When Will The Birds Return?

[@juliestannard5538]

This documentary should have won awards as should the people of Darwin. Shining example of courage under fire.

[@juliestannard5538]

And grace under fire🙏🏼

[@Patrick4959]

a touching video for everyone in Australia and next year it will be 50 years since ex Tropical Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin that very day in the NT (Northern Territory)

[@ChrisStumer]

My dad was there in 1974, brought back a lot of memories for him.

[@moonshaker100]

I was there, I was only 9 but the memory will be with me always, 6 hours of absolute fear. My family were lucky, we all survived

[@davidcarr2649]

I was 6 when Tracy hit Darwin. I lived in Sydney, and the news was loud and clear Xmas morning. The TV and radio coverage I still remember today. This documentary opened my eyes to the massive Australian effort to help the people of Darwin at the time. I'm actually glad that it takes away some of my pride towards giving away a Xmas toy that I had only just unwrapped. I wasn't a minority which was a good thing. Almost 50 years have passed, and there'd be people living in Darwin today, that have no idea that the city they call home, was once almost removed permanently by a tropical cyclone.

[@tonymellow9578]

We moved to Darwin 1 month after the cyclone hit. My father was in the R.A.A.F and the people needed the help from all the defence services to help. I was 12 years old and there were so many houses that had been flattered and the people who dedicated their time and energy to rebuild the city. Thank You.

[@linmackerman1957]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful documentary about cyclone Tracy.

[@PaulB19677]

Everybody should have to watch this to realise just how fortunate we all really are, but how it could easily be taken away from us. Be grateful, and heed from others misfortune and how to act to help others if you are able.

[@siegridmatheve5048]

Yes I was there, lived in Nightcliff, Progress Drive. Sheltered in the bathroom with my 12 month old son and my husband, I was heavely pregnant and was evacuated to Perth where I delivered 10 days after Tracy my twin girls very premature (32 weeks) we all survived. I am now nearly 80 years old and the memories are like yesterday.

[@chol4life165]

My science teacher showed me one of those cyclone tracy videos today. That siren 🚨 is still going and going in my head

[@marklewfatt4374]

I lived in Nightcliff clematis street n I was 5 when the cyclone hit, I still hate Xmas I remember so much the wind sounded like a jet plane taking off

[@jasoncarpp7742]

OMG! It's incredible, the devastation of Cyclone Tracy. I can't imagine living through something like this. And on Christmas Day, of all days.

[@pauldunlea3669]

I remember this as a young child. And the Tradies that went up to help. Aussie

[@bensmall6548]

A similar event happened here in America in 1992. It was Hurricane Andrew. It had a small size like Tracey, it hit during nightfall, people underestimated its severity, and it devastated the area it hit. Only Andrew was much stronger since it had winds over 265 kph at landfall.

[@michelleriley8420]

Thank you for sharing this film. It was good to see it again. Take a moment to reflect on the 66 lives that were taken that night and the emotional and physical scarring that affected many and still does to this day. I wish the media would not use that bloody siren. All survivors of Tracy hate it. Bad memories.

[@C21L01]

Michelle Riley Not just Cyclone survivors. Since 1995 that siren has been used in the event of any impending danger. Its used Australia wide now as the Standard Emergency Warning Signal. I got to hate that sound during the Sampson Flat and Pinery Bushfires. 😣

[@cokeguts8977]

C21L01 I remember an ad that was on when I was little, here in Darwin, and that siren would sound at the start of that ad and mum *hated* the sound of that siren too. She was here for Cyclone Tracy, I wasn't.

[@YokRzeznic]

Much more than 66.

[@bury_the_elite65294]

I've read comments by people from the US & Canada saying that Australia's SEWS is much, MUCH scarier than that of their respective countries. One person even described our SEWS as, "nightmare-inducing". IMHO a very accurate description. Every year when bushfire season comes here in Victoria, if there is a major bushfire, they play that bloody SEWS at the start of every emergency bulletin. They had a slightly different (less scary) one in the early 1990's, I wish they'd go back to that one...

[@TrickyMario7654]

WeControlEverything YouSeeAndHear What did that old bushfire siren you’ve described sound like?

[@cokeguts8977]

My stepfather told me about this documentary. This is the first time I've ever seen it. My mum and father and *so* many people I know were here for Cyclone Tracy but I wasn't. I'm a 1977 baby. 😎

[@NFSAFilms]

Hi Coke, thanks.

[@michaelraymond5048]

NFSA Films 👍

[@batmanstewiecnard2lennysun548]

Thank you for posting this.

[@racheljennings1688]

Such strong people 😮

[@BrettMayne-d3i]

We had live in Darwin until earlier that year and had family and friends who went through the cyclone. My Dad was an air flight services officer with Civil Aviation and was flown into Katherine on Christmas Day as part of the team to open the air ridge into Darwin to evacuate people and bring in supplies.

[@lenwaugh]

A terrifying, drawn-out nightmare that none who when through it will forget. Though it will soon be 50 years since it occurred, many survivors are still affected by viewing films of Tracy.

[@bydrgDownunder]

I was 7 at the time and Cyclone Tracy represents my most vivid memories as a kid. In the current day, natural disasters are becoming more extreme and frequent. Context is that this occurred nearly 50 years ago, and a lot has changed since. There are also some constants such as resilience and on the down-side, looting.

[@qldsafari]

Excellent recollection, brings back memories of how people used to be. Unlike the miserable bastards today

[@cookie5335]

Amazing how they all had suitcases all packed up ready to go

[@annettereynolds1995]

We lived in Newman at the time. I remember this very well. The town took in refugees and we all donated food, blankets and clothes. I think it's still Australia's biggest natural catastrophe.

[@nickwilliams6621]

Oh definitely. If it wasn't for Tracy though, the houses in Darwin wouldn't have been built to be more cyclone resistant. We're pretty good nowadays when it comes to Cyclones.

[@castlemania08]

The sitar soundtrack sounds great with just a bit of eeriness

[@wolf-xs7fn]

Although it's been a number of years since cyclone Tracy hit Darwin it's still very sad to watch the video an see how brutal Tracy was to the people of Darwin

[@JohnLee-pt5jz]

Yes I agree, I was 11 at the time living in Sydney, we didn't hear about till the afternoon on Christmas day.

[@mitch19636]

Wonderful historic film. I hope the likes of tracey never returns again.

[@Patrick4959]

nature itself is completely unpredictable you never know they may get one any time in December soon which is our Australian Summer Season

[@bury_the_elite65294]

One that springs to mind is Yasi, January/February 2011, a Category 5, which made landfall between Cairns & Townsville, Qld. www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/yasi.shtml

[@cookie5335]

Duping delight. She can't stop smiling

[@michaellynch574]

Michael Sinclare old darwin family knew lots a people produced a graph of the wind speed he got from people he knew i saw it the wind that went throught darwin christmas 1974 blew 216 knots which equates to 416 kilometers BUT the wind speed was still climbing when the measuriing instrument was destroyed

[@brentbiel5425]

It's interesting to hear the people say it's more like a hurricane than a cyclone. I guess they didn't really have much history to base the destructive forces of a cyclone on at the time.

[@YokRzeznic]

For a long time, people didn't realise they were the same thing essentially. I remember being young and having the idea that hurricanes were far bigger and stronger than a cyclone.

[@traemaxwell]

A Tropical Cyclone and A Hurricane are the same thing. A hurricane is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean, and a typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean; in the south Pacific or Indian Ocean, comparable storms are referred to simply as "tropical cyclones" or "severe cyclonic storms".

[@nickwilliams6621]

@@traemaxwell We know that now, yeah. But this was in 1974 during a time when the CAT system didn't even exist.

[@michellematthews2113]

Same as ginger cat I hope someone gave the cat a home

[@Seagullias12]

I don't know about cats but the authorities ordered the shooting of all dogs. Prevention of them eating spoilt food and spreading disease and also the danger of attacks.

[@misstsunami]

M.J.Smith Is My Grandpa! My 2 Aunties,My Uncle And My Mother (Plus M.J.Smith and Grandma) Where All Alive But I Wasn't Born Yet.

[@NFSAFilms]

Wow! Thanks for letting us know. They went through some tough times.

[@Griffin_63]

Fennekin Princess was that the man at about 4 minutes in in the green shirt. I hope everything turned out alright for him and the family.

[@renegadejaxon4159]

13:55 😢

[@FortheEar-d5f]

really enjoyed the insights in this video, it’s clear a lot of thought went into it. however, i can't help but feel that the timing of bird migrations has become way too unpredictable lately. some say it's just part of nature's cycle, but isn’t it a bit concerning how climate change might be altering these patterns? i’d love to hear what others think about this!

[@michaellynch574]

Anew warning system had just been adopted and 8DN was having a loverly time with it they would play something and then the screeching warning and so onn on on but rarely anything new it gave people the sh1ts and we turned it off as new info was not forthcoming NOT A GOOD TIME

[@annienorton425]

WHY DIDN'T DARWIN START EVACUATING LATE MORNING CHRISTMAS EVE WHEN THE WEATHER BUREAU FIRST DETECTED TRACY BEFORE IT WAS A CATEGORY 4, AT LEAST NOTIFIED THE R F D A FOR POSSIBLE OUTCOME AT ALICE SPRINGS FIRST

[@NFSAFilms]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@cokeguts8977]

Annie Norton Cause they were all too busy getting pissed and partying. 😂🙌

[@castlemania08]

The residents of Darwin had grown complacent; previous storms had either come close and moved away or were only weak prior to Tracy so the general consensus was that it would do the same as the others. How wrong they unfortunately were

[@YokRzeznic]

How don't you know by now?

[@nickwilliams6621]

Remember that this was in 1975, and the CAT system had not yet been 'invented' so to speak. If it wasn't for Tracy, Darwin wouldn't have their houses built to a more 'cyclone resistant' standard. Titanic had the iceberg, The Hindenberg had its hydrogen gas, the car seatbelts had their victims, and Darwin had Cyclone Tracy. This is a learning curve mate. Don't forget aswell that there was a near miss from a previous cyclone some 10 days prior, and this all took place on Christmas Eve. and the news staff only had a 'skeleton crew' because of the holidays. I wouldn't blame the people for being negligent. We also have less cyclone [hurricane] related deaths than USA. Cyclone Yasi for example was more powerful than Katrina and 1.5x the size, and had no cyclone-related deaths recorded. Yeah, we party hard, but we're built like a brick-shithouse lol. It takes alot to fuck up an Aussie's day.

[@AussieTVMusic]

Wasn't 87 killed not 49?

[@NFSAFilms]

***** The official toll is now 65 people killed. The synopsis for this film was written at an early stage after the cyclone.

[@AussieTVMusic]

Ah OK thanks

[@michellematthews2113]

Chicken should not been left like that hope got rescue

[@kayd6890]

Watching this in 2021 and none of this makes sense!

[@thatcoolnrd]

the obvious response to disaster in Darwin - get drunk, and think about it later

[@SvenNumberSeven]

OM MANI PADME HUM

[@cookie5335]

How did they get the figures. And where is everyone. It's a shanty town

[@tommylawton5196]

Stupid music ruins it

[@Seagullias12]

Remember it was produced in 1975: that music was pertinent as it ties in with the guy in the film playing his Sitar to calm the traumatised victims.