On December 25, 1974, Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin with ferocious winds of up to 217 kilometers per hour, leaving the city and its community forever changed. Fifty years later, Darwin remembers the devastation and pays tribute to those who survived, including Navy sailor Sue Bigham, who faced the cyclone head-on.
During the early hours of Christmas Day, Bigham recollected her fear as she and her comrades braced for the storm. “I wonder who's going to be left alive after this?” she said, reflecting on the sheer power of the cyclone. With the city's nightlife vibrant only hours earlier, many residents were caught off guard by the severity of the storm.
Initially, Bigham had dismissed the cyclone warning as just another typical weather event—a common occurrence for those stationed at HMAS Coonawarra. She recalled thinking, “We’re going to have lots of wind and rain…and it’s going to be a horrible walk to the station.” It wasn’t until the storm hit with full force, smashing windows and uprooting trees, she understood this cyclone was unlike any before.
Woken up by urgent shouts of “evacuate, evacuate, evacuate,” she grabbed what she could before escaping her room. “When the window blew in, the roof was starting to lift as well,” she remembered, detailing how she narrowly avoided serious injury from flying glass.
With chaos ensuing, Bigham and others fled to the sick bay, avoiding debris and the terrifying howls of the wind outside. “Things were flying—cars, fridges; you just couldn’t comprehend what you were seeing,” she reflected. The group found temporary shelter, but not before Bigham had to use ingenuity to escape when the salted handles of the door combined with the rain made escape impossible.
What followed was the eerie silence of the cyclone's eye, during which they moved to what they hoped would be safer ground. When the winds picked up again, they packed themselves under tables, hoping to withstand the worst of the storm. Even then, the sound was deafening, marking the cyclone's ferocity.
When dawn finally broke on Christmas morning, the destruction was just beginning to sink in. “It was like you’d walked onto a moonscape devastation,” Bigham described the scene outside, as she and her fellow sailors geared up for their recovery roles. Their tasks were numerous: treating the injured, assisting with evacuations, and recovering bodies from the rubble. “I just can't believe there’s never been any recognition,” she lamented over the lack of medals or commendations for their efforts during the disaster.
The Royal Australian Navy’s operation became the largest peacetime disaster response, involving around 3,000 personnel and 13 ships and aircraft. Bigham recalled the long hours and grueling conditions: “We worked like dogs. I’ve never been so filthy.”
Yet the psychological toll lingered long after the physical destruction. Decades later, Sue experienced her first panic attack, linked to the trauma she suffered during the cyclone. “I can tell you, I feel pretty triggered if there’s a cyclone warning anywhere near me,” she explained, now working with specialists to cope.
Fifty years on, Bigham hopes for greater public comprehension of the trauma inflicted by Cyclone Tracy. “I’d like them to understand how incredibly traumatic it was for those who survived it,” she stated emphatically, calling for acknowledgment of the efforts made by the military and emergency services during and after the disaster.
The anniversary serves not only to memorialize those lost but also to honor the enduring spirit of survivors like Sue Bigham, whose experiences paint a vivid picture of resilience amid tragedy. “We were mobilized to provide support and assistance... And we did, and we were kids.”
