Jacqueline Cowan is bringing a deeply personal and moving tribute to the airwaves this week on Hot100 Darwin ahead of the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy. From 3 pm to 5 pm during her drive show, Jac will present a special which will include conversations with survivors and their stories of courage, resilience, and hope in the face of unimaginable loss.

“The courage and strength of these survivors is something I can’t fully express,” Cowan says. “What they lived through is beyond comprehension. Their trauma is profound, and yet they have rebuilt their lives, their homes, and their community. The emotional scars from that night in 1974 remain, but they carry them with such strength, in different ways, each survivor carrying their own weight of memories. I am incredibly privileged to hear their stories—some of which have never been shared before.”

“These survivors are the keepers of history.  As the years go by, their voices become more important, as they are the final witnesses to the raw truth of Cyclone Tracy. I think its so important that their stories are heard by future generations.”

Jac is relatively new to Darwin and says of the local community:

“The people here have welcomed me so openly, and they’ve trusted me with stories that are both painful and powerful. These are stories of survival, of perseverance, of people who faced devastation head-on and still found the will to move forward. It’s been an honour to share them with a wider audience.”

“These people didn’t just rebuild their homes; they rebuilt an entire community. Their stories show what true courage and hope look like, even after such devastation. They are the living proof of the strength of the human spirit—resilient, determined, and unbreakable.”

The special is on all this week, from Monday the 16th of December, on Hot100, from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Gold crosses given as a Christmas gift to one of Jac Cowan’s interviewees. The Christmas tree and the earrings were two of the only things that survived in her home.