How a lost girl inspired That Christmas documentary, featuring a Cyclone Tracy survivor and Norman Swan’s childhood secret

Last year I was driving back from a shoot for the ABC’s Compass program with colleague and cinematographer Richard Corfield.

There was a massive storm brewing and as the wind howled around us, he told me a story that was so moving, that by the time we got back to the ABC, I was in tears.

It was Christmas Day 30 years ago and Richard and his partner Juliet were on their very first date.

They were having a picnic in a national park in Sydney when a family approached them, visibly distressed.

“They came up to me and Juliet and said had we seen a little girl who’s gone missing? She’s a toddler, she’s wearing a blue sailor suit,” recalls Richard Corfield.

“We said we hadn’t seen her and we hoped they’d find her and we went on with our walk.”