Cyclone Kirrily: Iconic drive-In cinema left in ruins, eight babies born during storm
Queensland’s oldest drive-in cinema is in tatters after Cyclone Kirrily lashed the Burdekin.
Townsville
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Queensland’s oldest drive-in cinema is in tatters after Cyclone Kirrily lashed the Burdekin.
Stardust Drive-In owners Frank and Suzzi Jerkic heard “a loud, big crash” amid howling winds on the Thursday night of the storm, waking the next morning to find their 30-metre big screen decimated.
“The whole thing just opened like a sardine tin and crumbled,” Mr Jerkic said.
The cinema, on Kilrie Rd in Ayr, first opened in 1964, and is one of only a handful of drive-in cinemas left in Queensland.
“We have one of the biggest drive-in screens in Queensland … now we’ve also got the only see-through screen where you can sit and watch the cane fields under the stars,” Mr Jerkic laughed.
Mrs Jerkic said the screen was refurbished after Cyclone Yasi hit North Queensland in 2011, and is hoping insurance will cover a quick rebuild.
“It was crazy,” she said. “It got so gusty before it got dark and that’s when (the screen damage) happened. We watched it all. It just peeled off.
“The gusts kept changing. One big one came through and knocked a big tree down, then it came from the other way and tore through the screen.
“We have the generators going to keep our fridges and freezers full of food going … I’m just hoping the power comes back on soon and I can start our coffee machine up because I really need a coffee.”
As well as the drive-in theatre, Stardust also runs their Silver Screens and Coffee Beans cafe and a 70-seat indoor cinema.
“We bought it in 1989 and planted all these trees, which I’m now cursing because of the leaves” Mrs Jerkic laughed, “but it’s a very peaceful place to sit here and relax, it’s what I like about it and people come to the coffee shop and sit and talk.”
And as for what movie will likely be playing when the drive-in celebrates its 60th birthday in September?
“Probably ‘Gone With The Wind’,” Mr Jerkic laughed.
Eight babies born in cyclonic night of chaos
The Townsville birth centre was busy overnight with staff working through Cyclone Kirrily to deliver eight babies.
Five girls and three boys were born during the wild weather with 11 midwives, alongside managers and support people, choosing to camp out in their offices to continue working.
Kerri-Anne Olsen, 22, delivered aptly-named Stella Raine at 10.25pm on Thursday night — during some of the worst of the weather — after spending most of the day at Townsville University Hospital.
“Her second name Raine was decided on before the cyclone,” she said.
“This is my first child so I’m pretty excited, but a little nervous.”
Ms Olsen was joined by her mum and two siblings on Friday while Stella’s dad, Dray Rangi, was at home getting some sleep after spending the night in a hospital chair.
The midwifery unit manager, Honey Newman, said during a cyclone, pregnant women’s waters are more likely to break due to the atmospheric pressure.
“It’s been non-stop actually,” she said.
“(During a cyclone) once people come in, we can’t send them home so unfortunately a few of our dads had to just sit in chairs overnight.”
“I’ve been here since 7am yesterday, I’ve got staff that are on the floor who worked all day yesterday and they are working again now.”
First cyclone for new residents
For Balgal Beach couple Brian and June Janz, Tropical Cyclone Kirrily did not live up to the hype.
The couple had only moved to the Northern Beaches suburb 12 months ago deciding for a sea change for inland Toowoomba and now would not live anywhere else.
“It’s a piece of paradise that we’ve found we’ve driven up and down this coastline numerous times,” Mr Janz said.
The couple bought a beach cottage on Balgal Beach’s esplanade and have just built a second cyclone-rated home nearby in Mystic Sands.
But TC Kirrily was their first experience of a tropical storm and they were apprehensive and expecting the worst.
“We didn’t know what to expect initially, it was a Cat 2 and then upgraded to a Cat 3 so then all of a sudden the people who were being negative about it pulled their finger out and yes this is going to get serious and there was a lot of hype,” Mrs Janz said.
But now having gone through their first cyclone the couple feel they know how to prepare for future storms.
“We just followed what everyone else was doing, Mr Janz said.
“We can see what are they doing and see how to organise your yard now you know like what needs what sort of trees and plants you can have in your yard.”
He said all their neighbours knew it was their first cyclone and were more than willing to give them a hand.
“They all came and asked whether we were right we need a hand and I said ‘no I think we’re pretty good’.”
Viv and Geoff Rowan, with their beloved dog Leslie, were not to phased by Cyclone Kirrily and camped in their trusty bus in Ingham as the storm raged outside.
The couple are also newcomers to North Queensland coming from Wagga and plan to buy a home at Balgal Beach but had no qualms about riding out the storm in their bus.
“It was just a bit of rain and a bit of wind – just like a normal storm really,” Mrs Rowan said.
“We had just had our emergency preparation kit, that’s plenty of water, plenty of food and we have got a generator and we have got a shower and toilet on-board.”
Family’s first cyclone, cops ‘shocking’ tree fall
The Gallinar family were riding out their first cyclone together before the sound of a “loud bang” hit the top of their roof, and they came out to find a mammoth tree that had fallen right on top of the new home.
Michael Gallinar said the family had purchased the Tennesse Way, Kelso house only six months ago and had put up solar panels three months prior to the weather event.
“It’s a bit shocking for the kids’ first cyclone,” he said.
After the fall, came the power outage, and now the family will wait and begin the insurance process, said Mr Gallinar.
Due to the home sitting on a lean, the family had hoped the tree would tip over the opposite side during the storm.
“We’re just lucky it’s a concrete house,” he said with the home obtaining minimal damage.
Kirrily a ‘walk in the park’
Residents of Townsville’s northern suburbs have been underwhelmed by Tropical Cyclone Kirrily.
Residents of Toolakea, Bluewater and Purono Park said they had been prepared for a much stronger storm than the cyclone which did make landfall over the top of their homes.
Purono Park man Stephen Lamb said his property could easily handle 300mm of rain, and overnight he got 60mm.
The downpour with Cyclone Jasper last month was stronger than TC Kirrily, he said.
“Sixty mil’ is just a walk in the park.”
Mr Lamb and his wife had prepared for the worst.
“Everything gets boarded up, sandbagged, windows all get taped up because we usually cop it from the front. We’ve got a big glass window that usually blows in, but we tape it up,” Mr Lamb said.
“We’ve been through four cyclones. Yasi came through, we copped it then but no damage; just plenty of trees down.
“This one last night, we were sitting there at 10.30 and went ‘it’s gone’, so we went to bed. And we woke up to a normal drain full of water.”
A coffee van nearby at Bluewater Park was doing a good trade on Saturday morning, as residents without power or mobile coverage converged for a cuppa and updates from whoever had information.
No residents there reported having to leave their houses, any structural damage and only one person knew of a power line in the area that had fallen.
Toolakea husband and wife Mick and Michelle were too left thankfully underwhelmed by the cyclone.
“The wind did start from the south, so the front of the house, and late night around midnight it swung around and come direct from the north,” he said.
At their house the winds calmed down between about 9pm and 11pm, when they believe the eye of the storm crossed their home.
“So I would say the eye was definitely in the area somewhere. The winds did reverse quite abruptly from one way to the other after a short break.
“Scary stuff.”
The couple reckoned the storm made landfall somewhere between Saunders Beach and Rollingstone.
“Besides a few good gusts and some green waste and a few trees down, we got out of it pretty good,” he said.
Originally published as Cyclone Kirrily: Iconic drive-In cinema left in ruins, eight babies born during storm
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