Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This year, 24 December marks 40 years since Australia's single biggest natural disaster, Cyclone Tracy, devastated Darwin in my electorate of Solomon. Today is the official start of a wide-ranging calendar of events, including a church service, a photographic exhibition, a reunion event and the screening of a new ABC documentary called Blown Away. On December 5, Darwin's Christmas tree lights will be switched on to honour Tracy's victims and on Christmas Eve they will be dimmed in memoriam. Other community events include a fish and chips night at Nightcliff on December 22, a get together at East Point on Christmas Eve, a commemorative service hosted by the Salvation Army and a survival breakfast to be held on Christmas Day.

Cyclone Tracy changed Darwin forever, killing 71 people and destroying 70 per cent of Darwin's buildings, including 80 per cent of Darwin residential homes, leaving 41,000 of the 47,000 people living in Darwin at the time homeless. While many lives were lost and spirits were broken, Darwin emerged through the rubble and today exists as a modern metropolis and, if I may say so, is leading the way in developing northern Australia. Darwin is like the phoenix, rising from the ashes, becoming bigger and better and more beautiful.