THREE CHEERS FOR COUNTRY WOMEN

Strange as it might seem, one man was thankful for Cyclone Tracy . He spent that wild night sitting on the toilet protecting his head with a floor tile , fearing daybreak because a man with a record of violence had promised that he would call on him in the morn and bash him. Much to his relief, his mates decided to drive out of Darwin on Christmas Day in a battered car for Sydney . Some time later , he related the cyclone story to me over a pot of ale in a Sydney pub and heaped praise on the bands of women along the way who offered help to people fleeing Darwin. In particular, he mentioned the Country Women’s Association whose members offered food, cuppas, accommodation and even arranged a set of tyres for the car. Prior to the disaster, he had regarded the CWA , Red Cross and other service organisations with what amounted to scorn. Now they were the salt of the earth .