Ron Sullivan - Victoria - April 1966

Hi all, 

On April 4, 1966, Ron Sullivan was driving by car at night when he saw a 'light' in an adjacent paddock. He then stated that the headlights of his car veered to the right for no apparent reason. Later inspection revealed an unusual area of disturbed soil in the paddock where the 'light' had been observed. 

The incident was recorded at the time in:

1. The 'Melbourne Age.' 7 & 12 April 1966.
2. The 'Ballarat Courier.' 12 April 1966.
3. The 'Maryborough Advertiser.' 15 April 1966.
4. APRO Bulletin. May 1966. p.1.
5. Australian Flying Saucer Review (Victorian edition) No. 5, p.12. July 1966.

James E McDonald interview

The following is drawn from an audio recording with Ron Sullivan, by James E McDonald, during a visit to Australia in 1967. 

Identification Code/CD: 3T16S204/CD52

Date Recorded: July 1967

File Size: 21.0 MB

Interview Duration (m:s): 21:55

Interview Details: James McDonald interviews Ronald F Sullivan

Sighting Date: 7 April 1966

Sighting Time: Ca. 2030 hrs

Location of Sighting: Maryborough to St Arnaud Road, Victoria, Australia

Duration of Sighting: Not stated during recording

Witness(es): Ronald F Sullivan

Image courtesy Whereis?

Sullivan was driving long a bitumen road in a 1965 Ford Falcon sedan, at approximately 60 mph (96 km/hr) speed.  The sky was very clear.  There was no moonlight and there was a slight breeze.  He first saw a light and thought it was the rear lights of a tractor in a paddock.  As he got closer he saw a light, that lifted off the ground.  This light had, ‘Tubes of coloured lights.’  These ‘lights’ were, ‘All the colours of the spectrum.’  The tubular coloured lights were coming off it.  There appeared to be a, ‘Disc or cone 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 metres) in diameter.’  Each ‘tube’ was four to five inches (10 to 13 cm) in diameter.

The police determined that the position of the object, in the paddock, could have been 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 metres) from the road, since a depression was found in the paddock located that distance from the road.  The ‘disc’ was estimated to be 20 to 30 feet (six to nine metres) above the ground, at one point.

The most unusual aspect was that this car’s headlight’s beam ‘bent’ to the right, towards this light formation, ‘As if they were magnetised.’

McDonald asked if Sullivan could see the beams of his headlights, Sullivan said, ‘Yes.’  Questioning then lead to the suggestion that a car, half a mile ahead (one km), and going in the same direction, as Sullivan, was kicking up dust.  This was suggested as the reason Sullivan could see the beams of his headlights.  The headlights of the car were sealed in and could not independently move.

The police, Sargent Suttie of Maryborough, found a ground marking in the paddock.  A circular depression in the ground, four to five feet (10 to 13 cm) in diameter and seven to eight inches (18-20cm) deep.  These measurements were smaller than what Sullivan would have estimated from the size of the ‘disc’.  There were no human or animal markings around the depression.  The soil inside seemed to have been rippled in a clockwise direction.

Ron Sullivan in 2014 - image courtesy VUFOA

Sullivan noted no unusual noise above the noise of his vehicle.  The motor of his car was not affected, just the headlight’s beam appeared bent.  Responding to a question from McDonald about suffering any physiological effects, Sullivan said, ‘Only paralysis.’  Further questioning led him to say, ‘A temporary mental paralysis.’  He was not frightened at the time, but hours later he queried what had happened.

At the time he had only told his wife about this event.  However, when he heard about the death of a motorist in that same spot, he told the Police what he had seen.  They went out with Sullivan to the spot and found the depression in the paddock.

McDonald then questioned Ronald about the ‘bent’ headlight’s beam.  Sullivan admitted it was difficult to properly describe what exactly occurred to the headlights.  However, the following points were given.  The total duration of the effect to the headlights was only, ‘A couple of seconds.’  The headlights beam veered to the right by 30 to 45 degrees.  The headlights had then momentarily turned off.  Following this they came back on and the beam ‘bent’ 30 to 45 degrees to the right.  Then the headlights functioned normally.  Sullivan said it was difficult to describe this incident.  He used the words, ‘The ground location of the bend was the same.’

He did not stop to investigate but travelled approximately 40 miles (64 km) to his destination.

McDonald asked if the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) had investigated, Sullivan said, ‘They had not.’  McDonald asked if the Department of Civil Aviation had investigated, he said, ‘No, they had not.’  Only the police, UFO Investigation Center (UFOIC) and Victorian Flying Saucer Research Society (VFSRS), and some university students had investigated this sighting.

Ronald concluded that the headlights had been ‘bent’ by ‘magnetism’ or ‘gravity’.