Cold case investigation - Coogee, NSW - 13 Jan 1962 - a hovering balloon?

Hi all,

I am continuing to mine the newspaper collection on the website of UFO Research (NSW) (click here to view the collection.)

A clipping from the Daily Mirror dated Wednesday 13 Jan 1962 caught my eye, as one explanation for the UAP was a hovering RAAF balloon!

"Strange object over Coogee"

This was the headline for the newspaper article, which read:

"A mysterious object is hovering over Coogee.

The object which is like a brilliant star, was still visible at noon, high in the southern sky.

It was sighted at 9am today by two Randwick Council employees, Mr J Lynche of Matraville and Mr R Brown of Maroubra.

"We saw it while we were having our tea break," said Mr Lynche, "It hasn't shifted since."

Viewed through the Daily Mirror's special 600mm telephoto lens the object appeared almost round.

A spokesman for the weather Bureau said it might be one of the experimental balloons released by the RAAF at Mildura. The balloons were fitted with a device which made them hover."

A hovering RAAF balloon?

This is quite an interesting explanation, if it were true.

Now Coogee is a seaside suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, some 8kms SE of the CBD. A long way from Mildura, Victoria (click here to see where Mildura is.)

The object is said to have been visible in Sydney between 9am and 12 noon on 13 Jan 1962.

I searched the net for information on any RAAF balloon program based at Mildura. I found nothing. However, there was a large scale high altitude balloon program running from Mildura and operated by the Department of Supply, from 1960. It was operational in 1962. I have previously posted on this program, named HIBAL ( click here, here , here , here and here for details.) These balloons ascended to high altitudes, then hovered, or maintained a level altitude for up to several hours collecting radioactive particle in the atmosphere. So hovering balloons are possible.

I checked my records of the dates of HIBAL flights and there were two scheduled to fly, one  on 12 Jan 1962 and another on 13 Jan 1962. The balloons were launched from Mildura and usually landed close by. However, on a number of occasions they drifted over areas of South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. So it is possible that one was over Sydney on 13 Jan 1962.

Just to be sure that the object wasn't a planet such as Venus, which is visible under some conditions during daylight, I went to a web based star chart program. This shows that at 9am on 13 Jan 1962 Venus was at an elevation of 41 degrees in the eastern sky. By 12 noon it was at 75 degrees east. Certainly, not in the southern sky.

I also checked National Archives of Australia file series A703 control symbol 580/1/1 Part 3 , the RAAF's UAP file to see if the event had been reported to the RAAF. It wasn't.

In conclusion:

So, could the mystery Coogee object of 13 Jan 1962 have been a "hovering" balloon? It is possible.

Canberra, ACT - 1965 - another sighting by air traffic controllers

Hi all,

Many Australian UAP researchers will be aware of the famous 15 Jul 1965 incident, where observers at Canberra airport sighted an unusual object in the sky. Observers included air traffic controllers Tom Lindsey and Mr A F Frodsham. For my previous posts on this event click here and here.

I have just started mining the wealth of information contained in press clippings on the website of UFO Research (NSW) (for my post on the collection, click here.) The Sydney Telegraph newspaper of 16 Jul 1965 reported on the event (see collection scan 10023).

Another event:

However, what is not well known is that there was another sighting from Canberra airport several days later. According to the Sydney Telegraph of 20 Jul 1965 (scan 10027):

"Two cigar shaped objects were spotted over the airport at dusk yesterday.

Air traffic Controller Mr R. N. T. Wade who was on duty in the airport tower, today said "The glow could have been a rocket casing re-entering the atmosphere."

Four experienced air traffic officers said they saw a mysterious glowing light 'like a balloon' low in the sky near Canberra.

They were certain it was not an aircraft, a planet, sunlight or a cloud formation.

The four experts include the airport's weather bureau officer Mr P Todd, and Civil Aviation Department chief in Canberra Mr A B Lindeman...A RAAF spokesman today said the Canberra experts who sighted the flying object yesterday would be closely questioned. They will be asked to answer 24 questions including their qualifications.

One to be questioned will be the air traffic control officer Mr Tony Frodsham..."

Notes:

I checked National Archives of Australia file series A703, control symbol 580/1/1 Part 4 which is the RAAF's own UAP file for reports between Jan 1963 and Dec 1965. The only reference to either of these sightings is a telegram which states that the sighting on 15 Jul 1965 is put down to a daylight observation of the planet Venus.

NAA file series A703 control symbol 554/1/30 Part 2 pp 71, 72 and 74 contains three other documents. However, nowhere on RAAF UAP files can you locate detailed report forms, and analysis of either event.

Have any readers any more information on either event?

Vast Australian UAP newspaper clipping collection unveiled

Hi all,

Introduction:

I have spent much time recently checking out the websites of Australian civilian UAP research organisations, and downloading their collections of sighting reports and publications. I have been doing this as part of my work of reviewing my comprehensive catalogue of Australian wide UAP sightings ( click here to read the latest version) which I am always fact checking for accuracy.

I recently came across a resource which I don't think many people will be aware of, hence this post.

Newspaper collection:

UFO Research (NSW) have scanned and uploaded a vast collection of newspaper clippings to their website ( click here to see them).) They are to be congratulated for making this resource available to us. I realise that newspaper clippings may not always be regarded as a 100% accurate sources of data, but they do add to our knowledge of cases, particularly when they carry a photograph of a trace case, or indeed a photograph of something unusual in the skies.

In this collection, which will take you days of reading to fully digest, you will find items including:

* Much information about the New South Wales civilian research organisation UFOIC (Unidentified Flying Object Investigation Centre). These clippings will add to the information on UFOIC contained at Bill Chalker's UFOIC blog (click here).

* Numerous photographs including:
- Pennsylvania, USA 1966 (clip 4/8/66)
- Warminster, UK 1965 (clip 16/4/65)
- Michigan, USA 1966 (clip 26/3/66)
- Madrid, Spain 1968 (clip8/10/68)

* Physical trace cases including:
- Bungawalbya, NSW 1969 (clip 24/4/69)
- Tully, Qld 1966 (clip25/1/66)
- Mallee, Vic 1992 (clip 8/2/92)

* Several clippings on the 1965 Canberra, ACT object sighted by air traffic controllers

* Regional cases from NSW, Vic, Tas, SA, and WA. Some of which I have never heard of before e.g. Orbost, Vic (clip 25/8/65) and Near Coolangatta, NSW (clip 29/8/85)

* The 1999 Guyra, NSW "impact" (clip 11/12/99) (click here for more information on the event)

* The 1985 claim that a UAP disabled a train (clip18/1/85)

Congratulations:

Again, my congratulations to UFO Research (NSW) on undertaking this work.

Gravity, anti-gravity and UAP

Hi all,

A new science books mentions UAP:

I have just been reading a new book by Brian Clegg (click here) titled "Gravity: How the Weakest Force in the Universe Shaped our Lives." (Published by St Martin's Press. New York. 2012. ISBN 978-0-312-61629-8.)

It's a fascinating review of the history of our knowledge of gravity, from the earliest days right up to the present day. In the book you will read about Newton, Einstein and others; of a variety of theories including string theory (click here)  and loop quantum gravity ( click here;) and a range of astronomical bodies.

Naturally, in a book about gravity, there is talk of antigravity:

"The whole idea of antigravity is a science-fiction favourite and a frequent topic of discussion for UFO fans and conspiracy theorists alike...It usually isn't enough for those who want such antigravity technology to be real to stick to simple descriptions of experiments and theories. They inevitably suspect conspiracies. If, as they believe, such technology exists, then the government must be aware of it, and will make use of it. So, for instance we see suggestions that the UFO-like B2 bomber uses antigravity technology to give it extra manoeuvrability...it is often suggested that flying disks powered by antigravity have been constructed in secret by the military ever since the second world war, perhaps based on research carried out in Nazi Germany. The story goes that these craft are responsible for the prevalence of stories of disk shaped flying saucers...

This particular conspiracy theory is highly unlikely to have any merits. Apart from anything else, the term "flying saucer" came from a newspaper report of a sighting of some unusual craft by U.S. pilot Kenneth Arnold in 1947. Arnold did not say at the time that the craft he saw were saucer shaped. Instead he said that they moved erratically, 'like a saucer if you skip it across the water.' The term was coined by newspaper headline writers and readers mistakenly assumed that the "saucer" part referred to the shape of the craft. Sightings of saucer shaped UFOs started shortly after the term started to be used in the press...Although conspiracy theorists delight in the idea that somewhere, top secret defense establishments have produced working antigravity technology, it seems unlikely that it is true. There would be too many commercial uses, making too many billionaires, for the secret to be hidden away completely...

Such technology simply could not be kept locked away indefinitely of there were any real benefit behind the hype and military intelligence smokescreens...Those who believe antigravtity technology has been around for many years often point back to secret research undertaken by the Germans...For the moment, then, antigravity seems to be best consigned to science fiction and to the conspiracy theorists..." (pp250-180.)

Comment:

I certainly didn't expect such a lengthy mention of UAP in a straight science book about gravity. The reference to  Arnold's 'craft' not being saucer shaped is something that even books written by UAP enthusiasts sometimes don't mention.

There are many websites with information about antigravity and UAP ( e.g. click here.)

More Australian Government UAP files found in the National Archives of Australia

Hi all,

Welcome to this first post of 2013!

Introduction:

In early January of each year, I make a point to look at the National Archives of Australia's (NAA) electronic database "RecordSearch." From previous experience I have learnt that at this time of year, a check of RecordSearch often reveals newly available Australian Government UAP files. This year was no exception.

RecordSearch:

RecordSearch now has details of the following files which weren't present in the database in December 2012.

1. File series A9755 control symbol 1. Formerly 5/6/4/Air Part 1.
File title is [RAAF Headquarters Operations Command] UAS {Unusual Aerial Sightings] policy [Project] Hessdalen [Norway sent to RAAF by GSW] [UFO Unidentified Flying Object]
Access status: Not Yet Examined (NYE)
Date range: 1984-1987
Barcode: 3532667.

2. A9755 6. Formerly 6/44/Air part 1
[Headquarters RAAF Base Williamtown] Unusual Aerial Sightings [UAS] UFO - Unidentified Flying Object]
NYE
1984-1986
3533436.

3. A9755 14. Formerly 5/113/AIR Part 6.
[RAAF Headquarters No 82 Bomber Wing, Amberley Queensland] Unusual Aerial Sightings [UAS] [UFO-Unidentified Flying Object]
NYE
1984-1987
3533481.

4. A9755 16. Formerly 5/3/1/Air Part 11.
[Headquarters RAAF Base Pearce Western Australia] Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Sightings [UAS - Unusual Aerial Sightings, UFO - Unidentified Flying Objects]
NYE
1984-1994
353517.

5. A9755 17. Formerly 5/9/Air Part 7.
[RAAF headquarters No 86 Wing Richmond Base, New South Wales] Unusual Aerial Sightings [UAS] [UFOs -Unidentified Flying Objects]
NYE
1984-1994
3533533.

6. A9755 22. Formerly 529/1/4 Air Part 5.
[RAAF AF Intelligence and Security, Canberra] UFO's [Unidentified Flying Object] enquiries from members of the public and civilian research organisations [UAS - Unusual Aerial Sightings]
1982-1984
Open with exception.

7. M1148 Unidentified Flying Objects.
Unidentified Flying Objects [UFOs] [Includes correspondence and a report; the report is 'Department of Air; unusual aeriala sightings; summary 3; January 1970-December 1979; correspondents include Lieutenant-Colonel E H B Neill]
NYE
1970-1972
3145782.

Comments:

You will note that only one of these files has been examined/cleared for public viewing. The rest have a status of "Not Yet examined."

I have therefore submitted requests to the NAA to have these files reviewed. This process can take up to several months. Following this process, the file status is changed to "open with exception" or "open."

Requests can then be submitted for papers on the files which are more than 30 years old, to be digitised (at $16.50 per file.) There is, however, a catch as almost all of the papers on these files are less than 30 year old as at 2013, and will not be available to us until 30 years have passed.For example. papers dated 1994 will not be available until 2024 under the Archive Act. The one exception is file series M1148 which should be available in full.

A side note is that all of the A9755 series files mentioned previously, were sighted by this author and Dominic McNamara at RAAF Base Edinburgh during the Disclosure Australia Project. For part summaries of these files, see Project newsletters 14 and 15 (click here.)

National Archives of Australia - CSIRO UAP file - additional pages now available

Hi all,

One of the UAP files which the Disclosure Australia Project (2003-2008) located in the National Archives of Australia (NAA), belonged to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO.) Click here to read about the CSIRO's role.

NAA file series A8520 control symbol HM1/30 was titled "CSIRO - General - UFOs." 90 pages, with a date range of 1957-1968 were made available to the Project at that time.

A recent look at the digital version of this file reveals that someone has paid to have additional pages made available in digital format. There are now 130 pages available for this file, dated up to 1981. However, the new documents are almost exclusively pieces of correspondence between individual members of the public and the CSIRO. The CSIRO's consistent response was that they did not research UAP and referred correspondents to the Department of Air, who held responsibility for investigating reports of UAP.

There are however, a couple of interesting items on the newly available pages:

1. A 20 foot diameter circle of 'scorched' grass was found in March 1969 at Kyogle, New South Wales. A toadstool from within the circle was examined by the Botanic gardens who suggested the ring might be of fungal origin. For further details click here.

2. A CSIRO employee privately examined a photograph taken in October 1972 at Lake Hume and pronounced it a double exposure.

For a lengthy research article on the CSIRO and and its involvement with UAP, by myself, please click here.

The Australian Government is not "releasing" its UAP files

Hi all,

I would like to correct an impression that I have read about on the net, ( for example click here and here ) that the Australian Government, like some overseas countries, has a deliberate program to "release" its UAP files. This is not true.

Details of Australian Government UAP files which I have been reporting on (for example click here, here and here) have first been located in the National Archives of Australia's (NAA) electronic database RecordSearch. If the file has a status of "open" then anyone can pay their money and have the file digitised and thus it becomes available for anyone to read on the NAA website. If the file has a status of "not yet examined" then anyone can submit a written request to the NAA to have them send that file back to the original government department which created it, with a view to that department examining the file for sensitive material and then agreeing that the NAA can make it available. Once you are notified that the file now has a status of "open" then you can pay your money and have the file digitised and thus made publicly available.

There is no systematic Australian Government program to make these files available to us.

Most of the files which I have been reporting on have been in the archives for many years. The NAA then eventually gets round to recording details of the files on RecordSearch. They do not put out a message that the files are on RecordSearch, you simply in many cases accidently come across them when searching for something else, as happened with the Valentich file I found (click here.) Thus finding Australian Government UAP files is a little like a treasure hunt. The very opposite of the UK experience where the Ministry of Defence deliberately and very publicly made its UAP files available, or the French government's publishing of its UAP files.

Looking through my own blog posts, I realise that I may have contributed to this impression, by talking about "a file was released to me." In future, I will use alternate language to indicate that I have found and had arranged to have a file digitised.