a wide selection of spirits and liqueurs, salvaged by a staff members from their destroyed home – apparently drinks and cash were a priority to be secured, in case of looting.
Drinks also provided some diversion from the devastation, and I attended a couple of bizarre cyclone parties, with people returning to their homes and sitting in ruins, recalling the good times and remembering ‘what was’. Alcohol was plentiful, although beer [and music] were in short supply, still residents celebrated surviving the cyclone. This ‘honeymoon’ period was accompanied by euphoria and seen as a reason to party, at the relief of being alive or not seriously injured (although losing personal effects, and being thankful that on base, the homes were RAAF owned).
However, the happy times were quickly replaced by feelings of guilt : “How did we survive when others were killed or seriously injured?” Then the guilt was often followed by severe depression, which undoubtedly could lead to long term PTSD. As time passed, there was also often a period of anger, particularly directed at authorities, as relief aid was deemed insufficient and too slow, being implemented.
Some staff were involved in a Medevac, when a call came to evacuate an indigenous casualty, with a severe abdominal condition from Groote Elandt, to Darwin Hospital. Unfortunately, all I could manage
was an occasional run into Darwin Hospital by base ambulance, when injured casualties required additional treatment. Interestingly, the presence of indigenous people in the town was minimal, as it appears they ‘went bush’ for safety before the cyclone arrived. What did they know or expect, that the general population didn’t?
Then the formal evacuations by air commenced. Darwin had a population of just under 45,000, and after Tracy had destroyed approximately 70% of housing, there was a need to evacuate as many as possible, in order to provide safety and avoid disease out break. Opportunity for evacuation was limited however, as workers were required for clean-up, so the decision was made where women, children and where possible, family pets were the first priority, as generally men were required to stay to assist with clean-up.
Both civilian and service aircraft were involved in evacuation flights, with a Boeing 747 loading a record of almost 700 personnel [including crew]. The addition weight was enabled, due to negligible luggage loaded. C130 Hercules aircraft were also loaded to capacity, with RAAF Health personnel usually allocated as an escort.
I was soon tasked to fly to Adelaide, on an evacuation flight, [whereas most other flights had been to Richmond.] The Herc Loadmaster had squeezed a record number of women, children and pets on board, and the aircraft Captain ordered cargo nets to be strung over the passengers, as they were seated on the floor and unable to be belted in. The nets however, didn’t contain the cats – those not restrained ran wild, all over the top of the nets even though many were supposedly ‘sedated’ pre-flight – we soon found that human tranquilizers and sedatives are not designed for felines!
The departure from Darwin was quite emotional, as after take-off, “Auld Lang Syne” was sung by families, not knowing where they were destined, or when they would see Dad again. We flew out low over Darwin, with the Herc rear cargo hatch half open, so all could see the devastation.
After arrival in Adelaide, the Herc did a quick turn around and after a few hours, again I accompanied a return flight loaded with food and supplies. This flight was diverted on route however, and was directed to Tindall, as the influx of evacuees by road had overwhelmed the town of Katherine. I can recall the unloading of supplies, specifically a whole pallet of fresh oranges, as well as a pallet of donated clothing, which included items such as heavy suits and even neck-ties – hardly useful items in the tropics, in ‘the wet’. On arrival back in Darwin I also noted other pallets of supplies, including woolen blankets, left in the open and exposed to the torrential afternoon rain typical of the season – I guess they would soon be mildewed and rot, as opportunity to drying them was unlikely.
I also met some RAN personnel from HMAS Melbourne, one of the numerous naval vessels which arrived later in the week, and they said they were tasked to complete door to door searches, to look for survivors [or bodies], and to empty fridges and freezers, burying the decaying food in the garden.
On my return I also found some degree of communiction had been restored, and as I had been away for more than a week, I qualified for a free telephone call home. In the early evening I went with a couple of colleagues to two supervised public phones, and after a couple of hours wait in the queue, was able to speak to Helen for a timed 2 minutes.
A total of 66 were killed by the immediate effect of Cyclone Tracy, with others dying later due to injuries sustained.
While rebuilding of Darwin was basically completed in 3 years, well ahead of schedule, many residents never returned to the Territory, but found a new life in the other states.
More than 35,000 had been evacuated; >25,000 by air [>16,000 by civilian aircraft and 10,000 by military] and >7,000 drove south by road.
In my last days before returning home, Governor-General Sir John Kerr visited the city and was also escorted through the BMF by senior staff, later issuing a very rare ‘Order of the Day’ commending ‘all members of the Defence Force for their instant response and willing participation in the Darwin relief operations.’
This recognition should have reached much further as made obvious in When Will The Birds Return?