Impact of cyclonic 'Sygna storm' lingers, 50 years on

Amid strong wind and rain, spectators pull on a line attached to the stricken bulk carrier Sygna trying to rescue her crew in May 1974. File pictures: Newcastle Herald

ALMOST 50 years have passed since the horrific cyclone labelled the 'Sygna storm' battered the NSW coast, particularly Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

Remember it? The 50th anniversary of the savage storm of late May 1974 that created major devastation will be marked next weekend.