VOICE of BYRON regular, Tracey Dooley, found some terrific slides taken in the aftermath of the cyclone in 1978. Voice of Byron converted them to images and we thought they’d make a great slideshow for KWIMABB.
Tracey says, “Some very old photos from 78, taken the morning after the huge storm.
“They show the clean up at the surf board factory.
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“Thanks to John Wright and Voice of Byron for converting the slides for me.” 
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Great pics, but I must say it was in December 1979. I had run out of petrol and left my car at my mates caravan (Mick Geoghan) in Clarkes Caravan Park earlier that afternoon. I got a lend of my ol mans car to get back to a flat I was staying at in Armstrong St, Suffolk Park. Pretty sure it was around 9pm that this storm let go all it’s fury. I had to move my bed back away from the windows as I thought they were going to get blown in. The next morning I went to get some fuel for my car but there was debri everywhere. Trees, roofing, and back yard rubbish plus power lines down. I decided to go to the caravan park to see how things faired there. I couldn’t believe my eyes when there was around 18 inches of water on the lower level road and few annexes torn apart. As I got to the top level where Mick was staying it was total disaster. His 24 ft Caravan had been turned over even with cyclone chains on it. The annexe had been used as giant sail to lift the van up and over. But next to his van was my car with my mal and fishing rods on the roof still all in tack, which I reckon was a great advert for ockie straps. My ol mans place had one of the Shirley St Norfolk Pines come down right beside the front bedroom. The Meatworks was closed with no power and so on. Could write a several page detailed story on this but all I know is that every time after that night when I seen a storm moving in from the southwest I prepared to batten down the hatches.