Santa never made it into Darwin but two battalions of the Regiment did

Almost fifty years ago, the Royal Australian Regiment faced another of its many tests. This time the enemy was not one whom the two battalions involved would ‘ … close with and kill or capture ….’ as they had during the Vietnam War. The enemy this time was Mother Nature at her ugly worst. The two battalions involved – 5/7 RAR and 6 RAR – were to deploy on the largest and most distressing Military Aid to the Civil Community (MACC) task as it was then termed in Australia’s history to that day, and since.

On Christmas Day 2024, Darwin citizens, including members and families of the sizeable ADF garrison now there, should enjoy a typical hot, clear day. Children will open gifts soon after the sun comes up. The community will enjoy their festive season after a year of hard work.

Fifty years ago, that did not happen. In the early hours of 25 Dec 74 the worst damage in recorded history in Australia caused by the fury of nature was rendered to Darwin. Almost 70 people were killed, thousands injured and the biggest rescue and relief operation ever was mounted by the ADF in its aftermath. Only the Japanese bombing attack on 19 Feb 42 killed more people – 235, with almost 400 wounded.

Cyclone Tracy had been building for days but was not taken seriously as a threat to the port city which housed about 46,656 people at the time including a small ADF presence.

The shocking fury of the tropical cyclone hit in the early hours of Christmas day. Being a holiday period, all levels of officialdom including the ADF were in the Christmas cheer mode.

Mother Nature hit and hit hard Building standards in those days were not of the stronger and more resilient requirements of today, and communications were also much less effective in the pre-digital era. Both were to compound what was in store for Darwin, and the rest of the nation.

Given that most of today’s Regimental members have only known Darwin in its context as a major garrison town with a large ADF force in being, in 1974 that was not the case. There was a small naval presence comprising land-based HMAS Melville (HQ led by the Naval Officer Commanding Northern Australia), HMAS Coonawarra (a small naval communications station) and afloat, the Third Australian Patrol Boat Squadron comprising four vessels. This comprised 409 sailors of all ranks, and 287 dependents. HMAS Arrow was sunk and Attack was grounded and badly damaged. Advance and Assail were able to put out to sea to survive, badly damaged. Two sailors lost their lives at sea; two navy wives and two children also died on land. Catastrophic outcomes. For RAAF, 670 personnel constituted HQ RAAF Darwin, Base Squadron and No 2 Control and Reporting Unit, almost all located at Darwin airport itself. Army’s 160 personnel made up a small HQ 7th Military District with signals, supply, transport and workshop sub-units, mostly located in Larrakeyah Barracks on the coast, flanked on three sides by the sea.

Cyclone Tracy hit with such force that it effectively rendered neutral all authorities’ capacity to do anything in terms of immediate response. The RAAF anemometer measured 217 kmhr winds before it broke, and all communications were lost within and from the city for several hours. No one was able to move, let alone try to engage in rescue as the screaming wind and rain smashed the city for hours, only abating by late morning enough for survivors to venture out to see the massive damage. The devastation was almost indescribable, best assessed through photos and the memories of those who lived through it. Darwin was effectively cut off for several hours with the rest of Australia until a precarious link was restored.

Once sufficient information had been gleaned to determine that there was a large-scale disaster the newly formed Natural Disasters Organisation (NDO) in Canberra was swung into action. Its Director-General MAJGEN Alan Stretton AO CBE (Retd), a former CO 2 RAR, proceeded to Darwin later that day by RAAF to take charge in the first support tranche of what unfolded over time as a massive disaster response. With minimal initial ‘self’ help effort possible by the small ADF contingent in Darwin still able to function, the first major ADF commitment was the use of RAAF to fly in emergency medical teams, surgical and other patient care supplies including blood, and backload the more seriously injured refugees. In conjunction with what remained of the local civilian authorities, following his first meeting with local authorities on Boxing Day, Stretton quickly made the decision to evacuate all non-essential people. All available military aircraft supplemented by civilian airliners were used to fly out refugees once the runway was cleared for safe use. Coupled with ground evacuation via the only road out of Darwin, this step entered the records as the largest evacuation in Australia’s history. 25,628 were evacuated by air in six days including a world record 964 passengers on one airplane, and 9,734 moved by road.

For reasons beyond the scope of this paper, the decision was taken not to deploy an Army Task Force HQ into Darwin to take charge of this MACC operation. Rather the NDO organisation was used to shape the civil authority structure to handle the unprecedented response along essential survival and recovery priorities. ADF assistance was also vital but Stretton took the decision, endorsed by the Australian government, that the ADF would help, not take over completely. This was a decision that came under some criticism, but proved to be the best long term solution. It necessitated a massive MACC deployment though, and this was put into effect immediately, including the eventual deployment of two RAR battalion groups.

While the RAAF was being used in the first instance with its airlift capability and a functioning airport, the navy was mobilised and deployed next. With its self-contained capabilities and heavy lift characteristic, navy was the logical force to be brought into action. The ADF relief force was rapidly mobilised, with sailors recalled from leave as soon as the disaster was made known. Naval vessels carried large tonnages of essential equipment, vehicles and supplies, and also served as floating power generation and temporary accommodation for ADF personnel. The first property clearance teams were deployed from Navy once the manpower was freed up from the priority unload and distribution of cargo tasks and other specialist roles. Thirteen ships, eleven Navy aircraft and 3,000 personnel were deployed from the eastern seaboard. Without this vital response, and the heavy lifting involved, the situation on the ground and in the harbour at Darwin would have been even more perilous.

Aside from some specialist Army medical, communications and engineer personnel flown in for critical infrastructure work on health, power, roofing and route clearance the major Army effort that followed centred on a large infantry-heavy deployment force titled Field Force Group Darwin. In 1974 there was no ready Operational Deployment Force which only came into being in 1980. It was an immediate post-Vietnam War army, and our RAR battalions were re-organising, some linking, re-orienting their training to the defence of Australia via conventional land force operations. No one expected to be called on to come to the aid of a major city of Australia that had just be flattened by a killer cyclone. And few had training in MACC tasks such as this.
Two major deployments under Field Force Group Darwin were made. Battalion groups of 650 men based on 5/7 RAR (Sydney)and a second on 6 RAR (Brisbane)formed the bulk of the restorative phase of the huge rescue and relief operation. This element of the ADF response was titled Operation Cleanup which the Navy had started. The first of these deployments commenced on 18 Jan 75 and were completed by 2 May 75 with a relief in place occurring 4-7 Mar 75. Both battalion groups included additional troops from other units and were commanded by the respective battalion COs, a model used during the War in Afghanistan, albeit for manpower reasons rather than balanced force needs. In 1974-5, there were six RAR battalions, all substantially under-strength. It was a peacetime Army.

After Cyclone Tracy, the battalion groups worked with the Northern Territory civil authorities with the prime mission of assisting with the short-term recovery of the shattered city in readiness for the long-term recovery and rebuild. Not trained for this type of work, the infantrymen and their attached other Corps sub-units adapted quickly as they set out to help Darwin recover. Many worked seven days a week, and very few enjoyed any leave or other relief during the time they were deployed. What follows is drawn from a range of sources including personal experience.

While the RAAF and Navy were carrying out their priority tasks, 5/7 RAR was also recalled from leave; clearly my unit (5/7 RAR) must have been earmarked for such a contingency. We had been fighting bushfires in the Holsworthy area only a few months earlier as a MACC task, but that was a local show. The CO probably knew the unit was earmarked for MACC over Christmas as the recall process worked smoothly via the Real Details and duty officer system. 5/7 RAR began arriving in on unit recall to Tobruk Lines at Holsworthy Barracks and before long, all posted personnel were accounted for. Also arriving per the annual training cycle routine were soldiers from their Initial Employment Training direct from the Infantry Centre, and officers and NCOs on posting. This included about 30% of new platoon commanders just graduated from Duntroon and Portsea. Some, including (then) Lieutenant Peter Pederson (later a CO 5/7 RAR himself) met their men having flown to Darwin where the battalion had already been deployed. Excitement mixed with some trepidation – in a post-war Army, there was now a real job to do. Darwin needed help.

For days as the unit prepared to deploy, ‘Santa never made it into Darwin’ a musical recording generated by Bobbie and Laurie in very quick time, played over the parade ground loudspeakers. Black and white TV images of the time increased general situational awareness of the magnitude of what was faced. Intelligence briefings led by Lieutenant Dave Ross opened daily CO’s briefings conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Jake O’Donnell, MC who had just marched in to take command. In quick time, the battalion was ready to go, less its weapons.

5/7 RAR deployed in due course to Darwin and moved into what was left of the main buildings at Larrakeyah Barracks. Following an advance party D Company, led by Major Peter Cosgrove, MC with the Reconnaissance/ Anti-armour platoon in tow, were among the first to arrive by C130 airlift. The rest of 5/7 RAR and its attachments followed on, arriving on 30 January. All ranks stepped out of the aircraft to be hit in the face with the hot blast of a searingly humid January day, complete with its monsoon burst so regular around 4pm daily that one might set their watch by it. All stared at the airport devastation before moving through shattered streets and abandoned vehicles to Larrakeyah Barracks where not a single married quarter had survived intact. Work started the very next morning.

The battalion’s work revolved around a core model of working at least six days a week in the hot, wet and steamy conditions of summer, with the monsoon rain a constant companion and sometimes, threatening. Temporary relief came with the afternoon rain only to be followed by ongoing humidity the next morning. Although the threat was constant, mercifully there were no further cyclones in 1975 in the Top End. Had that occurred, the trashed city would have become a lethal supply of shrapnel for a second or even third time. It was really a race against time, and Mother Nature. Make safe by clearance, put roofs back on, reduce the risk.

The battalion groups’ work focused on the section level. One only junior level published record of what it was like for the sections and platoons is known to exist, being Pederson’s article titled Darwin: A Platoon Commander’s Experience. It aptly describes the deployment through the eyes of a platoon commander and his men. The author’s own diary recorded much the same, and a reading of Petersen’ s article is recommended (see Army Journal, Number 316, September 1975, online). For the purposes of this paper, the experience might be summarised as follows. Days revolved around implementing projected task orders received the evening before and confirmed in detail early each day. For most of the battalions’ work this typically involved clearing two and sometimes up to four personal properties. Other priorities included schools, public utilities, community areas and high community value facilities that might not have already been addressed by Navy, and the limited self-help possible in Darwin.

Each day followed the previous one in a long-haul challenge as troops worked against the forces of nature and the clock in a massive recovery effort. Following an early breakfast, section-sized groups would marry up with a long convey of military vehicles and increasingly, local dump trucks. Local contractors operated the civilian vehicles. It became established practice where the same section would be married up with the same vehicle, forming what became an effective work team. This also generated some highly amusing consequences along the way. Locals dressed in Darwin rig, usually stubbies, boots, an optional shirt and a hat perched on top of long hair and an unshaven face. These characters and the infantrymen got used to each other and their different approaches to tackling the job ahead of them. Many vehicles soon featured artwork and names that rivalled World War II bombers and tanks. Any spray cans or paint sources found in the rubble became artistic tools in the hands of wags, with the willing co-operation and acceptance by the truckies. After all, some of the trucks belonged to the council …..

Daily, this armada would assemble along a ring road inside the barracks under the control of the battalion Transport Platoon Sergeant a legendary character whom not even a Darwin local dared challenge. Once troops loaded up in the back of their assigned dump truck, the armada headed off to all points of the compass to link up with property owners. Company HQ vehicles moved constantly between locations assigned for the day with water and rations. Their destination was an address where, on meeting the owner or agent, the teams proceeded to recover everything inside that block’s perimeter. Most was so badly damaged that it went to large tips/scraped dumps. Often, little could be salvaged. It was race against time before the next big ‘blow’.

Navy’s initial prime effort in its ground operations was expended on clearing the roads and access paths before they started property clearances, a task handed over to Army on 30 January. Priority saw schools, vital infrastructure buildings, shops and then personal residences get attention. In some areas such as the northern suburbs of Nightcliff, Casuarina, Ludmilla and Moil, almost every house was totally destroyed. It was heartbreaking to see. Stories from survivors made it even harder to understand why the casualty toll was not far higher. In many cases, mostly high-built tropical houses, only the elevated floor and steps up to it remained, with the toilet bowel still bolted to the floor a silent sentinel in defiance to the devil cyclonic wind that swept everything else before it. In house after house, everything was gone from where it once was, now on the ground below, or in the neighbours’ yards. Or in the next. Or in the next after that.

Many properties cleared by the teams were also the repository of the remains of neighbours’ properties, with some houses featuring materials from the next street, so severe was the fury of the cyclone. Some materials were identified later as having been blown hundreds of metres. Cars were flattened. Upended. In one house my men removed a large boat and trailer wedged inside the house next door. Even Besser brick buildings were frequently demolished. Personal lives had been laid bare. Childrens’ toys and personal belongings lay amongst the rubble, often impaled by flying glass and shards of smashed timber. A veteran’s medals. Rotting perishables. It was like Hiroshima without the bomb.

It was a hazardous time, aside from the threat of heat-related injury. Junior commanders earned their pay ensuring the men were hydrated and work balanced irrespective of rank. Sometimes dangerous finds such as unexploded ammunition and weapons were made and dealt with. Cars in creek lines or stacked two high. Snakes abounded in the ruins as did rats. The troops, initially armed with bare hands and basic tools, nonetheless went to work. It took days before extra protective gloves and additional chainsaws could be procured to help with the primitive hard labour. Initially, there was very little manhandling equipment. What little mechanical capability could be mustered went to high priority route maintenance and repairs to critical infrastructure. The infantry, used to getting around on their feet, now had to use their hands until low loaders and cranes were brought on line to assist.

Casualties were inevitable with all of the corrugated iron sheeting, fibro sheeting (asbestos), smashed timber and shattered glass to handle. This was despite tireless efforts by the medics and support staff who patrolled the areas of operations with water resupply, day rations and medical support. All ranks worked together, with even the CO and RSM on occasions joining a team on someone’s forlorn home site to pick up what was left and put it into a dump truck.

With the population reduced through mass evacuation, the eerie silence and change to the natural landscape were disturbing. Most of the bird life was gone, and the locals knew it, and why. Blown away. I recall as we descended into Darwin airport seeing that for miles and miles, not a tree had a leaf on it. Plants grow quickly in this part of the world and while the grass pushed up in profusion, the trees stood still testimony to the power of evil. Even when the 5/7 RAR handed over to 6 RAR, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel A.W (Tony) Hammett, much of the vegetation was struggling to recover. Man-made elements of the landscape told the story in a different way. Metal H-steel telephone poles were often bent over at right angles, with some even twisted further. The water tower in Nightcliff had a car embedded in it many metres above the ground. We found a car with a sheet of corrugated iron entering one side and sticking out of the other. No one was in the car at the time, a small mercy.
How so many people survived the killer storm remains a mystery. The stench was unbearable. Engineer and pioneer teams with breathing apparatus cleared fridges and pantries full of rotting food, and dead animals. One human was found weeks after, buried beneath the rubble. Heat and humidity took its effect on the Sydney and Brisbane based battalion groups. Several Vietnam veterans observed that the non-fatal non-battle casualty rate in Darwin was comparable with that of their operational tours in the years just preceding. It was not a time to enjoy, but the troops laboured on to get the job done, and they did it commendably with morale remaining high.
And what came of it as an operational deployment in a MACC capacity? The population of Darwin undoubtedly appreciated what the battalion groups and the RAAF and Navy compatriots accomplished by coming to their aid. Their hospitality, based on what was left, was memorable, with welcome back gestures when survivors had some means to thank those who helped them with an occasional barbeque under the elevated floor of what was once their home. Officially, troops were ordered not to accept any gifts, even alcohol, and the great majority did not. The land was littered with intact Christmas Day supplies of beer and spirits. But it was probably unsafe to consume, hence the wisdom of the orders given. Ordinary people thanked their uniformed saviours in this way. The Darwin way.
At the official recognition level, veterans of deployment later received an A4 parchment, signed by the Mayor of Darwin, Tiger Brennan, a colourful character. That, and CO 5/7 RAR and a cook sergeant received an AM and OAM respectively in the next Honours List. That was it. Awards to 6 RAR are unknown.

Fifty years later, moves are afoot for all veterans of the ADF who deployed to Darwin to be considered for the award of the National Emergency Medal instituted in 2012 and backdated to 2009. But don’t hold your breath. This move is one sought by veteran advocates, not the ADF hierarchy or the government. Apparently, the MACC task in support of Darwin is not regarded as important as Cyclone Yasi (2011) or the Cyclone Debbie (2017) responses of recent years, where this same recognition has been rightfully rendered.

The response in the wake of Cyclone Tracy remains the largest ADF humanitarian disaster recovery operation in Australia’s history. Santa never made it in to Darwin, but the infantry battalions were a large part of the ADF response who did. The Royal Australian Regiment can be justly proud of its contribution to the success story that is the recovery of Darwin.

Lieutenant Colonel Russell Linwood, ASM (Retd).
(Then) LT Linwood was OC Reconnaissance/Anti-armour Platoon 5/7 RAR when it deployed to Darwin.