UFOIC Newsletter - No 40 May-June 1974

Magazine Overview

Title: u.f.o.i.c. newsletter.
Issue: Number 40
Date: May/June 1974
Publisher: UFOIC
Country: Australia
Price: 30c

This issue of the u.f.o.i.c. newsletter begins with an apology for the delay in publication, noting that the previous issue was released in August 1973 and that the delay was due to the absence of an editor since Mrs. Exley left the previous year. A new Editorial Committee was formed in early April 1974, consisting of David Buching, Penny Buching, Michael Smyth, Phillip Relf, Bob McDonald, and David Beard. The committee aims to make the newsletter more interesting and readable, and it will now be published bi-monthly, with six issues per year.

The focus of the newsletter will shift to sighting reports, though technical articles on meteorology and astronomy related to the UFO problem may also be included. The 'Letters to the Editor' section has been discontinued, but articles for publication will still be considered if space permits.

Strange Happenings in the New England Ranges

The main feature of this issue concentrates on a specific area on the North Coast of N.S.W., Australia, located midway between Armidale and Grafton. This region experienced a high volume of strange object sightings during the previous year, with objects seen in the sky night after night by dozens of people. The area is described as wild, with rugged bush and high mountains, largely inaccessible except for a few logging roads.

Chronology of Sightings:

• Tuesday, May 29th: Sandra F. reported a strange light SSW of Tyringham at 11:00 p.m. The object had two flashing lights (green left, red right) surrounded by a bluish glow and was observed for over two hours. It exhibited agile, zigzagging movements and performed various aerobatic maneuvers. The lights were very bright. Sandra and her husband Warwick's horse and cat were agitated during this sighting, an agitation that recurred during subsequent sightings over the next week.

• Thursday, May 31st: A group of nine adults observed two small objects in the sky. One witness managed to take photographs of these objects, which are held in the organization's files.

• Friday, June 1st: A group of people witnessed a UFO hovering over Boney Mountain, approximately two miles west of Tyringham. The animals present were notably agitated during this sighting.

• Saturday, June 2nd: Two UFOs were observed at approximately 11:00 p.m. at magnetic North and Northwest. These objects performed synchronous antics, including horizontal zig-zags and vertical/horizontal accelerations. One object then moved to the SSW, stopped, performed a loop-the-loop, and dropped like a stone, illuminating the area behind Boney Mountain with a brilliant blue-white light. Subsequent observations were centered in this direction. Due to the difficulty in determining the exact location of 'landings,' size estimates were not possible.

• Investigation near Boney Mountain: Marvin C., Jill C., Sandra & Warwick F. drove out behind Boney Mountain, following Sheep Station Creek Road. Near the assumed 'landing area,' their compass spun wildly. Spotlights were used to scan the immediate area, but nothing was found. The compass returned to normal as they drove away.

• Monday, June 4th (early morning): Jill C. awoke to a bright white light from outside her window, despite dark curtains. She could not see a cupboard a few feet away. Her horse, Joey, had been wild that night.

• Monday, June 4th to Friday, June 8th: A number of objects were seen around and descending behind Boney Mountain.

• Saturday, June 9th: Two people in Dundurrabin saw a rotating circular object in the NW at 45°. It had flashing red-green lights and a globular, uneven lemon-colored object extending from its bottom on a yellow 'tongue,' which was retracted after 10-15 seconds. The main object had 'spears' of light radiating from its surface and disappeared in the WNW. Neighbors had seen two strange lights during the night.

• Monday, June 11th: More strange lights were seen going down behind Boney Mountain.

• Thursday, June 14th (early morning): Trevor B., a local farm and timber worker, driving from Bostobrick to Tyringham, observed a circular object with a green light and a bright red rotating light, with a lemon light on top. Initially sighted at 45° in the NW, after 20-25 minutes, it moved over Boney Mountain. From Tyringham Post Office, it was seen hovering at an estimated 200-300 feet above the trees before descending in a slow pendulum ('falling leaf') motion with a constant bullroarer sound, disappearing behind the mountain and illuminating a dead tree.

• Thursday or Friday, morning: A lady from Dundurrabin heard strange noises like a heavy helicopter and saw an eerie 'suspended moon light' through her bedroom window. Her clock had stopped half an hour late.

• Saturday, June 16th (around 6:00 p.m.): Several people, including Sandra F. and Jill C., observed a strange, elongated vertical object that was red in color on top of the 'big mountain behind Bostobrick.' It had six red 'squarish' lights around its bottom. The red top alternately glowed brightly then dimmed, while the bottom lights flashed. The object disappeared for about 2 minutes, then reappeared and was watched for 10 minutes before being lost near North Dorrigo. Later, at the top of MacDowell's Hill (near Dorrigo), a yellow oval object, about five times bigger than a star, was seen dropping from the sky.

• Family at Billy's Creek: During the entire sighting period, a family at Billy's Creek experienced strange phenomena, including a humming noise starting around 2:00 a.m. each night, seemingly centered 100 feet above the house. The noise occurred at intervals of 3-4 weeks, and animals were agitated during these events.

• Tuesday, June 19th: A disc-shaped object, bright orange in color, followed a car on the Tyringham-Dundurrabin Road.

• Friday, June 22nd: A local property owner was awoken by a whirring, pulsating noise near his house, with no explanation.

• Tuesday, June 25th (6:30-7:00 p.m.): Several members of the D.... family at Dundurrabin saw a large disc-shaped UFO with a green V beam, a green glow, and a rotating red light in the middle. The green beam underneath the object oscillated up and down. Two boys saw it above the mountain and called the rest of the family. The red light was noted as being the brightest, and the green light was aqua-green. After about 15 minutes, it appeared to go straight down behind Boney Mountain. Later that night (9:45-9:50 p.m.), the family saw a flashing red and green light in the SSW, which moved to the right and disappeared behind the hills.

• Wednesday, June 27th: A large, bright red object, long and rectangular, moved up from behind the F.... property, trailing what appeared to be white vapour, and disappeared in the SW.

Summary of Investigation

Over the period from May 29th to September 26th, a total of 74 sightings were reported, most of which were similar. This group of sightings was investigated by Mr. Bill Chalker, a UFOIC and APRO representative, with assistance from the UFOIC research team over several months. A detailed report of this investigation is available for purchase.

The research team conducted investigations in and around Boney Mountain. They concluded that the phenomena were not originating from the top of the mountain but were coming from well behind it. This area is described as virtually inaccessible, requiring a fully equipped team and several days to investigate.

In conclusion, the investigation was able to explain a small number of sightings as meteorites, stars, or planets. However, a significant proportion of the sightings remain totally unexplainable and are therefore classified as UFOs.

Public Meetings

• Friday, June 14th, 1974, at Railway Institute
• Friday, August 23rd, 1974, at Railway Institute

Apology

Due to problems with artwork for "Astronomers and UFOs," the concluding section of this series could not be printed in this issue and will appear in the July/August newsletter.

Special Note

It has come to the attention of UFOIC that a man named Frank Carey has been falsely posing as a UFOIC Investigator. Anyone with contact with him is asked to notify the Research Director, David Buching, immediately.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the detailed reporting of numerous UFO sightings in a specific geographical area (New England Ranges, N.S.W.) over a concentrated period, the systematic investigation of these events by a dedicated organization (UFOIC), and the persistent conclusion that a significant number of these phenomena remain unexplained. The editorial stance is one of serious inquiry into UFO reports, acknowledging both the possibility of natural explanations and the existence of genuinely anomalous events. The newsletter aims to inform its readership about these occurrences and the ongoing efforts to understand them.