That is the sentiment of Dawn Lawrie AM.

Like many survivors, Cyclone Tracy is a difficult topic to discuss for Ms Lawrie.

It brings up painful memories and wounds from a traumatic time in so many Territorians’ lives.

Ms Lawrie is an extraordinary Territorian.

She is a staunch lady, full of compassion and vigour at the age of 86.

When the cyclone struck, Ms Lawrie was the fierce independent Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Nightcliff.

“I grew up in a family where politics mattered,” Ms Lawrie says.

“It’s part of my DNA.”

Ms Lawrie’s first foray into politics came in 1971 when she was a member of the Legislative Council, a precursor to the Territory’s first fully elected government, the Legislative Assembly.

It was in that Legislative Assembly Ms Lawrie worked with MLAs to forge its self-determination.

“There were 17 CLP and two opposition, myself and Ron Withnall,” she says.

“Party politics was pushed aside on the issue of self-governance. It was always at the forefront of our minds.

“Tracy didn’t really give us enough time to settle in and work towards it.”

Ms Lawrie’s survival story was too traumatic to detail thoroughly.

But she recounted the mad dash to the old Anglican College in Nightcliff to escape the destruction.

“After the cyclone I walked out of the shelter and thought everyone was dead and we were the only ones alive,” she says.

“It was a scene of utter desolation.

“Then out of the gloom, people started appearing.

“As soon as things settled, I walked around my electorate and saw the devastation.”

It was at that moment Ms Lawrie’s priority shifted from survival to service.

“The moment I walked out, I restarted my role as the Member for Nightcliff,” she said.

“I saw the destruction of my electorate and knew I had to serve them.”

Ms Lawrie served her constituents well post-cyclone.

One of her first acts was distributing food. “Neil Gaden the local Nightcliff butcher gave me all his chilled meat to distribute,” she says.

“He told me that once that was exhausted, I could come back to distribute the frozen meat too.”

Ms Lawrie recalls the true community spirit on display in her electorate.

“It showed Nightcliff’s generosity and solidarity,” she says.

Help soon arrived, first in the form of the Royal Australian Navy, who were a “wonderful” help.

It was this “practical assistance – not bureaucrats” Ms Lawrie is most grateful for.

“Southern town planners – they were the worst,” she says.

“People wanted assistance to rebuild their lives in Darwin, in their suburb. We MLAs fought for that.”

Ms Lawrie recalls the scenes at the first assembly after Cyclone Tracy.

“The building was beyond repair – it eventually had to be demolished,” she says.

“The roof was leaking, people ran around with lanterns and handheld recorders.”

Despite these limitations, the MLAs worked to represent their constituents in their time of need. “We had to reassure people that their representatives were here with them,” she says. “We had a job to do and we did it together.”