Prior to Cyclone Tracy I worked for The Supply Branch in Armidale Street Stuart Park in the "Stocktaking Section”.
Immediately after the cyclone Supply Branch became a “Soup Kitchen” for anyone who needed a meal.
Harry Forday (brother of Tim “The Toy Man”) was the cook. Harry was well known for his Chinese cooking and had taught cooking classes prior to the cyclone so was the obvious choice to become the head chef. The staff that hadn’t been evacuated were his sidekicks. At the time of the cyclone I lived in a caravan so never left Darwin.
A few months later the Government created a new Branch called “Permits “this meant that anyone wanting to enter Darwin had to have an Entry Permit. I was seconded from Supply Branch to work with “Permits” I think because I was a long term Territorian & the work involved a lot of checking not unlike Stock Taking.
As Darwin couldn’t support anyone the criteria for an Entry Permit was essentially that you could support yourself, provide your own accommodation, had work and were essential in the rebuilding of Darwin.
There were 2 categories:
1. Re Entry permit.......A previous resident of Darwin
2. Entry permit.........A new person that was needed in the rebuild.
My tasks covered all aspects of the branch:
1. Manning Check points (Adelaide River & the Airport)
2. Checking applicants Accommodation
3. Checking applicants Employment claims
4. Approving & Issuing Permits.
I Approve, Signed & Issued the Entry Permit to Mrs N E Brown that is displayed in the Darwin Museum’s Cyclone Tracy section.
Cheers Erica McLoughlin,
Notes
This story was made as part of the ABC Open and Northern Territory Library Cyclone Tracy storytelling workshop program.,