New book alert - David Clarke

Hi all,

New book:

UK writer David Clarke's new book "How UFOs Conquered the World: the History of a Modern Myth," (Aurum Press, London, 2015, ISBN 978-1-78131-3038) has just been published. In short, the book is about Clarke's personal journey through Ufology. However, it is far more than that.


Chapter one:

Chapter one is based around an interview with  Denis Plunkett, "...the last remaining founder member of the British Flying Saucer Bureau." (p.23.) Clarke's interest here was expressed as "I wanted to know what motivated Denis to persevere in his belief that UFOs were craft piloted by extra-terrestrials." (p.25.) Along the way is a discussion of early UFO sightings and personalities, and concludes "What Carl Jung called 'a modern myth of things seen in the sky' had been created." (p.48.)


Chapter two:

This chapter explores the issue of witnesses' conviction of what they observe, in the light of belief and expectation, illustrated by case histories from the United Kingdom. He outlines studies such as that of CUFOS' former Allan Hendry which found that 90% of all incoming raw reports had mundane explanations after competent investigation. He writes "Williamson' story demonstrated that it is not the experience that is at the root of the syndrome but how it is subsequently interrupted by the observers and, if reported, by the media and the ufologists." (p.65.)


Chapter three:

This is centred around the events in the 1960's around Warminster in the UK, and includes scientific research conducted by David Simpson and other members of the Society for the Investigation of UFO Phenomenon, using balloons to create false UFO reports which UFOlogists accepted as genuine. In summing up Clarke writes "...every type of UFO evidence, from complex photographs to alien abductions, secret government documents and stories told by high ranking military officials about extra-terrestrial cadavers hidden in air force hangers, has at some point been unveiled as being invented. " (p.95.)


Chapter four:

Here, Clarke focuses on the UK Ministry of defence and their involvement in the UFO subject. Clarke writes "What struck me was the stark contrast between the popular idea of a lavishly funded secret government agency tasked with suppressing the facts about alien visitation and the mundane daily reality faced by those who ran the MOD's actual UFO desk." (pp99-100.)

Clarke interviewed Alex Cassie who worked with DI55's John Dickison and S4's Leslie Ackhurst; plus Jim Carruthers, a senior MOD official. Later interviewees included Linda Unwin, who ran the MOD's UFO desk in the early 2000's All very interesting reading.


Chapter five:

Chapter five covers the MOD's release of its UFO files; the televisions series 'X-files;" Steven M Greer's Disclosure Project; categories of conspiracy thinking, and UFO researcher Gary Heseltine. In closing, his account of his interview with Heseltine wrote "...I was struck by the fact that, for all its talk about evidence, ufology was not an empirical discipline. In order for it to survive it had to close itself off from the scientific method." (p.145)


Chapter six:

"Crashed saucers" feature in this chapter. Clarke describes the 1962 Ardgay, Scotland incident; then Roswell and other such events. Archival research suggested that the Ardgay device was part of a mid 1950's CIA Project Moby Dick, where large balloons launched from Scotland over the USSR. At the chapter's end, Clarke writes "The truth is that governments can only successfully keep secrets when knowledge is confined to a small group of people. That simply cannot be the case with the UFO conspiracy." (p.169.)


Chapters seven and eight:

Chapter seven examines the world of contactee George King and the Aetherius Society of the UK. "...I saw little to separate the stories of contactees like George King from the experiences described by the many sane, rational people who claimed to have been abducted by aliens." (p.192.) Chapter eight examines the world of abductees, which takes us into the world of sleep paralysis, and altered states of conciseness`. "I was satisfied that cultural and psychological factors were the key to exploring the stories told by experiencers." (p.211.)


Chapter nine onwards:

Here, Clarke tells of his interview with Father Paul (Eric Inglesby), Britain's longest serving Christian ufologist, about his views on UFOs. Father Paul told Clarke that  "...ufology was a vast, huge subject, shot full of religious danger." (p.222.) In the chapter, Clarke's view remained that "...all my investigations pointed to the mundane truth that most if not all UFOs could be explained in terms of misperceptions, altered states of consciousness and the influence of pop culture." (p.220.)

The penultimate chapter focusses on the question of life elsewhere in the Universe. Clarke reviews the views of astronomer Professor Paul Murdin, and Dr Michael Swords. Clarke confesses that "After spending three decades immersed in a syndrome where the scientific method is nearly always sacrificed to wish-fulfilment I had reached the point where I had to reject the extra-terrestrial hypothesis as an explanation for UFOs simply because it can never, ever be refuted." (p.254.)

Clarke's conclusion chapter titled "In the eye of the beholder" summarises his 30 year journey through Ufology. "One of the paradoxical lessons of the phenomenon is not what it tells us about extra-terrestrials but what it reveals about ourselves. " (p.265.) "Eventually I came to embrace the only explanation that satisfied me. It is often described simply as the PSH, or psychosocial hypothesis..." (p.268.)


In conclusion:

Clarke says that along the way, he "...discovered not one but ten basic truths." (pp272-278.)

1. "There is no such things as 'the UFO phenomenon' but there are lots of phenomena that cause UFOs."

2. "There is no such thing as a 'true UFO.'"

3. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

4. "Accounts of UFO experiences form the core of the syndrome, but stories do not constitute 'evidence.' They are folklore."

5. "Culture - not experience - creates the UFO interpretation but some experiences are independent of culture."

6. "The UFO syndrome fulfils the role of the supernatural 'other.'"

7. "The extra-terrestrial hypothesis and other exotic theories cannot explain UFOs."

8. "The idea of a super-conspiracy to hide the truth about UFOs is unfalsifiable."

9. "The common denominator in UFO stories is the human beings who see and believe in them."

10. "People want to believe in UFOs."

Investigation report - Blue Haven , NSW - 11 May 2015

INVESTIGATION REPORT ON THE 11 MAY 2015, BLUE HAVEN, NEW SOUTH WALES, REPORT.

By Keith Basterfield and Paul Dean -  Version 3 - 31 May 2015

The report:

The initial report came via David Reneke. David passed it on to Paul Dean of Melbourne, who contacted the witness by email.

The witness then supplied the following response by email:

"I am open minded ,and like things explainable if you know what i mean, what i saw was strange and could not work it out , must have been some size for me to see it with the naked eye from a distance, I'm in Blue Haven; on the 11th of May ,2pm just above Wyee a town in NSW Central Coast ,  i was checking the mailbox, and saw a black/ grey object ,had no shape just look like a mass or round ? dark colour, wasn't a plane or helicopter ,and just hovering not moving, then a light flash ,like sunlight on a window and it was gone, went inside to get the camera and binoculars but it was gone ,no sign of anything, the weather was clear no clouds. Checked the web to see if anybody else had seen anything but could not find anything at all.”

A follow up email from Paul Dean asking a number of questions, received the response:

1. Direction of UFO –north.
2. Angular elevation – 30-45 degrees.
3. Any sound? - None.
4. Angular size? –Jumbo plane size. Blob. Round. Grey dark in colour.
5. Duration? – 2 minutes.
6. Other comments? – Saw a flash, like the Sun hitting the window, then gone. “The flash was close to the electricity power lines …but over the lines…the flash was on the left hand side of the object looking north.”

Investigation:

1. Location:

Blue Haven is situated on the Central Coast of New South Wales at latitude 32.20 degrees south and longitude 151.48 degrees east.

2. Weather:

A check of the Bureau of Meteorology website revealed the two nearest stations were:

Station 061412 Lake Macquaries NSW 12.4 kms distant.

Min temp 10.3 deg C; max temp 21.3 deg C. Rain 0.2mm. Max wind gust from the west at 65km/hr at 0611hrs.

At 9am 18.3 deg C; 48% relative humidity; wind from WNW at 11km/hr, 1011.7 hpa.

At 3pm 20.5 deg c; 41% relative humidity; wind from WNW at 20km/hr; 1011.0 hpa.

No details of cloud coverage.

Station 061366 Norah head NSW 12.7km distance.

Min temp 15.2 deg C;Max 21 deg C; 0mm rain; Max wind gust from the west at 48km/hr at 0706hrs.

9am 18.2 deg C; 49% relative humidity; wind from WNW at 11km/hr; 1010.9hpa.

3pm 20.1 deg C; 48% rh; wind from WNW at 17km/hr 1009.9hpa.

No details of cloud coverage.

3. Local paper:

The Gosford, Central Coast, Express Advocate was checked for May 13 and 15^th- the nearest issues. There were no mention of UFO reports. A letter to the editor was published in the newspaper, asking for additional witnesses to this event. No such witnesses contacted the authors.

4. Local radio station:

A check was undertaken of the blog site for radio station 2GO, Gosford. There were no mention of any UFO reports around the 11 May 2015.

5. Local UFO group:

There is a local UFO group run by Joann Kanda, at Tuggerah Lakes, close to the location of Blue Haven. Joann was unaware of this case, and knew of no similar reports from around 11 May 2015.

Joann advised us that:

"...maybe six weeks ago I recall reading the neighbourhood watch fb page and chat site where there had been much discussion about large helicopters in that area and wanting to know what they were. Looked grey from a distance but black and white. Admin eventually intervened and said they were ausgrid helicopters."

6. WebTrak:

Is there any evidence that there was a helicopter in the area at the time? In fact there is. Below is an image taken at 2.08pm on 11 May 2015, from the Air Services Australia WebTrak website which shows secondary radar images recorded at Sydney International airport.

 

The blue symbol is in fact a helicopter, heading north towards Blue Haven, at an altitude of 500 feet.

Analysis:

1. It should be noted that the Blue Haven witness stated that the object was "hovering." Also that the object was close to the electricity power lines. Joann mentioned AusGrid helicopters in the area. AusGrid is a large electricity supply company. They use helicopters to patrol power lines.

2. Joann refers to the colour of the AusGrid helicopters being grey when seen from a distance. The Blue Haven witness says his object was grey, dark.

3. Helicopters do of course make noise. The witness however says there was no sound associated with his object. But hearing noise from a chopper depends on wind direction and distance from the witness.

4.  There was a helicopter in the general area at the time. The following link shows a map of selected areas and scheduled dates for AusGrid helicopter patrols:

http://www.ausgrid.com.au/bushfirepatrols#.VVwvkMuJjIU

5. However, our Sydney research associate contacted AusGrid in Newcastle, and was advised that "records do not show any helicopter patrols in the Wyee/Blue Haven area on 11th May." Thus ruling out an AusGrid helicopter as the cause of the Blue Haven sighting.

6. However, the behaviour of the object, i.e. "hovering"" over the power lines is still suggestive of the possibility that the object might have been a helicopter. We have not been able to identify the helicopter shown on the WebTrak screen. We must, however, note that the witness stated that in his opinion, the object was neither a helicopter nor an aircraft.

7. Our Sydney research associate visited the area of Blue Haven; looked at the location of the power lines; and noted that the area is not on the usual aircraft routes into/out of Sydney. In his view, the object appears not to have been a helicopter or aircraft.  

Conclusion:
 
Based on the information available to us, we have not been able to conclusively ascertain the identity of the object seen at Blue Haven.
.

"A few home truths" - from Jenny Randles

Hi all,

"A few home truths" is a chapter by UK researcher, Jenny Randles, in a book titled "A World History of UFOs," which I found so fascinating when I re-read it recently.


General observations:

To begin with, Jenny noted that "Today's new brand of star chasers seem every bit as besotted as earlier generations were  with the Extra-terrestrial hypothesis..." followed by "...with the mass of conspiracy theory rammed down their throats by TV every day and the huge financial rewards if you promote grays, cover-ups and crashed space trips...there never has been a bigger incentive not to think objectively about UFOs..."

Later, she writes, "...Ufology is such a useful weapon in the TV ratings war, it has become many a producer's personal addiction..."

Finally, "...serious UFO researchers have become an endangered species..."


My thoughts:

Much of today's Ufology on television, is simply entertainment. Short snippets of a delightfully vague, out of focus video clips, which have received no investigation.

Many newspaper articles on the subject, even if they start off in a serious vein, often then degenerate into using words such as "ET's," "aliens spaceships;" and denigrate our topic. Rarely is there a serious discussion of the subject.

Now, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that doesn't mean that I have to agree with them! I prefer opinions to be based on an examination of fact based evidence. Perhaps that makes me "old school" but I make no apologies for holding this view.

The above words of Jenny's are as applicable today, as they were when they were written, which was in 1997, 18 years ago!


Jenny's "rules."

Jenny came up with a number of "rules" about UFO field investigations:

Rule one:

"If you don't solve at least nine out of ten cases you are doing something wrong."

Based on her own years of investigations she and her associates, were able to find mundane explanations for 90-95% of raw reports.

Rule two:

"The more witnesses there are, the less likely it's really a UFO."

Through 25 years of investigation, Jenny noted that the core "unexplained" cases had an average of 1.5 witnesses. This compared to the average IFO having a larger number between 4 and dozens.

Rule three:

"Never say never."

Jenny found, through trial and error that some IFOs took months, perhaps years, to determine they were the cause of some cases. She felt that just because you places an investigated report into the "unknown" category, that you should not forget that case. That you periodically need to return to these "unknowns" and carry out a cold review analysis, in the light of today's knowledge.

Rule four:

"First hand is the only hand."

Jenny felt that you need to conduct a personal, first hand investigation, and not rely on media or second hand information.

Rule five:

"It's the witness' story, not yours."

Whatever you think the cause of an observation was, the witness may have their own opinion, which may differ from your own interpretation. You deduce your own conclusions, based on the evidence you collect, even if the witness does not agree with your conclusions.

Rule six:

"Dig deep."

Jenny says, never assume what is on the surface of a case, is all, there is. Be prepared to dig deeper.


My final thoughts:

In my opinion, today's UFOlogists would benefit, from following Jenny Randles six "rules.

Blowing in the wind - "Angel Hair" or spiders' web?

Hi all,

Update 19 May 2015.

The story has gone viral on the Internet. I have been contacted by media from the UK; USA; Canada, and the Netherlands, plus Australia. Stories have appeared in all of these countries, and others. I have been contacted by seven people now, most from New South Wales, who have told me about falls in 2012; 2013; 2014 and 2015, mainly in the month of May of each of these years.

Some blog readers have asked me what this story about spider's webs has to do with UAP? The answer is that ever since 1954 there has been a debate among researchers about whether so called falls of "Angel Hair" are really spiders' webs, or the residue from the propulsion systems of UAP?  Thus, accounts of falls, are of interest to me, in order to resolve the answer to this question. 


Update 15 May 2015.

I have been interviewed by ABC radio; a number of Australian and overseas newspapers; and a variety of blog sites, about this story. You may read a selection of stories at:

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/raining-spiders-in-goulburn-entirely-possible-scientist-says-20150514-gh1guf.html

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/angel-hair-phenomenon-when-spiders-rain-down-australia-town-1501267

http://www.wvtm13.com/national/millions-of-spiders-rain-down-on-australia-town/33024080

I have also received first hand accounts of falls in May 2013 and May 2014.


Update: 14 May 2015.

There was a reported fall of "angel hair" from Goulburn, NSW on 4 May 2015. This was originally reported to Mariana Flynn of UFOR (NSW) who alerted Bill Chalker to the fall. Bill contacted the UFOR(NSW) caller, and has now had a chance to examine a sample of the material.  Bill's assessment is that this was a fall of spiders' web.

In the meantime, suspecting this was indeed a fall of spiders' web, in this instance, and not a fall of the fabled "angel hair",  I contacted the Goulburn Post newspaper, and they have just run a story. http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/3075892/baby-spiders-take-to-the-air/

I have now received the following first hand accounts:

One:

"I just read an article in the Goulburn NSW paper about the Angel Hair phenomenon of migrating baby spiders.

I am thrilled to tell you that I saw it at my home on the Monday afternoon. We were sitting on the front verandah and I was looking NW , with the direct sun shielded by the roof. It looked like lots of silk thred floating through the sky,  though quite high up. It lasted for at least 30mins. It was quite amazing. I am so glad that I now know what I was witnessing.

We live on the eastern side of Mt Misery which is at the very end of Johnson Road Yass River. About 25km SE of Yass.

I hope this information is of interest."

Two:

"I just read the article on the spiders, Approx around the 27th April we experienced this and thought we were been invaded by spiders for two days, every time I'd walk outside my feet would get covered in very fine cob web like substance and the clothes line and clothes were absolutely entangled in it the weather was sunny with a slight breeze and this was only present for 2 days, we are located 30km from Yass out on the Wargeila rd, hope this helps with your research this article certainly explained a lot to me."

Based on the research conducted by Bill and I, we believe this fall to have been due to spiders' web.

Original post:

There has been a reported fall of "Angel Hair" at Goulburn, New South Wales today. "Clumps of cotton like stuff floating 100 metres up in the sky."

The weather data for Goulburn, NSW for today, 4 May 2015, is as follows:
9am 10degC; relative humidity 99%; 8/8 cloud cover; wind from WNW at 6km/hr.
3pm 21.2degC; RH 51%; 1/8 cloud cover; wind from NW at 13km/hr.

May is one of the two most likely months of the year, for Australian falls. Take a look at a previous blog post from April 2013, in which I was advising researchers in Australia to keep an eye out for falls in May that year. http://ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com.au/…/angels-in-…

Comprehensive analysis:

Some years ago, I compiled a catalogue of known Australian falls, then prepared an analysis of the data, with some interesting findings.  For a detailed listing and analysis of dozens of Australian falls go to: http://www.project1947.com/kbcat/kbangel.htm

Australian "UFO communities" on Facebook

Hi all,

Each month, when compiling the monthly Australian national level sightings listings, I take a look at a number of Facebook (FB) pages on which appear details of either personal or third party observations.

This month, the number of such individual Australian "UFO communities" Facebook pages ( I am not including the FB pages of specific individuals who post about UFOs) hit at least 32 of which I am aware. Naturally, there may be other closed, or hidden sites. Having spent sometime taking a look at each site, I thought I'd share with blog readers, what I found. The list is not meant to be a complete listing of such sites.


A. FB pages associated with groups:

Some FB pages belong to well known Australian UFO groups. I will list their name; a well known individual associated with that group; the descriptor they place on the site, e.g. closed group etc; and the link.

1. UFO Research Queensland Incorporated.
(Sheryl Gottschall). Non profit organisation.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/UFO-Research-Queensland-Inc/234668694323?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

2. UFO and Paranormal Research Society of Australia.
(Larriane Cilia and Dominic McNamara). Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/178000232086/

3. Tuggerah Lakes UFO Group Incorporated.
(Joann Kanda). Community organisation.
https://www.facebook.com/tlufo?fref=ts

4. Victorian UFO Action.
(Ben Hurle and Andrew Arnold). Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/251241871666298/

5. Melbourne UFO Centre.
(Ben Hurle). Public group.
https://www.facebook.com/search/str/Melbourne%20UFO%20Centre/keywords_top

6. Australian UFO Research Network.
(Rob Frola and Daniel Sims). News and sightings.
https://www.facebook.com/auforn.newsandsightings?fref=ts

7. Ufo-prsa Qld.
(Darren Terry).
https://www.facebook.com/ufoprsa.qld?fref=ts

8. Australian Cosmic Connections Adelaide.
(Kevin Robb). Non profit organisation.
https://www.facebook.com/search/str/Australian%20Cosmic%20connections/keywords_top

9. Independent Network of UFO Researchers.
(Moira McGhee). Organisation.
https://www.facebook.com/INUFOR?fref=ts

10. Tasmanian UFO Investigation Centre.
(Keith Roberts). Community organisation.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tufoic-Tasmanian-UFO-Investigation-Centre/183020878416047?fref=ts

11. UFO Research (NSW) Incorporated.
(Mariana Flynn).
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Exopolitics-Sydney-Division-of-UFO-Research-NSW-Incorporated/264151130276631


B. Loose "communities of interested individuals":

Some FB UFO pages have been established by individuals, for the use of  "communities of interested individuals," usually based in a geographical area.

12. Perth UFO Casebook.
Public group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120362747826/

13. Perth UFO Informer.
Public group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/uforesearchperth/

14. Queensland UFO sightings and Research.
Community. Established 2014.
https://www.facebook.com/ufosaustralia?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

15. Melbourne UFO Sightings.
(Brad Morris.) Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/search/str/Melbourne%20ufo%20sightings/keywords_top

16. Melbourne UFO Sightings.
(Brad Morris). Non governmental organisation.
https://www.facebook.com/ufosightingsmelbourne?fref=ts

17. Adelaide UFO Sightings.
(Brad Morris). Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/adelaideufosightings/

18. Sydney UFO sightings.
(Brad Morris). Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sydneyufosightings/

19. UFO Australia.
(??) Community.
https://www.facebook.com/marani55?fref=ts

20. UFO Sightings & Photos.
(??). Community.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/UFO-sightings-photos-Australia/577274185692356?fref=ts

21. UFO Australia.
(??) Community.
https://www.facebook.com/marani55?fref=ts

22. Australia UFO and ET experiences.
(??). Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/513941571992549/

23. Australian UFO Paranormal Investigation.
(Glenn Abberton.) Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/760073804076764/

24. Australian Skywatch & Enthusiasts.
(??) Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/314948968410/

25. UFO Gold Coast.
(??) Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ufogoldcoast/

26. Yarra Ranges UFO Sightings.
(??) Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/603836839634810/

27. Sydney UFO Hunters.
(??) Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1557139037862305/

28. Adelaide UFO Reporting.
(??) Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/adelaideUFO/


C. Other:

Besides the above, there are two sets of identically named groups, but run by different people.

29. South Australian UFO Network.
(Dasher Spaceski). Public group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/saufon/

30. South Australian UFO Network.
(Cheryl-Lee Vanagelis.) Closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1452093691750545

31. MUFON Australia.
(??) Public group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/48321680922/

32. MUFON Australia.
(Cheryl-Lee Vanagelis, National Director for Australia for MUFON).
See my blog post at http://ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/the-mutual-ufo-network-in-australia.html
https://www.facebook.com/mufon.australia.newzealand?fref=ts


Corrections:

I welcome input from any blog reader who may be able to provide additional Australian UFO FB pages; or indeed wishes to correct any of the information in this post.

Experiencers and dermatographia

Hi all,

In the 1990's,when I was actively involved in working with Australian experiencers, I would occasionally come across individuals with unusual body markings, which they attributed to their experiences (click here.)

I recall interviewing a young Indian woman, who had a distinctive, triangular shaped mark on the back of one hand, and who vividly recounted an alien abduction. However, close questioning of the woman, finally revealed that the mark on her hand was in fact a self-inflicted burn mark, made using the pointy end of a hot iron. It was done, as was the made up abduction account, to gain her family's attention.

In other  instances, I was unable to ascertain the exact nature of some of the unusual body markings I came across.

Fortean Times magazine:

Recently, while reading a back issue of this magazine, September 2014, number 317 page 23, I came across the topic of"dermatography." The full text of the article reads:

"Sarah Beal, 43, from Arley, in Warwickshire, has a condition called dermatographia: the slightest scratch can cause her skin to swell. This allows her to create designs and words on her body that vanish within an hour.

'My skin is so sensitive that sometimes even clothes can feel uncomfortable,' she said. 'I can scratch my arm or my back and long lines will come up. But being able to draw on my skin is so cool - it's my party trick." The Etch a Sketch comparison is pretty accurate, although I wish a good shake was enough to get rid of the itching.'

Dermatographia is thought to be caused when cells release histamines under the slightest pressure. This triggers an allergic reaction, causing the skin to swell. Metro 6 Mar 2014.

The Gang of Fort is reminded of the bite and scratch marks appearing on the arms, chest, neck and cheeks of the Romanian "Poltergeist Girl" Elonore  Zugun ( click here) studied by parapsychologists in the 1920's. For this and other examples of 'skin writing" in response to unspoken thoughts and hypnosis  see John Mitchell and Bob Rickard: The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena (2007) pp 86-88, and the entry on "dermatography" in The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology (1978), edited by Leslie Shepherd ( click here.) For a photograph of unexplained scratches on schoolgirls in Botswana in 1922 see FT69:8."

Abduction experiencers:

 I wonder if some apparent unusual body markings found by experiencers may be subconsciously caused by this process? Is any reader aware of any research in this area?

For further medical information on the condition, click here.

April 2015 - monthly Australian reports roundup

Hi all,

April 2015 Australian national level sightings listing

Compiled by Keith Basterfield and Paul Dean.

Here is the seventh in a series of listings of Australian national level sightings listings. This listing is a 12 month trial to see if it provides value to the Australian research community.  You are reminded that almost all of these reports are raw, that is, they have not been investigated and documented.  If you wish to input any sightings for the May 2015 listing, please forward them to keithbasterfield@yahoo.com.au by 3 June 2015.

The reports are in the format:

Date. Time. Location. Duration. Comment ( could be IFO - i.e. identified flying object; or source of information such as Facebook, Email or Telephone.)


Updates:

26 March 2015 Night Darwin, Northern Territory  10 secs IFO-helicopter?
Ms Williams initially reported seeing a bright, lime green, light in the sky for ten seconds, which "...slowed right down and disappeared." (Source: NT News 30 March 2015.)

The NT News for 4 April 2015 carried details of additional witnesses. Shane Marcus, aged 45, of Nakara said he saw the same green light. He was standing in the rain and saw "...a green light with a red tail travelling west over the Royal Darwin Hospital before descending out of sight below the tree line." He said it wasn't a helicopter. "It was coming down like a meteorite but not as fast." The article says Mr Marcus said he suspected it was space junk.

An additional witness, Cheryl Halliday, said she had seen the same green light hovering over Cullen Bay in the sky, but on Friday 20 March 2015, not 26 March 2015. "It was a green light and it was going down behind the restaurants and then it turns and it was a red light..."

The 4 April article continues "...the Australian Defence Force has claimed it was likely one of the MRH90 helicopters being flown for exercise Vigilant Scimitar 15. Major Stephen Bates from the 1st Aviation regiment said lights on the MRH90 blades would have illuminated like a disc and been brightly visible against the cloudy night sky last Thursday."

9 March 2015 0926hrs Perth and other areas of Western Australia Secs IFO-fireball
This was a fireball, with a predicted fall site about 50km SSW of Moora, WA. The fireball was to the north of Perth travelling in a NNW direction. besides the numerous visual observations, it was also captured on six vehicle dash cams.
fireballs@curtin.edu.au

20 January 2015 Evening Cawongla, New South Wales ? secs IFO-aircraft?
Andrew Hanlon photographed a white, mystery object near the Moon. The Australian Department of Defence confirmed that F/A-18A/B Hornet aircraft from number 75 Squadron, were travelling from RAAF Townsville to RAAF Williamtown, and transiting the area at the time of the photograph.
The Queensland Times 4 April 2015 "F/A 18 Hornet likely explanation of mystery object."


April reports:

1 April 2015 0100hrs Hobart, Tasmania ? mins Facebook IFO - aircraft
Flashing lights followed by a vapour trail. Moving from east to west. Silent. Aircraft overflight.
TUFOIC.

2 April 2015 0500hrs Ettalong Beach, Central Coast, New South Wales ? mins Raw
Glen Rogers was waiting for a bus when he watched a bright, white and blue, soundless cigar shaped object in the sky, which was initially stationary. "Then it started to move erratically from left to right , up and down, and when turning it didn't slow down." The sky at the time, was clear, and it was still dark.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/truth-is-out-there-ex-serviceman-the-latest-to-have-a-possible-close-encounter-with-a-ufo-on-coast/story-fngr8h0p-1227292863838

3 April 2015 2036hrs Melbourne, Victoria 6mins 47 secs Raw
A video of an orange light in a dark sky with the comments. North/west. UFO...Anomaly Venus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgmap_jut2w

4 April 2015 Ca. 2100hrs Judbury, Tasmania  2 mins Facebook Telephone IFO ? - balloon
Several witnesses notice bright orange light in northern sky. The light moves slowly east over a couple of minutes before it looks to fade into fog over nearby hills. Maybe a hoax balloon, but insufficient information for evaluation.
TUFOIC.

4 April 2015 2355hrs Launceston, Tasmania ? mins  Facebook IFO? - meteor
Green flash noticed as it seems to shoot across the sky at phenomenal speed.
TUFOIC.

8 April 2015 1935hrs Long Jetty, Australia ? mins Raw
Triangular shaped object moving fast north to south. No sound. Lost sight behind house roof. Clear sky.
http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=search_page

8 April 2015 Dusk Cairns, Queensland ? mins Raw
Kalen Simpson reported watching "...this flickering light in the sky...at a very fast rate and slowly moving to the east...shortly after another one appeared and moved in the same direction."
UFO Research Queensland Facebook page.

10 April 2015 1935hrs Kangaroo Flat, Australia ? mins Raw
A small orange/red object was seen in the sky. It went behind a roof. Clear sky.
http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=search_page

11 April 2015 (2100-2230)hrs Cairns, Queensland ? mins raw
Susan Robinson reported that her son and his grandmother saw a bright red object in the sky. It was at a 45 degree elevation, and travelling slowly downward. It was flashing or blinking. It was a donut shape, pointy at the bottom/
http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/2007/report-a-sighting/

13 April 2015 Ca. 1930hrs Magra, Tasmania 2 Mins Facebook. IFO - satellite
Bright white light to south, heading to the east at a constant speed.
TUFOIC.

14 April 2015 2045hrs Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales ?mins Raw
Brian Carbery reported seeing an object with "...three bright round green lights (not flashing). He was looking north-east and the object travelled horizontally northwards. "It stopped suddenly and immediately reversed in a southerly direction..." There was no noise.
http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/2007/report-a-sighting/

14 April 2015 Night Rockingham, Perth, Western Australia 34 secs Raw
Brian Hall posted a 34 second long video of a green, glowing light moving across the sky. It then changed colour, lit up like a fireball and departed at speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRmUqzOxenc
Perth UFO casebook Facebook page.

15 April 2015 1130hrs Warragamba, New South Wales 3 mins Raw
An orange glowing round shape like a ball moving through the sky from north to south. Not moving that fast. No noise. No flashing lights. Lasted for about three minutes then disappeared into the cloud coverage. Was flying over at a height a small plane would.
UFOPRSA April "Phenomenon Times."

17 April 2015 Evening Bundaberg, Queensland ?mins IFO-Chinese lanterns?
Multiple reports of orange lights in the sky.
The Queensland Times 21 April 2015.

20 April 2015 (2100-2130)hrs Upway, Melbourne, Victoria 8 mins Raw
A 26 year old male was looking west-north-west. Sitting in the sky above his home's roof-line, he saw a bright, stationary, green light. At first it appeared to be very still, and like a very bright star. Then it moved in slightly different directions quite slowly. The object seemed to dim and brighten over many seconds. Therew as no sound, and it was a clear night. He went inside to get a camera, but upon coming back outisde the light had gone.
VUFOA.

20 April 2015 2138hrs Prospect, Tasmania ? mins  Email
Witness putting out rubbish bin when notices a triangular object in a clear sky. Siolent and moving faster than an aircraft as it travelled towards the south-east horizon. It appeared to be lit in a soft, yellowish light but there were no flashing lights. The lights were obscured when the house sensor lights came on as the witness walked back to his house. Unable to contact witness. Insufficient information for investigation.
TUFOIC.

22 April 2015 2215hrs West Perth, Western Australia 1.5 mins Raw
Judy reported looking to the south-west and seeing a "quite large looking triangular flying object in the sky at 70 degrees elevation." The underneath which was visible had red and green bright lights. There was no sound. "...it looked like it was going to land..." She watched it travel across the sky towards the north-west "...when it began to descend." It was lost to sight due to houses and trees. the sky was very clear.
Sydney Obs.

23 April 2015 2130hrs Perth, Western Australia mins Raw
A young woman reported that "...heading north on the Kwinana Freeway. Approx 2 minutes before I hit south st on the east side. A flying disc shaped object.. At first glance thought it was a plane landing. It had four or five oval shaped bright lights. But all of a sudden switched direction, headed downwards and then upwards again. I saw green/blue lights." "It was only slightly longer than it was wide..."
Perth UFO Casebook Facebook page.

25 April 2015 Various times Victoria Several minutes IFO-balloon
Numerous reports about a slow, apparently high altitude light/object over parts of Victoria. Identified as a NASA Super Pressure Balloon, at an altitude of 33.5kms. It was launched from Wanaka airport, New Zealand on 22 March 2015 on a scheduled 100 day flight around the globe. NASA said it was approaching from the south, just west of Melbourne, flying northwards for several days before eventually turning eastwards. Best seen at sunrise and sunset. It is carrying a 2268kg payload.
VUFOA and numerous internet sites.


Older reports:

31 March 2015 0545hrs Adelaide, South Australia 3 mins Raw
A white light seen flashing on and off at 1.5sec intervals. Witness stated that the height and speed would indicate it was not a commercial aircraft.
http://www.nuforc.org
Monthly report index

31 March 2015 0800hrs Caloundra, Queensland ? hrs Raw
Witness has sighted 3-4 UFOs. One light hovered, then shot over horizon, then exploded. Another time, huge silver ball, bigger than the Moon, hovered then vanished. A few weeks later, a huge light hovered in the same area. Tonight, spinning lights in the clouds. Seen by many people.
http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=search_page

27 Mar 2015 1910hrs Rockhampton, Queensland ? hrs Raw
"After I sighted UFOs other night I noticed a small needle mark and blood where the needle went through my breast. Last night I felt what they did only later. And this is what I went through...still I think it is important to understand and note every detail for future reference. No matter what happens it needs to be recorded. And I wanted to make sure ppl know my problem. I have alien abduction."
http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=search_page

20 March 2015 Blue Bay, New South Wales 0620hrs 30 mins Raw
Mathew Jayland and his son were watching the sunrise when they saw "...two reflections of light in the eastern  sky that I thought must have been small far off cloud that was high  enought to be lit by the sun even thought it still hadn't risen yet." The two spots of light travelled slowly southward across the horizon. Two or three cargo ships offshore gave good reference points.  Both objects left what looked like a vapou trail behind them. He photographed the objects. Then a third object came along from the same start poiont travelling in the same direction, but by now the sun had risen. "Upon viewing the pics on my computer with a zoom function I can clearly make out a black manmade object."
UFOPRSA April "Phenomenon Times."

18 March 2015 2100hrs Tawonga South, Victoria 1min Raw
On a dark, moonless night, Kylie watched a noiseless object "floating" from south to north. It blinked twice, disappeared, reappeared after 3-5 seconds. It did this a total of four times. It was star sized, and the sky was clear at the time.
VUFOA.

14 March 2015 ?hrs Glenroy, Melbourne, Victoria 4 mins Raw
Rocco, on a partially cloudy night, watched an oval shaped object, similar in size to the full Moon. "I ran inside and got my binoculars and saw a UFO in the sky. It was oval in shape, red in colour with very bright lights in the centre, flashing from left to right. The UFO was wobbling in the sky very erratic. It lasted about four minutes then disappeared.
VUFOA

6 March 2015 2350hrs Deer Park, Melbourne, Victoria 1 min Raw
Chris reported seeing a soundless, "...pitch black triangle shape. Larger than Boeing 747." There were no lights on it. It went from azimuth 300 to azimuth 360 degrees in 3 seconds. Its speed was estimated as Mach 3 or higher.
VUFOA.

6 March 2015 2-3-hrs Sydney, New South Wales ? secs Raw
Witness was observing the Moonrise and taking a video. On playback he "...noticed a bright orange light that would appear and then disappear...not...visible while filming."
http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=search_page

2 March 2015 0000hrs Pinaroo, Victoria ? mins Raw
 Two witnesses were waiting for the shops to open. They observed a "...bucket shaped aircraft" whig went up slowly. It "wandered" about in the sky. Dipped and weaved.
http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=search_page

21 February 2015 2120hrs Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia 20 mins Raw
A woman (29) and her child (7) reported seeing a "...white light above the clouds moving in a curved L shape pattern span of about 1km, then after 5 mins separated into 2 light sourced moving in a crossing over v shape. Then a few mins later separated again to 3 in total, this one was capping the v to make a triangle. Each one would only take a few seconds to complete its line and return. Seen one pop out of the clouds a few times, it appeared to be a complete sphere. They then disappeared after about 20 mins."
(email to uforesearchersa@yahoo.com.au)

22 Mar 2012 0125hrs Sydney, New South Wales 60 mins Raw
(Reported 31 Mar 2015)
Complex story since childhood. Has seen many UFOs. Aliens made contact in 2012. Hundreds of flashing lights in the sky. For an hour. Big light engulfed the witness, 200 ft long and 50 ft wide. It went straight through him. It then went back into the clouds. Witness has 2500 videos of them.
http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=search_page

20 December 2009  2330hrs Penrith, Sydney, New South Wales Few mins Raw
Driving out Kemps Creek area and noticed a brighter than normal light just a bit lower than the stars. Definitely wasn't a plane or a helicopter. It was watched for a few minutes then it suddenly just "dropped out of the sky so fast."
UFOPRSA. April "Phenomenon Times."

31 July 1993 Goulburn, New South Wales 2310hrs Less than 1 min Raw
From the lounge room window, the witness saw a "large object on fire and breaking up." The night was cold and clear. "The object seemed to be making a controlled descent and eachs ection broke off it burned and could be identified as a shape, either rectangular or square." The object "...app[eared to be the size of a small jetliner."
UFOPRSA. April "Phenomenon Times."

Lifelong:
Brendan, now aged 71 told of a number of odd experiences scattered throughout his life. These included:

In about 1949-1950, aged 5 or 6, he would disappear for hours, and he felt he could see people walking through walls and other strange things.

In about 1959, when he was aged 15, he was with a friend and they were lying on the banks of the Macalister river, looking up at the sky. Suddenly they noticed a small star-like object fly into a larger star-like object. As they watched, the larger object took off at a great speed. Brendan said he has always been a loner. He had five sisters and he was considered the black sheep of the family.

As an adult, he and a lady friend were driving along Weir Road, next to Lake Glenmaggie and in front of them, another car was travelling along. Suddenly, that car was gone and neither of them had seen it turn off or speed away. This happened a couple of times. It also happened with another lady friend,

In 1997, he was travelling home one night at about 10pm long Upper Maffra Road, when he became aware of a bank of six lights appearing suddenly behind his car and shining so brightly that they almost blinded him. It was like daylight. He said to himself  "you bastard" before pulling over to let the vehicle pass. However, the lights were suddenly gone. Vanished into thin air. He started driving again but found himself on a different road, and he had no idea where he was or how he had got there. He said to himself "I don't remember this road." He drove for some time before noticing the (his home town) sign and he arrived home at midnight, two hours later than expected. He had no recollection of what happened in those two hours and he felt as if his memory had been blanked out. He felt awful, tired and confused. When he tried to make a cup of tea, he had to think how to do it and he felt weak and shaken. The next day he went to work, but he didn't feel good and his supervisor asked him what was wrong. For most of that day he continued to feel shaken and confused but the feeling eventually went  away. He had no further memories about that incident and what could have happened to him. that night but he wondered if he'd been picked up by a UFO and whether they had also taken his car up into the craft. He said other people had seen strange lights in that area and one fellow he spoke too believed there is a"portal" in that area.

In about 2010, when aged 66, Brendan underwent surgery and he was extremely ill. While on the operating table, he had a near death experience and was able to watch the doctors work on him. At 1.30am his lady friend who was psychic, saw a blue light enter her room and she knew he had died. She rang the hospital and the staff told her, doctors were working on Brendan to try and revive him. While he was "dead" he saw dead people around his bed. The doctors gave him a massive adrenalin shot and used paddles on his chest to revive him. He said he had always been fascinated with greys and he wondered why.
UFO Research New South Wales.


Australian contributing groups for this issue are:

ACERN
Website: http://www.acern.com.au

Tasmanian UFO Investigation Centre
Website: http://tufoic.eu.pn

UFO and Paranormal Research Society of Australia
Website:  http://www.ufosociety.net.au/

UFO Research New South Wales
Website: http://www.ufor.asn.au

UFO Research Queensland
Hotline: 07 3376 1780
Website: http://www.uforq.asn.au
Facebook page.

Victorian UFO Action
Website: http://vufoa.com
Hotline: 0456 447 112