Experiencing weather

Introduction

There are many stories of extreme weather and descriptions from those who survived the ordeals of droughts, bushfires, floods and cyclones in Australia.

Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin on Christmas Day, 25 December, 1974 and was described by Major General Alan Stretton:

In the early hours of Christmas morning, in the pitch black of night, in the ruins of their homes, in the torrential rain and the shrieking gale, families huddled together under beds, in cupboards and anywhere that gave them a chance of survival.

Major General Alan Stretton

Learning activities

Disaster strikes

Search the catalogue of the National Library of Australia or Trove to find accounts of disastrous weather.

Here are some examples to get you started:

After hearing or reading real-life accounts of disastrous weather, have students conduct a mock interview, and then make a creative response.

For the interview, they should:

  • prepare a set of questions and possible answers
  • record it as a video, making sure that both the reporter and the interviewee use appropriate body language, voice and gesture.

For the creative response, they could:

  • develop a series of visual images for each natural disaster using mixed media (for example, paint, crayons, ink, collage, newspaper cuttings, quotes from poems, maps, keywords)
  • create and perform a movement piece that expresses the emotional impact of a natural disaster using dance and music.
Page published: 09 May 2023

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