Darwin'ites

Gallossal pizza

Is There Anyone Alive Under There!

For family and friends.  Those who were together under that maelstrom and those south who followed our stories and helped so much. 

It was a Darwin, wet season day, much like all the rest. Ominous clouds on the horizon, hot and muggy. It was school holidays so Michael, Sean and myself had taken off on our bikes for a ramble. I was 11. We rode asbestos riddled bike jumps and went tadpole catching.

Kieran and Peter were too young to roll.

Reports and updates of Tracy came out of the radio every half hour. 

Nobody was really worried.  Cyclones were a dime a dozen and they always seemed to "bounce off" just before they reached us.  Cyclone Selma had come through three weeks earlier and Darwinites were very blasé. "Nothing but piss and wind" was the general consensus. 

We wheeled home at about 3 pm if I remember correctly (bare with, and forgive me, these are the memories of an 11 year old now a ripe old, and rather pungent 61) to find home full of nervous energy and raised voices of urgency. 

TBC.