Disclosure Australia (AURA) - No 08 - Dec 2003

Magazine Overview

Title: DISCLOSURE AUSTRALIA
Issue: NEWSLETTER DEC 2003 (Volume 8)
Date: December 2003
Publisher: Australian UFO Research Network
Country: Australia
Language: English

This issue of the Disclosure Australia Newsletter, dated December 2003, focuses on the ongoing efforts to uncover information regarding UFO phenomena in Australia through archival research and the collation of witness reports. It details the progress made in accessing government and military files, as well as presenting a series of historical UFO sighting accounts.

ASIO Files

The newsletter reports on requests made to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), via the National Australia Archives (NAA), to search for records pertaining to various Australian UFO research groups. These groups included the Australian Flying Saucer Bureau, Australian Flying Saucer Club, Australian Flying Saucer Investigation Committee, Australian Flying Saucer Research Society, UFO Investigation Centre, Victorian Flying Saucer Research Society, Victorian UFO Research Society, Perth UFO Research Group, Queensland Flying Saucer Research Bureau, and UFO Research Queensland. ASIO's response, provided through the NAA, indicated that a check of their indices failed to locate any open or closed period records related to these groups. Additionally, ASIO was asked about records concerning three Australian UFO researchers from the 1950s; their response was negative for two researchers, and a further search was underway for the third.

Department of Supply Files

Following an extensive search of paper lists, a significant file from the Department of Supply was identified. This file, SA 5644/2/1, was held by the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE) at Salisbury in the 1960s and was titled "Unidentified Flying Objects." Items of interest from this file include the fact that some Australian UFO sightings that were processed by the WRE eventually ended up in the United States. Furthermore, it was revealed that at one stage, a scientifically oriented UFO "club" comprised of WRE staff members existed at Woomera. The newsletter states that a summary of this file's contents was being prepared and would be presented shortly.

RAAF File Summaries and UFO Reports Listings

Due to the volume of information, file summaries and UFO reports listings are being made available directly on the Disclosure web site (http://disclosure.freewebpage.org) rather than as attachments to the newsletter. This includes abstracted RAAF file A703 580/1/1 Part 4 for summaries and UFO reports, and parts 4-8 for sightings. The newsletter then provides highlights from these sightings:

• Part 4:
• January 13, 1965: A Qantas aircraft crew sighted a formation of seven large "aircraft" at latitude 41 degrees South and longitude 167 degrees East. A second pilot also reported seeing eleven blips on his radar at 166 degrees East longitude.
• December 4, 1964: At Daunia Homestead, near Nebo in Queensland, a man discovered a strip of scrub, 600 yards wide and 4.5 miles long, which appeared to have been subjected to extreme heat.
• February 15, 1963: A farmer in Moe, Victoria, observed an object descend from the sky, hover at low altitude, then ascend. It was described as 25 feet in diameter, 9 feet high, with parts that seemed to be rotating, and a swishing or burbling sound was heard.
• Part 5:
• January 19, 1966: In Tully, Queensland, an object measuring 25 feet long and 8-9 feet deep was seen only 25 yards away. It rose into the air and receded into the distance, leaving behind a circular area of swirled swamp grass.
• May 5, 1966: Crew of HMAS Anzac reported seeing four closely grouped objects leaving trails of colour, with no radar contact.
• Part 6:
• August 14, 1966: In Kunnunurra, WA, a man sighted a "flying saucer," oval in shape and silver in colour, after bright lights approached him.
• Part 7:
• December 30, 1966: At Pipon Island, four groups of three objects were observed in a "v" formation.
• January 21, 1967: In Kurri Kurri, NSW, an object passed in front of a car and then climbed rapidly away, accompanied by a very loud hum and "undecipherable voices."
• March 30, 1967: In Peterborough, SA, three objects were seen, including a 15-20 foot diameter disc that took off from the ground.
• Part 8:
• July 5, 1967: Near Murray Bridge, SA, a witness driving experienced interference on his car radio, which became a high-pitched whine, and the vehicle's motor stopped. Looking up, he saw a distinct break in the fog with stars visible, and a "large dark shadow" at a height of 20 feet, appearing 10 feet thick, with a greyish-blue glow above it. The shadow's top was convex. The witness stopped the vehicle, and upon getting out, the shadow and light had vanished. The car then started, and the radio had no interference.

Early Classified RAAF Files

An examination of RAAF file number 554/1/30 revealed a memo from October 24, 1966, indicating four earlier classified files on the subject: 569/5/461, 2/25/1, 574/3/88, and 554/1/30. A request was submitted to the NAA to locate these files. However, the NAA reported that despite searching series A703 and A705 files, they could find no trace of the three classified files ever having been deposited with the Archives.

South Australian Police Special Branch Inquiry

The newsletter includes the text of a letter forwarded in August 2003 to the Commissioner of Police in South Australia, requesting access to a record of interview concerning an incident reported on June 28, 1963, at Sandy Creek, SA. The incident involved a Williston man and was reported to the Weapons Research Establishment, leading to an interview by a member of the CIB Special Branch. The request was made outside the South Australian Freedom of Information Act, as the Police Force is an exempt agency. The reply, dated November 21, 2003, stated that records from the former Special Branch are now held within the State Protective Security Branch's Security Intelligence Section. This section is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and subject to Government Directions. The request did not fall within the criteria for retaining or disseminating information, and records not relevant to the "Security of the State" would have been culled.

Former Member of the Navy Reports an Event

An Adelaide man recently reported an event that occurred in the 1974-1976 timeframe in New South Wales. This report was made through a website operated by researcher Brad Mildern. Contact has been made with the witness, and an interview is planned to further document this event, which was previously unknown to UFO researchers.

Contacting the Project

Contact details for DISCLOSURE AUSTRALIA are provided: PO Box 783, Jimboomba 4280, and e-mail: [email protected]. The project welcomes information that would assist their work.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are government transparency, the systematic investigation of UFO phenomena through archival research, and the documentation of historical UFO sightings in Australia. The editorial stance appears to be one of persistent inquiry into official records and a commitment to sharing findings with the public, encouraging citizen participation in reporting and researching UFO events. The newsletter emphasizes the importance of official documentation while acknowledging the challenges in accessing sensitive or older records.