Although it was legal for devotees to distribute books in many Australian cities and towns, some authorities still objected. A few vehemently opposed. On 23 December 1974, a party of book distributors was arrested in Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory, lying on the shore of the Arafura Sea in the tropical "top-end" of Australia. Their books and money were confiscated, they were jailed and then, finally, unceremoniously thrown out of the city.
Two days later, on Christmas Day, Cyclone Tracy, with a wind velocity of over 217km per hour, totally obliterated Darwin. Australia's largest natural disaster destroyed nine out of every ten houses, and left 62 dead and 1,000 seriously injured. The entire city was evacuated, leaving 45,000 people homeless and damage estimated at 880 million dollars.
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
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