SANTA NEVER MADE IT INTO DARWIN

The huge waves that hit much of coastal Papua New Guinea last week, so close to Christmas, bear similarities to what happened to Darwin, Australia, from December 24-25 in 1974 when Cyclone Tracy came and blew the town away.

Those who were not around at that time can get a feel of what happened by listening to the lyrics of Santa Never Made It into Darwin, the famous song performed by duet Bill & Boyd.

The song, 34 years after that fateful day, remains hugely popular at this time of the year in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Spare a thought for our suffering and less-fortunate people this Christmas, and pray, that something like this does not happen.

Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974.

 It is the most compact hurricane or equivalent-strength tropical cyclone on record, with gale-force winds extending only 48 km from the centre.

Tracy killed 71 people, caused $837 million in damage (1974 AUD) and destroyed more than 70% of Darwin's buildings, including 80% of houses.

 Tracy left homeless more than 20,000 out of the 49,000 inhabitants of the city prior to landfall and required the evacuation of over 30,000 people.

 Most of Darwin's population was evacuated to Adelaide, Whyalla, Alice Springs and Sydney, and many never returned to the city.

After the storm passed, the city was rebuilt using more modern materials and updated building techniques.

Bruce Stannard of The Age stated that Cyclone Tracy was a "disaster of the first magnitude ... without parallel in Australia's history."

 

SANTA NEVER MADE IT INTO DARWIN

 

On Christmas Eve of seventy-four

The warning sounded out

For all the broadcast stations

A great storm was near about

 

The girls and boys asleep in bed

Tomorrow was the day

Their mums and dads all prayed

The mighty storm would turn away

 

Santa never made it into Darwin

Disaster struck at dawn on Christmas Day

Santa never made it into Darwin

A big wind came and blew the town away

 

Christmas morning was a nightmare

As Cyclone Tracy struck

It ripped apart the buildings

Like an atom bomb had struck

 

It twisted iron girders

And it flattened all the trees

The might of such a cyclone

Must be seen to be believed

 

Santa never made it into Darwin

Disaster struck at dawn on Christmas Day

Santa never made it into Darwin

A big wind came and blew the town away

 

Many boats put out to sea

Very few returned

Most were foundered on the rocks

Or in deep seas overturned

 

Australia was shocked and saddened

As the news came through

The devastated city

Must be built anew

 

That suffering and heartbreak

Could happen in this way

A natural disaster

Could come on Christmas Day

 

Santa never made it into Darwin

Disaster struck at dawn on Christmas Day

Santa never made it into Darwin

A big wind came and blew the town away

 

Santa never made it into Darwin

Disaster struck at dawn on Christmas Day

Santa never made it into Darwin

A big wind came and blew the town away

A big wind came and blew the town away