TUFOIC Newsletter - No 029 - 1980

Magazine Overview

This issue of UFO Tasmania from 1980 is the 29th edition, published by The Tasmanian U.F.O. Investigation Centre (TUFOIC). It features a cover illustration of a car on a road with a sun and clouds, and the main headline "UFO 1980 Tasmania". The price is listed as 60c.

Year's Sightings Statistics

The magazine opens with a statistical analysis of UFO sightings for the year 1979. It notes a general quietness in the number of investigations, which dropped to the lowest level since 1973. The percentage of unexplained cases was 9.7%, the lowest for the entire 1970s. The report speculates that increased media exposure might be making UFOs a common place event, less likely to be reported. Despite fewer reports, many cases were noted for their 'interesting strangeness points'.

A comparative table shows the number of reports and unidentified cases from 1971 to 1978, with UFO percentages ranging from 16% to 33%. An analysis of 1979 investigations breaks down the 144 total reports into categories: Unidentified (14), Investigating/Insufficient Info (16), Astronomical (56), Aircraft (23), Satellites (13), Meteorological (5), Bush Fires/Flares/Ground Lights (16), and Other Explanations (1).

TUFOIC Information and Meetings

Contact details for TUFOIC are provided, including the President (Neil Russell-Green), Secretary Treasurer (Stephen Brooks), Liaison Officer (Paul Jackson), Investigations Co-Ordinator (Keith Roberts), and Library (Jeanine Hunt). Executive members are listed as G. Marshall, R. Jolly, and Jan Heron. Correspondence should be sent to Box 1310N, G.P.O., Hobart, 7001, Tasmania. Sighting phone numbers are 236009 or 278449. Eric Hodgson is the Area Representative for the Northern Division. The report is published annually and is available to the public and other UFO organisations. The Centre also publishes two newsletters.

Meeting dates for 1980 are listed: February 8th, April 11th, June 13th, August 8th, October 10th, and November 28th. Meetings are held at the BP Theatrette, City Mutual Building, 47 Liverpool St., Hobart, at 8 pm, welcoming prospective members and those with sighting information.

Sightings for 1979

The report details several unexplained cases from 1979:

Risdon Vale Encounters

Two puzzling car pacing incidents occurred on the same night (November 8th, 1978) in Risdon Vale. The first witness, Mr. B., driving home, saw a silver light and later a yellow-white light illuminating trees. He observed another car, a Charger, stop, with its driver looking upwards. The silver light then illuminated the Charger, and an oval silver shape appeared in Mr. B.'s windscreen. Frightened, he accelerated away. Shortly after, the Charger sped past him. Mr. B. drove home, shaken.

Hours later, on November 9th, another Risdon Vale caller reported a strange droning noise. Around 3:15 am, taxi driver Lloyd Wright encountered a puzzling green shape on Sugarloaf Road. The object, estimated at 1m tall and tapering, drifted into the road. Wright's radio emitted a high-pitched squeal, and the object vanished instantly. He reported the event to the police, who were satisfied he was truthful. TUFOIC found no explanation at the site.

An earlier event on November 4th involved some boys reporting a round red object overhead while playing in the bush.

South Hobart Sighting

On January 9th, 1979, a mild evening, a silver-white light was noticed high in the south-eastern sky. It moved west, then performed a 90-degree turn and proceeded north. Near the Orion constellation, the light described a small circle, stopped briefly, completed the circle, and faded. It was visible for 12 minutes and appeared star-like. No aircraft movements were reported.

A Beam of Light

Around January 15th, 1979, a witness at New Norfolk reported an unusual noise like an electric fan, and saw a beam of yellow-white light shining on a garden. The beam was about a metre from the house. After the sound ceased, the light vanished. Later, the witness's electric stove clock was found to be 10 minutes slow. A check of the location revealed no traces.

A Case of Lost Memory

On February 5th, 1979, Mr. X was driving back to Hobart from Hamilton when his car radio died, followed by the motor failure and headlights going out. The car was enveloped in a dazzling white light. He recalls a nurse shining a light in his eyes at Royal Hobart Hospital, which triggered fragmented memories of the trip. His car had a flat battery and low oil, with some wiring to the headlights showing signs of overheating. The witness was tired for days afterward. The Centre was unable to find any police or hospital records of the event.

A Tunbridge Triangle

On April 7th, 1979, three witnesses travelling on the Midland Highway near Tunbridge stopped to observe a humming triangle shape in the early morning.

Erratic Lights at Lebrina

On January 28th, 1979, Mrs. Bassett observed a white light in the north-eastern sky diving rapidly. A red light then shone briefly, followed by a second light appearing to the south-east. Three white lights appeared beneath the larger light, and the object performed repeated manoeuvres, shining red light on trees and paddocks.

Was it a UFO?

On March 4th, 1979, ten witnesses on the beach at Bellingham, Pipers River area, observed a bright orange, elongated cigar-like object low over the sea. It moved closer, changed shape to elliptical or dome-like, and disappeared silently into the sea.

Meanwhile, Way Down South...

On March 30th, 1979, at Maatsuyker Island, Gil Burns and his assistant observed a bright yellowish light above a boat, which grew rapidly in size. The light became intense, forcing them to look away. It then receded. A blue-white light was seen to fly off to the right occasionally. The light was estimated to be about 1 cm at arm's length, about 1 km away and 250-300 meters up. Later, the light moved off at high speed, going 50 kms in 5 seconds, and reappeared as two blue lights. The dog with the witnesses became very unsettled.

What Did the Taxi Driver See?

In April 1979, taxi driver Mr. T, while driving near Gormanston, encountered a green light with a purple edge. The light appeared to approach the car, causing the interior to light up intensely, the car to lose power, and the radio to go dead. After the light moved away, the car and radio returned to normal. Later, he and his passenger observed a distant throbbing white light moving away.

Another Car Pace

In July, a family travelling from Mt. Lloyd in the Derwent Valley encountered a multi-coloured light, described as large and round, with colours blue, green, yellow, and red. The light moved with their car, disappearing and reappearing. It was observed in a small valley on the hillside.

Murchison Highway Event

On August 20th, 1979, Miss Costello, a former police officer, experienced an unusual event while driving on the Murchison Highway. Her car's interior was lit by a bright green light, and a larger green light appeared behind her. The car slowed to about 50 km/h and failed to accelerate despite attempts to change gears. The light remained visible for 8-10 kms. Suddenly, the light and the interior illumination disappeared, and the car regained speed. Her dashboard clock stopped at 9:20 pm, and her wristwatch at 9:28 pm. The fuel gauge was also unexpectedly empty. The car and watch later worked normally.

Strange Shape Disturbs Family

On October 7th, 1979, an S family encountered a puzzling red mist that followed their car and approached their home on the East Tamar Highway. The glow maintained position with the car and then closed to within 300-400 meters. It was visible through roadside trees and moved across the road. The father switched off his headlights, and the glow moved overhead. The sighting lasted about 15 minutes, covering nearly 10 kms. The glow did not reflect on anything. The father's watch was 10 minutes slow.

News Report: Spanish Jetliner Chased by UFOs

A news clipping reports that a Spanish jetliner with 119 passengers made an unscheduled landing in Valencia after being pursued by four unidentified flying objects. The pilot, Javier Lerdo-Tejeda, described two bright red lights that followed the plane for 15 minutes, closing in on it. Spanish Air Force jets were scrambled, but the UFOs disappeared before they arrived. The incident was reported by several people in the Valencia region, and military authorities opened an inquiry.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the detailed reporting of UFO sightings across Tasmania, the analysis of statistical data related to these sightings, and the investigation into the physical and psychological effects on witnesses. The Centre appears to maintain a diligent, investigative stance, collecting reports, cross-referencing them, and seeking explanations, while acknowledging the persistent mystery of the phenomenon. The editorial stance is one of open inquiry and data collection, encouraging public reporting of sightings.

This issue, titled "AN AUGUST EVENING," is the 10th publication and appears to be from December 4, 1979, based on the date of "The Examiner" article. It focuses on UFO phenomena, detailing several sightings and investigations.

August 29th Sightings

The evening of August 29th saw numerous UFO reports across Tasmania. At South Mt. Cameron, Mrs. Z reported a round, yellow-white star-sized light that approached her home, stopped momentarily, and then retreated. Her dog barked incessantly, and she later experienced a ringing in her ears and a heaviness in her limbs, though her doctor found her in good health.

In Tullah, a large red, green, and white flashing light was observed by numerous people for 15 to 25 minutes. The light moved northwards until stationary, then passed southwards, observed by local police. One witness saw the light moving north from the Tullah Hotel and later saw it moving south.

Other reports from the north-west coast were received but lacked sufficient detail due to anonymous witnesses. A boat off the Tamar River reported tracking a light on its radar as it passed overhead, but DCA confirmed no aircraft were in the area.

Other Sightings and Incidents

The "TUNBRIDGE TRIANGLE CONTINUED..." section describes a sighting of a large, moon-sized dark triangular shape with red and white lights, accompanied by a humming noise. The object was stationary but its lights dimmed when observed by Mrs. Pennicott.

Another sighting, "ANOTHER TRIANGLE," occurred at Fingal on May 29th. A golden orange triangle-shaped object moved west over the Ben Lomond area, illuminating clouds. Two beams of light then appeared in a V-shape, playing on the cloud cover before fading.

'Kidnap Victim' Safe

A significant article from "THE EXAMINER" dated December 4, 1979, reports on the mysterious disappearance of Frank Fontaine (19) near Gisors, France. He was preparing to leave with friends when they saw a light in the sky. When his friends returned after fetching a camera, the car was slewed across the road with a halo around it, and Fontaine had vanished. He reappeared the next morning with no memory of the past week, though his account of the light matched his friends'. Experts from a space phenomena group were investigating.

GEPAN Statistics

The issue includes statistics from the French Government's GEPAN study on UFO phenomena. Up to February 1979, GEPAN investigated 354 reports, with 25% (89 cases) being unidentified. These unidentified cases were categorized as Nocturnal Lights (42%), Daylight discs (4), Radar cases (1), CE 1 (21), CE 2 (28), and CE 3 (4). Witness credibility in these reports was rated as 23% High, 67% Medium, and 10% Low.

TUFOIC Information

Information is provided about the Tas. UFO Investigation Centre (TUFOIC), founded in 1965. Its address is Box 1310N, G.P.O. Hobart, Tasmania, 7001. The organization's aims include investigating Tasmanian sightings, collecting and disseminating data, and cooperating with similar research groups. Membership is open to those who support its aims. Subscription rates for full members, students/pensioners, and publications-only are listed, along with an application form.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are UFO sightings, unexplained aerial phenomena, and the investigation of these events. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry and documentation, as evidenced by the detailed reporting of sightings, the inclusion of statistics from official investigations like GEPAN, and the promotion of local research organizations like TUFOIC. The magazine aims to gather and disseminate information on UFO phenomena, encouraging public reporting and investigation.