RESEARCH DIGEST

Magazine Overview

Title: RESEARCH DIGEST
Issue: 8
Date: FEBRUARY 1990
Publisher: UFO RESEARCH AUSTRALIA
Country: AUSTRALIA
Compiler: Keith Basterfield

This issue of RESEARCH DIGEST provides a compilation of recent UFO and UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) reports from across Australia, alongside research notes and book reviews. The publication aims to document and investigate unexplained aerial phenomena, drawing on a network of observers and researchers.

Cases

The "CASES" section details numerous individual sightings and events reported to UFORA between July 1980 and January 1990.

• UFORA90001 (11 Dec 1989): Off Mandurah, Western Australia. Four men observed a white, dome-shaped object with a flat bottom travelling horizontally low over the sea horizon. It was visible for between one and two minutes. The sky was clear and sunny, with a strong south-westerly wind blowing.
• UFORA90002 (9 Dec 1989): Longford, Tasmania. Danny Cassidy reported seeing an object described as an upside-down T-shape with two lights, visible for 15 minutes. A photograph revealed a bright, oval-shaped white spot, possibly Venus.
• UFORA90003 (Dec 1989): Victoria. An article in the Melbourne "Truth" reported the discovery of unusual circles in a wheat crop. On investigation, two swirled circles of wheat, approximately 3m in diameter, were found, surrounded by smaller circles. The wheat was flattened and swirled anti-clockwise, with undamaged stalks. The property owners, Max and Nancee Jolly, also reported past incidents including lights in the sky (Nov 1987), an unusual noise (Dec 1988), and a pulsating yellow light over a paddock with a high-pitched noise (Aug 1989). Further investigation confirmed five circles in total, with evidence of cutting during harvesting.
• UFORA 90004 (1 Jan 1990): Redwood Park, South Australia. An orange light was seen for 5 seconds, breaking into two pieces before disappearing. Identified as a meteor.
• UFORA 90005 (2 Jan 1990): Vale Park, South Australia. A white light was observed travelling slowly across the western sky. Identified as a satellite.
• UFORA 90006 (2 Jan 1990): Payneham, South Australia. An orange object with a white tail was seen in the north-eastern sky for a few seconds. Identified as a meteor.
• UFORA 90007 (2 Jan 1990): Paralowie, South Australia. A bright orange light with a white tail was seen for 4 seconds. Identified as a meteor.
• UFORA 90008 (1980 onwards): Adelaide and elsewhere, South Australia. A woman described a series of occurrences over ten years, including sightings of nocturnal lights, telepathic communication, precognitive visions, a peak experience, a near-death OBE, sleep paralysis, and unexplained marks on her forehead.
• UFORA 90009 (12 Jan 1990): Queenstown, South Australia. A bright orange light with a grey/white trail was observed in the northern sky. Interpreted as a meteor.
• UFORA 90010 (23 Jan 1990): Paralowie, South Australia. A twinkling light in the north-western sky was identified as a star.
• UFORA 90011 (25 Jan 1990): Adelaide, South Australia. 17 calls were received regarding lights circling near/above clouds, identified as laser lights from a fireworks display.
• UFORA 90012 (25 Jan 1990): Macclesfield, South Australia. A woman reported seeing two huge white headlights in the sky. Identified as aircraft landing lights.
• UFORA 90013 (6 Jul 1980): Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Mr J C Disken and his family observed a brilliant light in the sky which, through binoculars, appeared as two huge inverted saucers joined rim to rim. It seemed to rotate, then tilted and disappeared westwards at incredible speed, leaving a white vapour trail.
• UFORA90014 (14 Oct 1989): Geelong, Victoria. A faint pink light was observed zig-zagging several times in the south-western sky.
• UFORA90015 (11 Nov 1989): Geelong, Victoria. Two people observed a huge glowing ball of light for 10 minutes on a moonless night.
• UFORA90016 (20 Jan 1990): Quobba, Western Australia. Ben Patrick saw a golden coloured point source, described as a "flare", dropping towards the sea. It then rose, moved from side to side, flashed red/green/gold/white, and moved south, becoming dull red before disappearing behind a hill.
• UFORA90017 (Various dates): North-western and South-western Australia. Several incidents are under investigation, including apparent car pace cases.
• UFORA90018 (Date not specified): New South Wales. A complex account involving a possible close encounter, time loss, and other experiences.
• UFORA90019 (1 Jan 1990): Malanda, Queensland. Mr Aubrey Dawson witnessed a red coloured object, described as an 18m square mass of light, which hovered near his house before moving rapidly towards Atherton and disappearing. Police searched the area but found nothing unusual.
• UFORA90020 (14 Jan 1990): Central Queensland. Residents reported seeing "bright lights falling out of the sky", including a bright green light that lit up the sky and disappeared within four seconds.

Research Notes

1. Circles: Following a media release about crop circles, UFORA extended its distribution to AAP and capital city newspapers. While this generated public interest and some new reports, no further crop circles have been located, leading to an interesting observation in light of UK experiences.
2. Freedom of Information Request: Photocopies of RAAF papers obtained under the Freedom of Information Act are available for $15.
3. Mundrabilla: A 150-page package of information regarding the 20 Jan 1988 Mundrabilla event is available for $25.
4. January Research Digest: The January Digest, a roundup of all Network cases in 1989, received positive feedback.

Books

• "Encounters" by Edith Fiore (1989): Reviewed as a lightweight contribution to the abduction debate, detailing 12 abduction case studies using hypnosis. The reviewer found the methodology unsatisfactory due to leading questions.
• "Stigmata" by Ian Wilson (1989): A timely book examining physical marks resembling the wounds of Christ, relevant to the debate on "unusual scars" found on abductees. It explores myths, evidence, and poses hypotheses that parallel abduction case explorations.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the diverse range of UFO/UAP sightings across Australia, the investigation into physical traces like crop circles, and the intersection of these phenomena with personal experiences such as psychic events and potential abductions. The editorial stance, as suggested by the inclusion of detailed case reports and the critical review of books, appears to be one of thorough investigation and open-minded analysis, encouraging critical evaluation of evidence and methodologies.