Girl in the picture tells her tale of a fateful Christmas

YOU have probably never heard of Poppy Papazoglou but chances are you’ve seen her in this iconic photo taken after Cyclone Tracy.

28 Dec 1974 Little girl, Poppy Magoulis (now Papazoglou) riding her bicycle on the street which was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in Darwin 25 Dec. PicBruce/Howard weather nt storms damage wreckage

YOU have probably never heard of Poppy Papazoglou but chances are you’ve seen her.

Poppy Papazoglou was the three-year-old girl captured in the iconic image

Poppy, now 43, was the three-year-old girl in this famous image taken on the devastated streets of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy hit.

She said she does not remember the photo being taken but remembers waiting the cyclone out with her family.

“We were in the middle room and the three of us kids were in the cot with mum and dad standing around it,” she said.

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“I remember my sister crying because she wanted milk, she was only one at the time.

“I recall the howling of the wind.”

The photo was taken on Christmas Day 1974, Poppy had gone with her mum to check on some neighbours in Moil.

“Mum said I just saw the tricycle there and jumped on it and started riding around.”

Poppy is now a mum to three grown-up children and stayed in the Territory until around 10 years ago when they moved to Adelaide.

She said her kids think it is pretty cool that she is the young girl in one of the most famous Tracy photos.

READ MORE CYCLONE TRACY STORIES HERE