Ecumenical service commemorates Cyclone Tracy
On Sunday afternoon, 22 December 2024, St Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral in Darwin hosted a moving commemoration service for the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy.
The LCANZ was represented by Rev Dr Noel Due and two of the members of the Top End Lutheran community, Malcolm and Sue Tomes, who were survivors of the tragedy. It was a truly remarkable, ecumenical occasion.
While it was attended by a range of dignitaries, including the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and her family, the focus was on the survivors of the cyclone, some of whom had travelled from other parts of Australia to be present.
The service also included a time of solemn remembrance for those who lost their lives, yet it was pervaded by a deep sense of thanksgiving for the grace of God made manifest in the response of ordinary people to their neighbours’ plight and the subsequent rebuilding of the town, which, 50 years on, is barely recognisable from the rubble it used to be.
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