By (A)manda Parkinson in Darwin

For two surviving sisters, the ongoing grief was evident, as a new memorial dedicated to those who died in Cyclone Tracy was unveiled in Darwin.

Boxing Day marked the moment many families emerged from the rubble after the Northern Territory city was almost wiped off the map by Australia’s most destructive cyclone.

For Stephanie Brown, the loss of her baby sister 50 years on was still raw.

On Wednesday, she reached out her hand and rubbed it against the stainless steel plaque that read Geraldine Elizabeth Brown.

She was among hundreds gathered on a cool wet season morning in Darwin to commemorate the tragedy 50 years on.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General Sam Mostyn unveiled the memorial on Christmas Day to remember the 66 people who lost their lives after the cyclone hit, bringing winds of more than 200km.

The monument, designed by local artist Techy Masero includes a metal awning representing the contorted corrugated iron that flew around the city. Five frangipani flowers made from polished concrete and steel carry the names of those who died.

While the trauma resonated through the participants at the commemoration, Ms Mostyn told survivors she believed the rebuilding of Darwin was a story of love.

“In those first few days, I think you underpinned the persistence and determination that ensured a new Darwin would emerge and would emerge quickly,” she said.

“It’s a story of love for each other, of coming back, of being here for one another, and the fact that so many of you turned up today just to spend some time thinking about who was lost or what was gained is the strength of this city.”

Her words were reinforced by Northern Territory Chief Judge Elisabeth Morris, who was acting NT Administrator at the time.

She reflected on the decades of story that have accumulated 50 years on from that fateful Christmas Day in 1974.

“The stories start with the preparation of the night, the parents wrapping presents, the food stack carefully in overloaded fridges, friends gathering together at each other’s houses,” she said.

“Then came the wind, and the rain and the cyclone.

She spoke about a young father who braced himself against a brick wall to save his child, and parents who put their baby in a washing machine, knowing they would not survive.

Tracy was a story of extraordinary humanity, of Australians taking people in, rebuilding a city in three years and finding hope in each other.

Ms Morris said as Darwin emerged from the wreckage, Territorians turned to their families, their friends and their neighbours.

“We walked miles to check on each other, those who had (anything), shared; doctors, nurses, ambulance officers just turned up at the hospitals,” she said.

“Mums commandeered in school buildings and kitchens, gathering supplies and marshalling resources.

“I’ve heard stories about great big stews being stirred by shovels.”

In the wake of the cyclone, many people abandoned Darwin completely, while others returned years later.

Mr Albanese, who was a child in Sydney when Cyclone Tracy hit, spoke of the devastation.

“An entire city almost wiped off the map,” he said.

“Across Darwin, families huddled fearfully in the safest places they could find, whispering prayers, holding each other tight, waiting for the howling darkness to pass.”

His words resonated with survivors whose sobs became audible.

Mr Albanese also paid tribute to those who rebuilt Darwin, an act he said showed “profound courage”.

“The three-year reconstruction of Darwin was an unprecedented national effort, and I believe, an unprecedented international effort as well,” he added.

“It set new standards for quality and safety in construction, meaning that when Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi hit North Queensland … there was nowhere near the sort of damage that we saw to homes, and nothing like the terrible loss of life that we saw here on the 25 December 1974.”

How Cyclone Tracy changed Australia forever