June 14, 2026 • 10 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We know that Cyclone Tracy survivors are raising concerns about
the condition of Darwin's official Cyclone Tracy Memorial, saying that
the site's been neglected and that it lacks basic maintenance. Now,
some survivors say that they have offered to help to
improve the grounds themselves, but are reluctant to do so
over concerns about potential repercussions. Now joining us on the
(00:23):
show this morning, we have got well two Cyclone Tracy survivors.
Anita What, good morning to you, Good morning, Katie, and
we've got Anthony Bullock, good morning to you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good morning, Good morning listeners.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Lovely to have you.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Both in the studio because we all spoke a lot
before the Cyclone Tracy commemorations and importantly so right, you know,
and one of the things that we've discussed was indeed
making sure that there was this Cyclone Tracy memorial.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Now it's there, it's right at the tip of East Point,
but not being maintained in the way that that you
hope and expect. Talk us through your concerns.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Well, I know that it was recently mode now, but
that's probably because we have concerns have been raised, which
is a bit sad. Concerns are that one of the
things that was agreed upon with the handover was that
the site would be maintained and beautified with landscaping. A
(01:25):
couple of things that we asked for was to have
bins in place, because when I was living nearby there,
I used to always take a gar bag with me
every time and collect up the rubbish issh and have
to do that. It was also made mention at one
point that there might be a public toilet built a
bit further on between there and close to the other
side of the to when you're looking at the memorial
(01:47):
to the left of that. None of that's happened, and
it's such a stark contrast when you drive past Onondilla,
which is absolutely pristine. They've got CCTV there, they've got
solar lighting for nighttime, there's Wi Fi. The landscaping is amazing.
(02:09):
We're not asking for all of that. Some lighting would
be good because it is a bit out of the way. Yep,
a bin, maybe a bit of landscaping, but just make
it keep it have some respect.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Can I add to that list. I'd like to see
a sign because I run around there all the time,
and I actually don't think that people really know where
it is. If you're not familiar with the area, if
there's not a big sign, you know, that sort of
that tells people where to go, you're not sure whether
you go in the right direction.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Yeah, we get asked all the time, and I totally
agree with you. That was one of the things we
also suggested might be a good idea.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
I think it's important to recognize this is probably one
of Australia's largest natural disasters nationally. It's a vitally important
place for a lot of people and it needs that
deserves that respect where people can go there reflect there
should be at least some nice lawns around the area seating. Also,
(03:06):
you know, the next generations are going to want to
visit that site and you know you'll take excursions of
children there. They'll learn a lot from that place. It's
got a lot of information there and no doubt that'll
encourage them to go and learn a little bit more
about it. But right now it doesn't represent anything I
would consider anything close to a memorial of national significance.
Sixty six people died, you know, thousands injured, as many
(03:29):
people displaced and almost ninety percent of Darwin gone. I mean,
Darwin is today because of the people that stayed on
and rebuilt this place. And I think it deserves that, Anthony.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
I think you're spot on. And you know, I run
around that area all the time. Like sometimes I run
past that spot a few times in one morning if
I'm gone for a big long run, and you spot
on it does not look like a memorial of national significance.
It's a beautiful memorial and I quite often will stop
there and you know, just have a moment, because I
(04:01):
think it's a really important place to stop and have
a moment. But it's you know, it's not maintained in
the same way that the area at Bundilla is. And
that's no disrespect to the contract, is there anything like that,
But the garden around it, and you know, the way
that it looks around it is just not even close
to the way that Bundilla has been done up.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
That's right, Yeah, And you know it's whether you like
or not, I think you've had You've done really brought
this to the light. You know how popular that location
is to survivors. Bundla Beach hasn't resonated with us as
you probably know.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
That.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Being said, you know, the people have spoken, We've got
this place out there, and I think it's it wouldn't
be a lot of money to spend, and it would
be an attraction too as well. It's it's part of
our history. Aside from the bombing of Darwin. It's probably
the second biggest ye Were disaster, but that's what it was.
But it's it deserves that attention.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
What would you like to see there in an ideal world?
What do you think should happen personally?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I'd just like to see For me, I would like
to see sort of manicured lawns. When I say that,
I don't mean look bowling green lawns or in that.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
But stood around there.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
It's just simply access for people. For older people, it's
hard to get there. There's some of us in wheelchairs,
some lighting, some seating, maybe more signage. As you say,
I see very very little if as I need to mentioned,
people come to die and want to see it. Survivors
want to come up. You know, they're all around the
world now and they come back to visit and they
(05:35):
often feel they've been badly let down. It's now in
the hands of the council. I think they owe us
to the community to bring that up to a standard
that would be be proud of be recognized, because that's
what it is. It's a major, major memorial for a
major occasion.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So Aneda, what what do survivors say to you as well?
Speaker 3 (05:58):
You know, so disappointed that it is in the state
that it's in, as in the surrounds around it. There
have been people, as Anthony mentioned, like we see often
in our Cyclone Tracy Survivors group that people have come
up to down for a holiday or people have and
people have brought taken people out there to have a
(06:20):
look at it and just been so disappointed in the state.
And that's actually what got me because I've moved house
recently out to cross the barri my line, Yeah, and
so I hadn't been there as frequently as before, and
so I thought, you know what, I'm going to go
and investigate this because this is important. And sure enough
they were right. It was. It was horrible, you know,
like it was. And I guess the thing here is
(06:45):
it's not just about the respect like Anthony's talking about,
but it's kind of the principle of the matter, because
that was what was actually said that was going to
be done, and it hasn't. And I can't help feeling
a bit of that is sour grapes because we there
was such a lot of fear or over what was
happening at the time.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Yeah, but you know what, rightly so like you guys,
you're the survivors, you actually deserve to have your voices
heard in terms of what you wanted when it came
to a memorial. And you know, we've got this beautiful
memorial there, We've got those beautiful frien japanees. But you
spot on in recent weeks the grass around there has
been really really long. You know, you sort of look
at it and think, surely we can do a bit better.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yes, it's been completely neglected. And I can't think of
one comment. I mean, on the cycling Tracy Survivors past
eight and a half thousand people, and I think one
of the most common things is that they just say,
that's so disrespectful to have a play.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
That's the key word, isn't it disrespectful? And that's what
people are feeling. Feeling disrespected. You're feeling like we don't matter,
like we don't count. And on the car in the
car on the way here. I said to Anthony, you know,
because he said, it's like they've just totally ignored us
because we don't count. And I said, you know what,
no response is a response, because their lack of response
(08:01):
is telling us that they don't give a damn Well,
do you know what?
Speaker 1 (08:04):
We're listening And I know that all of our listeners
will be as well, and I know that they'll feel
the same. Cyclone Tracy is a huge part of the
Northern Territory's history. I mean, it's giving me goosebumps just
thinking about it. Yeah, it's a huge part of our
history and what makes us the tough, resilient place that
we are today.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Absolutely absolutely, So let's.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Get it right, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I agree.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Let's just still go to maintenance around there. No, it's
not you're not asking for a million dollars worth of
bloody maintenance or anything like you said.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
People did ask, you know, like let's have a working
beer then, And I have said, look, that's great. I
love your idea. It's a fantastic idea, and we'll dig
up the plant plants and stuff like that, and I
love that idea. But the thing is is that we
actually run the risk of being overstepping the boundaries because
(08:55):
it is actually their land. And it is also we
have to be mindful about what plants we might because
it's actually a what's the word.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
It's a nature reserve, thank you.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
So you can't just pant anything willy nilly, and you know,
so there's a lot of things to be considered.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Would you both be prepared to sit down with the council,
to sit down with the mayor, to sit down with
whoever you need to.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
To try and one hundred percent that would be a
fantastic We've reached out several times. We've reached we have
reached out formally, yeah, asking.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I've actually I actually contacted all of the counselors whose
ward that fits in. I heard back from two radio
silence from the other one pardon the punt, radio silence
on this station, and they said that they would look
into it. And that was about three or four weeks
ago now and I haven't heard anything back since.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Well, let's stay on to this. So I actually feel
like I feel like we can come to, you know,
a good agreement here. I think that surely everybody wants
the best possible outcome. Absolutely it's our memorial, it's it's
the survivor's memorial.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I want to be able to take the kids there.
You want to be able to educate the other generations
about what this beautiful city has been through.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
And I don't want to keep going on about having
to deal with this stuff. I want it to be done.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
We'll get there, we'll get there.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I believe your world. So hey, so good to catch
up with you by Thanks so much. Please yeah, anytime,
and please keep us in the loop. Let us know
whether you do. Hear back from council and we're more
than happy to have you back on for an update.
Thank you, Thank you both so much.
We know that Cyclone Tracy survivors are raising concerns about
the condition of Darwin's official Cyclone Tracy Memorial, saying that
the site's been neglected and that it lacks basic maintenance. Now,
some survivors say that they have offered to help to
improve the grounds themselves, but are reluctant to do so
over concerns about potential repercussions. Now joining us on the
(00:23):
show this morning, we have got well two Cyclone Tracy survivors.
Anita What, good morning to you, Good morning, Katie, and
we've got Anthony Bullock, good morning to you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good morning, Good morning listeners.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Lovely to have you.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Both in the studio because we all spoke a lot
before the Cyclone Tracy commemorations and importantly so right, you know,
and one of the things that we've discussed was indeed
making sure that there was this Cyclone Tracy memorial.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Now it's there, it's right at the tip of East Point,
but not being maintained in the way that that you
hope and expect. Talk us through your concerns.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Well, I know that it was recently mode now, but
that's probably because we have concerns have been raised, which
is a bit sad. Concerns are that one of the
things that was agreed upon with the handover was that
the site would be maintained and beautified with landscaping. A
(01:25):
couple of things that we asked for was to have
bins in place, because when I was living nearby there,
I used to always take a gar bag with me
every time and collect up the rubbish issh and have
to do that. It was also made mention at one
point that there might be a public toilet built a
bit further on between there and close to the other
side of the to when you're looking at the memorial
(01:47):
to the left of that. None of that's happened, and
it's such a stark contrast when you drive past Onondilla,
which is absolutely pristine. They've got CCTV there, they've got
solar lighting for nighttime, there's Wi Fi. The landscaping is amazing.
(02:09):
We're not asking for all of that. Some lighting would
be good because it is a bit out of the way. Yep,
a bin, maybe a bit of landscaping, but just make
it keep it have some respect.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Can I add to that list. I'd like to see
a sign because I run around there all the time,
and I actually don't think that people really know where
it is. If you're not familiar with the area, if
there's not a big sign, you know, that sort of
that tells people where to go, you're not sure whether
you go in the right direction.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Yeah, we get asked all the time, and I totally
agree with you. That was one of the things we
also suggested might be a good idea.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
I think it's important to recognize this is probably one
of Australia's largest natural disasters nationally. It's a vitally important
place for a lot of people and it needs that
deserves that respect where people can go there reflect there
should be at least some nice lawns around the area seating. Also,
(03:06):
you know, the next generations are going to want to
visit that site and you know you'll take excursions of
children there. They'll learn a lot from that place. It's
got a lot of information there and no doubt that'll
encourage them to go and learn a little bit more
about it. But right now it doesn't represent anything I
would consider anything close to a memorial of national significance.
Sixty six people died, you know, thousands injured, as many
(03:29):
people displaced and almost ninety percent of Darwin gone. I mean,
Darwin is today because of the people that stayed on
and rebuilt this place. And I think it deserves that, Anthony.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
I think you're spot on. And you know, I run
around that area all the time. Like sometimes I run
past that spot a few times in one morning if
I'm gone for a big long run, and you spot
on it does not look like a memorial of national significance.
It's a beautiful memorial and I quite often will stop
there and you know, just have a moment, because I
(04:01):
think it's a really important place to stop and have
a moment. But it's you know, it's not maintained in
the same way that the area at Bundilla is. And
that's no disrespect to the contract, is there anything like that,
But the garden around it, and you know, the way
that it looks around it is just not even close
to the way that Bundilla has been done up.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
That's right, Yeah, And you know it's whether you like
or not, I think you've had You've done really brought
this to the light. You know how popular that location
is to survivors. Bundla Beach hasn't resonated with us as
you probably know.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
That.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Being said, you know, the people have spoken, We've got
this place out there, and I think it's it wouldn't
be a lot of money to spend, and it would
be an attraction too as well. It's it's part of
our history. Aside from the bombing of Darwin. It's probably
the second biggest ye Were disaster, but that's what it was.
But it's it deserves that attention.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
What would you like to see there in an ideal world?
What do you think should happen personally?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I'd just like to see For me, I would like
to see sort of manicured lawns. When I say that,
I don't mean look bowling green lawns or in that.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
But stood around there.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
It's just simply access for people. For older people, it's
hard to get there. There's some of us in wheelchairs,
some lighting, some seating, maybe more signage. As you say,
I see very very little if as I need to mentioned,
people come to die and want to see it. Survivors
want to come up. You know, they're all around the
world now and they come back to visit and they
(05:35):
often feel they've been badly let down. It's now in
the hands of the council. I think they owe us
to the community to bring that up to a standard
that would be be proud of be recognized, because that's
what it is. It's a major, major memorial for a
major occasion.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So Aneda, what what do survivors say to you as well?
Speaker 3 (05:58):
You know, so disappointed that it is in the state
that it's in, as in the surrounds around it. There
have been people, as Anthony mentioned, like we see often
in our Cyclone Tracy Survivors group that people have come
up to down for a holiday or people have and
people have brought taken people out there to have a
(06:20):
look at it and just been so disappointed in the state.
And that's actually what got me because I've moved house
recently out to cross the barri my line, Yeah, and
so I hadn't been there as frequently as before, and
so I thought, you know what, I'm going to go
and investigate this because this is important. And sure enough
they were right. It was. It was horrible, you know,
like it was. And I guess the thing here is
(06:45):
it's not just about the respect like Anthony's talking about,
but it's kind of the principle of the matter, because
that was what was actually said that was going to
be done, and it hasn't. And I can't help feeling
a bit of that is sour grapes because we there
was such a lot of fear or over what was
happening at the time.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Yeah, but you know what, rightly so like you guys,
you're the survivors, you actually deserve to have your voices
heard in terms of what you wanted when it came
to a memorial. And you know, we've got this beautiful
memorial there, We've got those beautiful frien japanees. But you
spot on in recent weeks the grass around there has
been really really long. You know, you sort of look
at it and think, surely we can do a bit better.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yes, it's been completely neglected. And I can't think of
one comment. I mean, on the cycling Tracy Survivors past
eight and a half thousand people, and I think one
of the most common things is that they just say,
that's so disrespectful to have a play.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
That's the key word, isn't it disrespectful? And that's what
people are feeling. Feeling disrespected. You're feeling like we don't matter,
like we don't count. And on the car in the
car on the way here. I said to Anthony, you know,
because he said, it's like they've just totally ignored us
because we don't count. And I said, you know what,
no response is a response, because their lack of response
(08:01):
is telling us that they don't give a damn Well,
do you know what?
Speaker 1 (08:04):
We're listening And I know that all of our listeners
will be as well, and I know that they'll feel
the same. Cyclone Tracy is a huge part of the
Northern Territory's history. I mean, it's giving me goosebumps just
thinking about it. Yeah, it's a huge part of our
history and what makes us the tough, resilient place that
we are today.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Absolutely absolutely, So let's.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Get it right, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I agree.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Let's just still go to maintenance around there. No, it's
not you're not asking for a million dollars worth of
bloody maintenance or anything like you said.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
People did ask, you know, like let's have a working
beer then, And I have said, look, that's great. I
love your idea. It's a fantastic idea, and we'll dig
up the plant plants and stuff like that, and I
love that idea. But the thing is is that we
actually run the risk of being overstepping the boundaries because
(08:55):
it is actually their land. And it is also we
have to be mindful about what plants we might because
it's actually a what's the word.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
It's a nature reserve, thank you.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
So you can't just pant anything willy nilly, and you know,
so there's a lot of things to be considered.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Would you both be prepared to sit down with the council,
to sit down with the mayor, to sit down with
whoever you need to.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
To try and one hundred percent that would be a
fantastic We've reached out several times. We've reached we have
reached out formally, yeah, asking.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I've actually I actually contacted all of the counselors whose
ward that fits in. I heard back from two radio
silence from the other one pardon the punt, radio silence
on this station, and they said that they would look
into it. And that was about three or four weeks
ago now and I haven't heard anything back since.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Well, let's stay on to this. So I actually feel
like I feel like we can come to, you know,
a good agreement here. I think that surely everybody wants
the best possible outcome. Absolutely it's our memorial, it's it's
the survivor's memorial.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I want to be able to take the kids there.
You want to be able to educate the other generations
about what this beautiful city has been through.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
And I don't want to keep going on about having
to deal with this stuff. I want it to be done.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
We'll get there, we'll get there.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I believe your world. So hey, so good to catch
up with you by Thanks so much. Please yeah, anytime,
and please keep us in the loop. Let us know
whether you do. Hear back from council and we're more
than happy to have you back on for an update.
Thank you, Thank you both so much.
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