Darwin artist Techy Masero to create second Cyclone Tracy memorial at East Point

As debate rages over Darwin Council’s ‘mango tree’ sculpture, the design has been unveiled for a much-touted second memorial, with the artist inspired by a symbol of pre-Cyclone Tracy life.

Darwin Council’s winning pick for a Cyclone Tracy memorial sculpture on Bundilla Beach has been attacked by survivors, who argue it “doesn’t do justice” to the human toll of the disaster. Picture: Supplied

A senior NT government minister has stepped into the debate around Darwin Council’s Cyclone Tracy commemorative sculpture after growing backlash from his constituents.

It comes as a group of cyclone survivors await the tick of approval to build a separate memorial on council land at East Point, where Tracy made landfall 50 years ago.

If approved, the East Point memorial would be built by local artist and 40-plus year Darwin resident Techy Masero, best-known for the steel crocodile at the George Brown Botanic Gardens.

The proposed installation would include five statues resembling frangipani flowers along with seating and information exhibits.

Proof of concept for a second Cyclone Tracy memorial planned for East Point beach, alongside a more controversial counterpart being built by Darwin Council. Picture: Supplied

Darwin artist Techy Masero in 2013 with her famous crocodile sculpture, which now sits at the George Brown Botanic Gardens. Picture: Franchi Michael

Remembering Cyclone Tracy Inc chair Richard Creswick said Ms Masero chose the design because the trees were “ubiquitous in Darwin pre and immediately post-Cyclone”.

“Virtually every house had a frangipani tree and they were emblematic of Darwin,” he said.

“Visitors will be able to look out to the sea in the direction from which Tracy came, and we would like the memorial to be calming, reflective and attractive.”

Mr Creswick was an ABC journalist in Darwin during that time and this year published a book of interviews with survivors titled “Tracy: 50 Years, 50 Stories”.

His organisation is collecting a register of survivors until the end of June and planing series of events for the commemoration period of 23 to 31 December.

These will include a welcome event and curated discussion, but Mr Creswick also hoped to issue ID cards for survivors that can be used to redeem discounts at co-operating businesses.

He also sits on Darwin Council’s Tracy Commemoration Advisory Committee, which chose the more controversial Bundilla Beach sculpture, but could not discuss it due to a confidentiality agreement.

Cyclone Tracy made landfall on Christmas Eve, 1974, killing 66 people and leaving more than 41,000 homeless.

Member for Fannie Bay and Police Minister, Brent Potter, circulated a Change.org petition on Friday urging the council to think twice about its final pick for the public artwork.

“Mango tree”, “kid’s playground” and “fallopian tubes” were among the scathing assessments on social media – with the sculpture to sit on Bundilla Beach, part of his constituency.

Brent Potter, member for Fannie Bay, said his constituents have told him “the Cyclone Tracy memorial sculpture does not do justice to the Territory’s most significant natural disaster”.

“I have heard from local community members I have been elected to represent that the proposed Cyclone Tracy memorial sculpture does not do justice to the Territory’s most significant natural disaster,” he told the NT News.

“Territorians who were directly affected by Tracy have very deep and personal feelings about what they believe an appropriate memorial should be, and this petition is a way for community members to voice their concerns and ask the City of Darwin Council to reconsider their current design.”

Since being revealed last week, the “wind-activated kinetic sculpture” by New Zealand artist Phil Price has been rejected by scores of Territorians, many associated with the Cyclone Tracy Survivors Facebook group.

Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis, also a committee member, told the NT News he hoped the original proposed design would become a tourism landmark for the city.

“We live in a very big world now and if we want to make our city a place for people to visit, then we have to give something different, and this is something different,” he said.

Originally published as Darwin artist Techy Masero to create second Cyclone Tracy memorial at East Point