1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,920
Speaker 1: Now, you recall towards the end of last year we

2
00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:08,640
Speaker 1: spoke a lot about the Cyclone Tracy Memorial, and today

3
00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:11,280
Speaker 1: the Remembering Cyclone Tracy Committee is going to carry out

4
00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:16,240
Speaker 1: its final duty, officially handing over ownership of their memorial

5
00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:20,200
Speaker 1: at East Point to the new Lord Mayor. Now committee

6
00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,520
Speaker 1: chair Richard Creswick joins me on the line. Good morning

7
00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:23,759
Speaker 1: to you.

8
00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,200
Speaker 2: Richard's good morning, Katie. Good to talk to you again.

9
00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,760
Speaker 1: Ye're lovely to have you on the show. Now, Richard

10
00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,360
Speaker 1: remind us, to those who maybe aren't familiar, what does

11
00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,360
Speaker 1: that memorial entail? And you know, to those who haven't

12
00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,080
Speaker 1: been and seen it, what's it look like?

13
00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:48,320
Speaker 2: Well, Katie, it comprises five sculptural objects in the shape

14
00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,800
Speaker 2: of Frienderpanny flowers. Three of them have got plaques on them,

15
00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,240
Speaker 2: some that tell the story of Cyclone Tracy with maps,

16
00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:02,680
Speaker 2: one that has the about how the memorial came about,

17
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,440
Speaker 2: and the third one has individual plaques for those who

18
00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:12,240
Speaker 2: died in Cyclone Tracy at sea and on land. And then,

19
00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,440
Speaker 2: of course there is a beautiful sculptural element called what

20
00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,160
Speaker 2: we call the shelter, which tends to get overlooked in

21
00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,280
Speaker 2: terms of discussion about the memorial, but is an interesting

22
00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:29,119
Speaker 2: and integral part of it, and I think is an

23
00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,640
Speaker 2: engineering marble, considering was built entirely locally.

24
00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:38,080
Speaker 1: And tell me what's been the feedback from the community since,

25
00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,840
Speaker 1: you know, since before Christmas, before the anniversary. What's it

26
00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,800
Speaker 1: been like, Richard, over recent months, what have people said

27
00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,480
Speaker 1: to you as this memorial has gone in and they've

28
00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,040
Speaker 1: been out there and they've seen us.

29
00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,800
Speaker 2: Well, Katie, I was sorry that you went off air

30
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,280
Speaker 2: a week before Christmas because I rang to tell you

31
00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:04,080
Speaker 2: that the Governor General had had expressed a desire to

32
00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,880
Speaker 2: be at the unveiling, and so on Christmas morning at

33
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,440
Speaker 2: dawn in the drizzle, I mean, very evocative of nineteen

34
00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:16,000
Speaker 2: seventy four. In fact, about twelve hundred people turned up

35
00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:20,440
Speaker 2: at the site for the unveiling by the Governor General,

36
00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:25,600
Speaker 2: Sam Mostyn, the Prime Minister Albanezi, the Chief or the

37
00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:32,920
Speaker 2: Acting Administrator, Judge Elizabeth Morris, Chief Minister Leafanocchiaro, and the

38
00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:39,040
Speaker 2: Opposition leader Selena Wbo. So it was just absolutely mind blowing.

39
00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:47,440
Speaker 2: And everybody since who has seen the memorial has been

40
00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:55,079
Speaker 2: either enthusiastic or overwhelmed. In many cases people have actually

41
00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,919
Speaker 2: cried because it's because it's been so long in the waiting.

42
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,799
Speaker 1: Really, I go running around there very often, and Richard,

43
00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:06,160
Speaker 1: I always see people stop there and if they don't

44
00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,400
Speaker 1: know exactly what it is, they're they're reading, they're learning

45
00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,400
Speaker 1: more about Cyclone Tracy in the way in which it

46
00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,680
Speaker 1: impacted our community, and you know, I think it's a

47
00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,240
Speaker 1: really good thing for people to have that spot to

48
00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:21,200
Speaker 1: be able to go to. And like I said, I

49
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:22,800
Speaker 1: see people there very often.

50
00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,280
Speaker 2: Well, I've been out there many times since as you

51
00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:31,399
Speaker 2: can imagine, the most recent project, of course, has been

52
00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:37,440
Speaker 2: putting in the paths to facilitate the access for the

53
00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,480
Speaker 2: mobility impaired, and we're really pleased with them. I think

54
00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:48,240
Speaker 2: Carlos and Nick from C and Conquering did a fantastic

55
00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:52,120
Speaker 2: job because there's an interesting land formation, you know, as

56
00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:56,880
Speaker 2: a slope, and the paths were tricky, and I think

57
00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:03,560
Speaker 2: they look terrific and they just complete the the I

58
00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,119
Speaker 2: don't know how you call it, the completeness of the

59
00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:07,480
Speaker 2: entire area anyway.

60
00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, Hey, so I understand that today is the official

61
00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,880
Speaker 1: handing over to the new lord there. So what does

62
00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:17,200
Speaker 1: this process entail?

63
00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,960
Speaker 2: Oh, look, it's a very simple ceremony. And it's it

64
00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:28,120
Speaker 2: really is just us, the Remembering Cyclone Tracy Committee saying, Okay,

65
00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,480
Speaker 2: we've done our job. We've given the people of Darwin

66
00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:36,960
Speaker 2: and the visitors and everybody else. We've given them the

67
00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,720
Speaker 2: memorial that they said they wanted in the Cyclone Tracy

68
00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:45,400
Speaker 2: Survivor's Facebook page. We've given given them that. Now it's

69
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,880
Speaker 2: time for us to bow out. We were all very tired,

70
00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:54,839
Speaker 2: and so the Council will now take over responsibility. They've

71
00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,240
Speaker 2: for its routine maintenance, not that there will be much

72
00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:05,080
Speaker 2: and and so it's just a very simple I'll make

73
00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:10,680
Speaker 2: a little speech and give the Lord Mayor a document

74
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:15,680
Speaker 2: that says that tells the story of the memorial. No

75
00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:18,840
Speaker 2: big deal. No, we don't have any money left, so

76
00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,719
Speaker 2: we can't cater or anything like that. But we are

77
00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,040
Speaker 2: saying if people want to come down and just take

78
00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:31,440
Speaker 2: part in that brief ceremony, then they're welcome to do that.

79
00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,120
Speaker 2: For us, it's for the members of the committee who

80
00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:40,960
Speaker 2: are left. It's closure. We On tomorrow we'll have our

81
00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,120
Speaker 2: final meeting, and at that meeting we will move to

82
00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:49,920
Speaker 2: dissolve the association. We have no depths, we have no property.

83
00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:54,200
Speaker 2: We are ready to say that's it. It was an

84
00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:55,440
Speaker 2: interesting three years.

85
00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,400
Speaker 1: Well good on you guys, because you know, I think

86
00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:00,919
Speaker 1: there was such a there was you know, there was

87
00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,040
Speaker 1: a concern I suppose from some within the community as

88
00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,720
Speaker 1: we lead into the you know, the anniversary, the memorial,

89
00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,680
Speaker 1: people worry that we would not remember Cyclone Tracy and

90
00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,760
Speaker 1: the victims and the impact that it had on Darwin,

91
00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,520
Speaker 1: and you guys managed to do that, and you've also

92
00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:23,360
Speaker 1: managed to make sure that there is a memorial there

93
00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:28,400
Speaker 1: for anybody impacted to go and remember, but also for

94
00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:31,640
Speaker 1: people to come and educate themselves about the impact that

95
00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,279
Speaker 1: Cyclone Tracy had on the community. So I think, you know,

96
00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,440
Speaker 1: well done to the committee. I know that a lot

97
00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,120
Speaker 1: of hard work goes into this type of thing, and

98
00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:45,640
Speaker 1: it's not always uneasy job. So I think you'll probably

99
00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,200
Speaker 1: all be happy to sort of hang up your boots,

100
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:48,720
Speaker 1: per se.

101
00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:53,440
Speaker 2: I think we will. I certainly will. I haven't had

102
00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,760
Speaker 2: a holiday for three years, so I'm looking forward to

103
00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:00,680
Speaker 2: just getting stuff, getting me head clear.

104
00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:04,520
Speaker 1: Actually yeah, no, I will. Richard. Thank you for all

105
00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:06,560
Speaker 1: your time that you've given us as well over the

106
00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,800
Speaker 1: last set a year or so. And as I said,

107
00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,440
Speaker 1: I know so many people are just really pleased that

108
00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,800
Speaker 1: we do have that Cyclone Tracy memorial. That's meaningful and

109
00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,040
Speaker 1: you know that he's there. That is a place that

110
00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,120
Speaker 1: people can go and have that quiet reflection.

111
00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,520
Speaker 2: Indeed, and Katie, can I say thank you to you

112
00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:31,560
Speaker 2: and Crystal for the time that you have given us

113
00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,000
Speaker 2: and the support that you have given us over the

114
00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:39,160
Speaker 2: last year as we progress towards that unveiling. It's been

115
00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,720
Speaker 2: terrific and we thank you anytime.

116
00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,240
Speaker 1: Well, Richard, have a lovely day. I hope it all

117
00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:48,160
Speaker 1: goes really seamlessly today and I'm sure we'll probably talk

118
00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,000
Speaker 1: to you again in the future about other things.

119
00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,480
Speaker 2: I'm sure we will, Katie. And it's a simple thing

120
00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:58,200
Speaker 2: and no big deal, but a big deal at the

121
00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,000
Speaker 2: same time. Thank you very much.

122
00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:00,680
Speaker 1: Thank you,