Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we continue our coverage to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary
of Cyclone Tracy, one of the country's most devastating natural disasters.
And my next guest was eight years old at the
time that Tracy struck and lived in Stuart Park and
I understand his father played a key role in the
aftermath of Tracy. Philip Edwards joins me on the line.
(00:23):
Good morning to you, Philip.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good morning, Katie. How are is today? Ye're really good.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Thanks so much for your time, Philip. That's what was
life like for you growing up in the seventies in Darwin, Ah.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It was great until the cyclone come through and we
had a we're actually having a small Christmas party the
night before and then we got told to go to
bed and then we got waken up before midnight and
to get in the hallway and grab the mattresses and
put down in the hallway. And we had about fifteen
people in our hallway and we tour and bedrooms exploded,
(00:58):
the roof came off. It's very terrifying, scary. I fell
asleep a couple of times. My mum wake me up
a couple of times. And when the roof came up,
we thought, I know that our house is going to
go and the bloke next door kept on coming home
(01:18):
and Dad told him to go home and stay there,
and that was Oh, it was very scary.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I bet it was. I mean eight years old, you know,
and you had people at your house as well. So
what had you had a bit of a party that
night before or the night off?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yes, we did. Yeah, we were having like a good
friends over, just having a probably pre Christmas drinks and
all that until the wind got a little bit stronger
and they all come upstairs.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
So yeah, so what's stayed with you from that night?
But I mean one of the things I've heard quite
regularly is that, you know, the advice was to sort
of hide or to shelter in the room, but to
have that mattress, and that's obviously something that you guys
did that night too.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Well. It kept us out of the water too, because
we wake up next morning and there was probably around
about three or four inches of water in the house
and that's why Dad had to get the hand drill
and grew holes and the floor just let the water out.
The mattress has kept us on top of the water.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Yeah, So Philip, were you guys in a double story
or in a ground level. It was a ground level
home by the sounds of USh.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
No, no, it was a house on stilts Corner, Westralia.
And Mary actually we lived next to the next door
to Toshi Marcellus. Actually, yeah, right, and so.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
How like talk me through how much damage there was,
you know, to the house. And a lot of people
know Toshi as well. You know what was it like
in your street there in Stuart Park.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Well, the house behind us, the leaves. He's actually Jimmy Lee,
he's actually very good amdlance officer. He lost everything, set
the toilet and they went running down the road to
another friend's house, the house across the road, the brick
house that only lost about four tiles off the roof.
(03:20):
But yeah, there was lots of rubbish all around the yard, trees, fallen,
power lines down. Oh yeah. And we all went to
Darwin High School after they calmed down a bit.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And I understand that your dad had had quite a
big role to play in the aftermath.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Talk me through that he did. He was in charge
of Darn High School, hanging out all the food and
helping people out. There was a big knob that came
up from down south and asked Dad, what do you want?
And Dad said blankets. He said blanket it's just too
hot and he said, no one of them, so people
(04:03):
can sit on them all to keep comfort. And he
said the second thing I wanted is do all of
glass leaned up around this high school. So they did that. Yeah.
He also organized the people to get on the.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Plane right, and that would like logistically that would have
been an incredibly difficult thing I would imagine to do.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yes, he was under a lot of stress. So yeah,
so when we left on the plane, we actually didn't
seem Dad until three four months later.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
That is incredible, you know, even hearing that yesterday when
we spoke to frieda broker, one of the other cyclone
Tracy survivors that we've spoken to, and and you know
she was separated from her daughter Brenda, and hearing the
incredible lengths of time that the kids like yourself spent
away from their parents, what said light for you.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Very upsetting now leaving your father behind. But we had
family down in Sydney who were detective, so we went
across the bridge and they flashed their badge and so
we got across for free. But then we went to
Canberra so for a couple of years and then come
(05:27):
back up here. But it was very scary. It was
very terrifying. Everybody found out where we're from and what
we went through, and they were all very sorry for
us and wanted to help us out and can we
get you anything or so.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Yeah, and then what was it like when you came
back to Darwin?
Speaker 2 (05:50):
It was a lot better. It was probably seventy five.
We come back here and it was a lot cleaner,
and the houses have been sort of or rebuilt, scept
a few. But yeah, it was just it was amazing, actually.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I mean it must have been like it must have
been a very strange kind of feeling as well after
you know, when you'd left or when you've been evacuated
in the town, you know, being decimated, and then I
suppose to see it when you got back after it,
you know, some of it, I guess, being well, I
don't know was it really like how like, what what
did it look like? Was some of it rebuilt or
(06:30):
what kind of state was the place in?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Well, it's sort of rebuilt. All the houses were fairly
quickly building houses and so people can get their accommodation
back when we were down south. Actually they were showing
the film on cycland tracing, but they wouldn't let us
see it. So when I got back to Darwin, I
(06:56):
wanted to see the film so I can get a
bit of closure. Yeah, even now talking about it, I
get emotional.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
So oh mate, And you know, I like I every
time I speak to a cyclone tracy survivor, I just think,
I can't even begin to imagine what it was like now.
And you can't even you know, even you saying that
you had friends over on Christmas Eve. You know I
do that every Christmas Eve and I think to myself,
(07:23):
imagine then all being bunkered down in the house. Yeah,
not knowing well, not knowing what your face is going
to be on that night. It must have just been
an incredibly frightening thing to live through.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
I was, it was, you know, when the I came over.
But we always thought we all thought, oh, it's finished,
and then Dad said, no, it's not finished. It's the eye.
So don't move, stay sitting or stay laying down or
whether you're where wherever you are. When our friends were
(08:00):
sitting down into the hallway where the two in bedrooms exploded,
my father about five minutes beforehand, said you'd better move
away from that wall. As soon as the friends moved
away from that, a little bit of wall big four
before piece would come down where they was sitting. So
I think that Dad had a bit of I don't
(08:22):
know since third sense sort of thing, but he's always
had it.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Yeah, I knew that there was I knew it was
danger danger. Ye may tell me how are you feeling
as the fiftieth anniversary approaches?
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Oh? Yeah, bit emotional still, but I don't know. I'll
be working so I can't go to it. But yeah,
I reckon I to be a lot of stories told
a lot of people getting back together again that haven't
(08:58):
seen each other for years. Are we going to be great?
But you know, I reckon they should move that big
metal twisted medal from Casu in a high school into town.
That's part of Cyclone Tracy. That's what they're making now
is not part of Cyclone Tracy.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
So yeah, people still are very passionate about about the
the artwork or whatever you want to call it there
at Bundilla, And yeah, I don't know, I don't know
whether they felt like whether people have felt any differently,
particularly survivors since it's been sort of put up or unveiled.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yep, I don't know. I don't know. It's got me.
I haven't really had a proper look at it, but
I've seen it on photos on Facebook and all that,
but and a few other places. But yeah, I go
to Cajuria in high school and see that twisted metal
and then I got that cyclone. Yeah, yep, I've been
(09:56):
through eight through eight cyclones now and on here, so
you don't have another one?
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yeah? Do you still when when you know that a
cyclone is you know, is coming, do you like does
it take you back to Tracy? And do you feel
like a level of anxiety that you know that that
those of us that haven't lived through cyclone Tracy probably
can't even imagine.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, it does bring in a bit of anxiety. I
love one of the one of them. I think I
went to one of the government buildings in town to
be safe there and then cut the rest of the others
stayed home. But it's just you think, is the house
(10:44):
going to go or not? Is this going to be
strong enough to lift the house.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Or yea, yeah it is a it's yeah, it's it's
one of those things too that it makes me sort
of think after speaking to yourself, speaking to Cyclone Tracy survivors,
you go, we always talk about being prepared, and you
talk about that level of preparation, but it makes you
realize just sort of how important it is and how
(11:10):
utterly frightening it will be if something like that hits again.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
No, it would be very frightening. But I think a
lot of people now will have a lot of sense
to move to the government buildings where they're stronger, or
go somewhere where it is stronger. Yeah, so they're sitting
in their houses all the time.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah, I reckon. You're right well, Philip, I really appreciate
you having a chat to me this morning. I know
it's not an easy thing for our Cyclone Tracy survivors
to do, but I just think it's really important for everybody,
not only around the Northern Territory but for all of
Australia to really sit and reflect on this fiftieth anniversary.
So mate, thank you so much for your time today.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
My pleasure ring uncles stand milche.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
How Betty will I Betty will Oh, Philip, thank you
so much, mate, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
My pleasure, Beattie. I hope you have a good Christmas
and law your listeners.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yeah, you too, have a lovely Christmas and we'll talk
to you again soon.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Okay, Katie babe, good on you, see you, Philip,
Now we continue our coverage to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary
of Cyclone Tracy, one of the country's most devastating natural disasters.
And my next guest was eight years old at the
time that Tracy struck and lived in Stuart Park and
I understand his father played a key role in the
aftermath of Tracy. Philip Edwards joins me on the line.
(00:23):
Good morning to you, Philip.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good morning, Katie. How are is today? Ye're really good.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Thanks so much for your time, Philip. That's what was
life like for you growing up in the seventies in Darwin, Ah.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It was great until the cyclone come through and we
had a we're actually having a small Christmas party the
night before and then we got told to go to
bed and then we got waken up before midnight and
to get in the hallway and grab the mattresses and
put down in the hallway. And we had about fifteen
people in our hallway and we tour and bedrooms exploded,
(00:58):
the roof came off. It's very terrifying, scary. I fell
asleep a couple of times. My mum wake me up
a couple of times. And when the roof came up,
we thought, I know that our house is going to
go and the bloke next door kept on coming home
(01:18):
and Dad told him to go home and stay there,
and that was Oh, it was very scary.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I bet it was. I mean eight years old, you know,
and you had people at your house as well. So
what had you had a bit of a party that
night before or the night off?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yes, we did. Yeah, we were having like a good
friends over, just having a probably pre Christmas drinks and
all that until the wind got a little bit stronger
and they all come upstairs.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
So yeah, so what's stayed with you from that night?
But I mean one of the things I've heard quite
regularly is that, you know, the advice was to sort
of hide or to shelter in the room, but to
have that mattress, and that's obviously something that you guys
did that night too.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Well. It kept us out of the water too, because
we wake up next morning and there was probably around
about three or four inches of water in the house
and that's why Dad had to get the hand drill
and grew holes and the floor just let the water out.
The mattress has kept us on top of the water.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Yeah, So Philip, were you guys in a double story
or in a ground level. It was a ground level
home by the sounds of USh.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
No, no, it was a house on stilts Corner, Westralia.
And Mary actually we lived next to the next door
to Toshi Marcellus. Actually, yeah, right, and so.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
How like talk me through how much damage there was,
you know, to the house. And a lot of people
know Toshi as well. You know what was it like
in your street there in Stuart Park.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Well, the house behind us, the leaves. He's actually Jimmy Lee,
he's actually very good amdlance officer. He lost everything, set
the toilet and they went running down the road to
another friend's house, the house across the road, the brick
house that only lost about four tiles off the roof.
(03:20):
But yeah, there was lots of rubbish all around the yard, trees, fallen,
power lines down. Oh yeah. And we all went to
Darwin High School after they calmed down a bit.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And I understand that your dad had had quite a
big role to play in the aftermath.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Talk me through that he did. He was in charge
of Darn High School, hanging out all the food and
helping people out. There was a big knob that came
up from down south and asked Dad, what do you want?
And Dad said blankets. He said blanket it's just too
hot and he said, no one of them, so people
(04:03):
can sit on them all to keep comfort. And he
said the second thing I wanted is do all of
glass leaned up around this high school. So they did that. Yeah.
He also organized the people to get on the.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Plane right, and that would like logistically that would have
been an incredibly difficult thing I would imagine to do.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yes, he was under a lot of stress. So yeah,
so when we left on the plane, we actually didn't
seem Dad until three four months later.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
That is incredible, you know, even hearing that yesterday when
we spoke to frieda broker, one of the other cyclone
Tracy survivors that we've spoken to, and and you know
she was separated from her daughter Brenda, and hearing the
incredible lengths of time that the kids like yourself spent
away from their parents, what said light for you.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Very upsetting now leaving your father behind. But we had
family down in Sydney who were detective, so we went
across the bridge and they flashed their badge and so
we got across for free. But then we went to
Canberra so for a couple of years and then come
(05:27):
back up here. But it was very scary. It was
very terrifying. Everybody found out where we're from and what
we went through, and they were all very sorry for
us and wanted to help us out and can we
get you anything or so.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Yeah, and then what was it like when you came
back to Darwin?
Speaker 2 (05:50):
It was a lot better. It was probably seventy five.
We come back here and it was a lot cleaner,
and the houses have been sort of or rebuilt, scept
a few. But yeah, it was just it was amazing, actually.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I mean it must have been like it must have
been a very strange kind of feeling as well after
you know, when you'd left or when you've been evacuated
in the town, you know, being decimated, and then I
suppose to see it when you got back after it,
you know, some of it, I guess, being well, I
don't know was it really like how like, what what
did it look like? Was some of it rebuilt or
(06:30):
what kind of state was the place in?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Well, it's sort of rebuilt. All the houses were fairly
quickly building houses and so people can get their accommodation
back when we were down south. Actually they were showing
the film on cycland tracing, but they wouldn't let us
see it. So when I got back to Darwin, I
(06:56):
wanted to see the film so I can get a
bit of closure. Yeah, even now talking about it, I
get emotional.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
So oh mate, And you know, I like I every
time I speak to a cyclone tracy survivor, I just think,
I can't even begin to imagine what it was like now.
And you can't even you know, even you saying that
you had friends over on Christmas Eve. You know I
do that every Christmas Eve and I think to myself,
(07:23):
imagine then all being bunkered down in the house. Yeah,
not knowing well, not knowing what your face is going
to be on that night. It must have just been
an incredibly frightening thing to live through.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
I was, it was, you know, when the I came over.
But we always thought we all thought, oh, it's finished,
and then Dad said, no, it's not finished. It's the eye.
So don't move, stay sitting or stay laying down or
whether you're where wherever you are. When our friends were
(08:00):
sitting down into the hallway where the two in bedrooms exploded,
my father about five minutes beforehand, said you'd better move
away from that wall. As soon as the friends moved
away from that, a little bit of wall big four
before piece would come down where they was sitting. So
I think that Dad had a bit of I don't
(08:22):
know since third sense sort of thing, but he's always
had it.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Yeah, I knew that there was I knew it was
danger danger. Ye may tell me how are you feeling
as the fiftieth anniversary approaches?
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Oh? Yeah, bit emotional still, but I don't know. I'll
be working so I can't go to it. But yeah,
I reckon I to be a lot of stories told
a lot of people getting back together again that haven't
(08:58):
seen each other for years. Are we going to be great?
But you know, I reckon they should move that big
metal twisted medal from Casu in a high school into town.
That's part of Cyclone Tracy. That's what they're making now
is not part of Cyclone Tracy.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
So yeah, people still are very passionate about about the
the artwork or whatever you want to call it there
at Bundilla, And yeah, I don't know, I don't know
whether they felt like whether people have felt any differently,
particularly survivors since it's been sort of put up or unveiled.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yep, I don't know. I don't know. It's got me.
I haven't really had a proper look at it, but
I've seen it on photos on Facebook and all that,
but and a few other places. But yeah, I go
to Cajuria in high school and see that twisted metal
and then I got that cyclone. Yeah, yep, I've been
(09:56):
through eight through eight cyclones now and on here, so
you don't have another one?
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yeah? Do you still when when you know that a
cyclone is you know, is coming, do you like does
it take you back to Tracy? And do you feel
like a level of anxiety that you know that that
those of us that haven't lived through cyclone Tracy probably
can't even imagine.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, it does bring in a bit of anxiety. I
love one of the one of them. I think I
went to one of the government buildings in town to
be safe there and then cut the rest of the others
stayed home. But it's just you think, is the house
(10:44):
going to go or not? Is this going to be
strong enough to lift the house.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Or yea, yeah it is a it's yeah, it's it's
one of those things too that it makes me sort
of think after speaking to yourself, speaking to Cyclone Tracy survivors,
you go, we always talk about being prepared, and you
talk about that level of preparation, but it makes you
realize just sort of how important it is and how
(11:10):
utterly frightening it will be if something like that hits again.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
No, it would be very frightening. But I think a
lot of people now will have a lot of sense
to move to the government buildings where they're stronger, or
go somewhere where it is stronger. Yeah, so they're sitting
in their houses all the time.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah, I reckon. You're right well, Philip, I really appreciate
you having a chat to me this morning. I know
it's not an easy thing for our Cyclone Tracy survivors
to do, but I just think it's really important for everybody,
not only around the Northern Territory but for all of
Australia to really sit and reflect on this fiftieth anniversary.
So mate, thank you so much for your time today.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
My pleasure ring uncles stand milche.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
How Betty will I Betty will Oh, Philip, thank you
so much, mate, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
My pleasure, Beattie. I hope you have a good Christmas
and law your listeners.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yeah, you too, have a lovely Christmas and we'll talk
to you again soon.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Okay, Katie babe, good on you, see you, Philip,
Popular Podcasts
40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.