Australian UFO Bulletin - 1973 11 - November

Magazine Overview

This document is the November 1973 issue of the "U.F.O. Bulletin," published by the Victorian U.F.O. Research Society. It is a newsletter format, priced at 20 cents, and registered for posting as a periodical. The publication focuses on UFO sightings and related phenomena, primarily within Australia.

General Meetings and Society Business

The newsletter announces the next general meeting scheduled for Friday, December 14th, at 3 pm in the National Mutual Theatrette. The feature of this meeting will be a report on recent American sightings, including a contact claim being investigated by Professor Hynek. There will be no meeting in November. Future meetings for 1974 are scheduled for the second Friday of February, April, June, August, October, and December.

Annual elections for the society's offices (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Committee Members) will be held at the December meeting. Nominations must reach the Secretary by noon on Friday, November 30th. The committee also extends thanks to members who assisted with preparations for a recent visit by 'Hynek'.

Australian Flying Saucer Review

The next issue of the "Australian Flying Saucer Review" magazine is in preparation and will include a special "Hynek Report."

Sightings Continue Around Australia

This section details several UFO sighting reports from various locations in Australia:

Maryborough (Burrum Heads)

At least four sightings have been reported by residents of Burrum Heads. Mr. "Digger" Simpson, a fisherman, reported seeing UFOs twice. His brother, Mel, described a sighting where a light appeared as a half-circle with flashing red lights, which then turned into a big white light that illuminated the area. The object disappeared at incredible speed with a swishing sound. Another witness, Clive Steley, along with Michael Brewer, reported a glowing object appearing at tree level, which moved towards them, its light extinguished, and then reappeared with two red blinkers before disappearing without engine noise. Steley affirmed it was not an aeroplane or a star.

Old Junee District

On Sunday night, June 3rd, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Bayliss observed shimmering yellowy-orange lights in the distance near Mr. Frank Hart's property. The lights appeared to be hovering. Later, after investigating with Mr. and Mrs. Hart, the lights vanished. The following day, Mrs. Bayliss and Mrs. Lucy Shoemark, joined by some Oehm children, investigated the area. They discovered a circular indentation in the ground, about 15 feet in diameter, with several 'plod' marks and a patch of slightly scorched grass.

Crescent Head

A Crescent Head woman, Mrs. Eileen Pollock, reported seeing an unidentified object on four consecutive occasions between Wednesday, June 6th, and Saturday, June 9th. The object appeared as a huge bright light, varying in position over the sea. During one sighting, she observed what she described as a "glowing mass" emitting a powerful beam of light. On another occasion, the object oscillated or flashed, and a section of power line outside her home appeared to light up as if caught in a searchlight, described as "chain lightning" without reflection on the water. The object was described as an irregular rectangle emitting bright light from its southern end.

Warwick

Four schoolboys from Warwick sighted a UFO over the West Warwick-Rosenthal Heights area. Billy Wallace, 11, along with Joseph Piccini, Frank Driessen, and Michael Canavan, described the object as oval-shaped, shiny silver, about the size of a house roof, and emitting a low "eerie" sound. They watched it dip behind houses and disappear close to the ground without altering size. They compared it to a saucer rather than an aircraft.

Lort River Station Area

Three sisters, Margaret (13), Sheila, and Caroline Fountain, reported seeing an object appearing to be oval-shaped, emitting smoke, and changing colours. It hovered about half a mile from them, low to the ground, for about a minute before disappearing. A passer-by, Mr. Michael Tate, reported seeing a considerable amount of smoke coming from the vicinity of the Fountain property, initially thinking it was a fire.

Forbes Area

A mother and daughter, west of Forbes, reported seeing a "Red UFO" on Monday night, June 25th. The object was described as dome-shaped on top, hazy all around, very bright red in colour, with an orange light showing down from the middle. It appeared to "hover" and "move down." When the lights came on, it "took off full pelt towards Orange." The sighting lasted only a few seconds.

Gawler South

Mrs. A.C. Donse reported seeing strange "nylon-like" patterns in the sky on May 19th. She was able to pick up a piece of the substance, which vapourised on touch. She verified her sighting with friends, who had seen the same thing. The sky over Gawler looked like a "shower of nylon." This sighting was reported to SPACERS, an Elizabeth group studying UFOs, who noted its resemblance to reports of "Angel Hair."

Orange and Central West

A UFO Sightings and Investigation Bureau has been set up in Orange, with 20-year-old Terry Bishop in charge of the Central West UFO Sightings and Investigation Bureau. About a dozen people have reported sightings. An 11-year-old Parkes boy reported seeing a "hand shaped object with a bright blue light in back and a red light in front." An Orange man reported seeing a "large white shiny object that was very bright and too big for a star" on the western outskirts of Bathurst. A girl from Campbelltown, visiting Orange, reported seeing a yellow-white saucer-shaped object about 25 feet above the ground with a shrill noise. Another report from a man in Orange described a bright light coming from behind him, followed by a gust of wind that cut off his motorbike's light and motor.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the prevalence of UFO sightings across Australia, the variety of descriptions of these objects (shapes, lights, sounds, speeds), and the occasional presence of physical traces or electromagnetic effects. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious investigation and reporting of these phenomena, encouraging member participation and the dissemination of information through the society's publications. The mention of Professor Hynek and the "Hynek Report" suggests an interest in scientific or academic approaches to UFO research.