RESEARCH DIGEST

Magazine Overview

Title: RESEARCH DIGEST
Issue: 19
Date: February 1991
Publisher: UFO RESEARCH AUSTRALIA
Country: Australia

This issue of the Research Digest, compiled by Keith Basterfield, presents a compilation of UFO and unexplained phenomena reports from Australia and other sources, along with reviews of relevant literature and archival news.

Cases from the Network

The 'Cases from the Network' section details numerous sightings reported to UFORA and its affiliates. Several reports originate from Geraldton, Western Australia:

• UFORA91001 (Dec 23, 1990): A fisherman in Geraldton reported a bright light appearing suddenly in the northern sky. It was initially a pin point, moved very fast, became very bright, stopped overhead, and then dropped vertically and disappeared without explosion or fragmentation. The sighting lasted 10-15 seconds, and the boat's radar lost its pulse simultaneously.
• UFORA91002 (Dec 23, 1990): Another Geraldton report involved a bright orange object seen by a cray fisherman. It moved soundlessly from west to north, was estimated to be travelling at '20,000mph', then 'flared out' and appeared to fall into the sea.
• UFORA91003 (1990): A man named Peter reported seeing an unusual light while on a boat. The light moved, stopped, went downwards, and was lost to view within about 20 seconds.
• UFORA91004 (Dec 12, 1990): A fisherman described a star-like, white moving light travelling south to north for about a minute, with no sound. It was tentatively identified as a satellite.
• UFORA91005 (Dec 13, 1990): The same man from UFORA91004 reported a similar object, also suspected to be a satellite.

Other Australian cases include:

• UFORA91006 (May 20, 1982): In Caboolture, Queensland, a couple reported seeing a saucer-shaped object with portholes emitting a blue beam. They experienced a loss of twelve minutes of time and had flashbacks of a two-metre tall being in silver clothing.
• UFORA91007 (Dec 31, 1990): A television report from Darwin, NT, mentioned an object sighted by police and others, with a green tail.

South Australian Reports

This section lists reports made to UFOR(SA), noting that many are identified as IFO (Identified Flying Object) reports or have limited details.

• UFORA91008 (Dec 21, 1990): Glenelg: Red and green lights with two white lights, seen for 5 minutes, moving NW to SW. Probably aircraft.
• UFORA91009 (Dec 26, 1990): Gepps Cross: Round, metallic object high in the sky. Possibly a weather balloon.
• UFORA91010 (Jan 2, 1991): Elizabeth Park: Three star-like lights near the Moon, moving erratically.
• UFORA91011 (Jan 8, 1991): Southern SA: Many callers reported a yellow light in the sky, suspected to be satellite re-entry or meteor.
• UFORA91012 (Jan 9, 1991): Newton: Round bright light moving east at 45-50 degrees. White, probably aircraft.
• UFORA91013 (Jan 9, 1991): Hahndorf: Very high altitude red light moving south to north.
• UFORA91014 (Jan 10, 1991): Glenelg: White light identified as a satellite.
• UFORA91015 (Jan 16, 1991): Bridgewater: What appeared to be a vapour trail, but no object visible at the head.
• UFORA9101 6 (Jan 16, 1991): Payneham: Light seen in the east moving on an erratic path.
• UFORA9101 7 (Jan 16, 1991): Adelaide: Red ball travelling south to west.
• UFORA9101 8 (Jan 18, 1991): Adelaide: Satellite travelling south-west to north-west.
• UFORA9101 9 (Jan 18, 1991): Burra: White light in the north-east identified as Jupiter.

• UFORA91020 (Sep 15, 1978): Sydney, NSW: A rectangular shaped object, described as the 'bottom of a barge', was seen about 30m up and 30m wide. It moved at running speed with a low frequency drone, had coloured lights and black panels, and covered the road width above the car.

The Continuing Saga of 'Harry'

This section revisits a recurring figure named 'Harry' and his reported experiences:

• 1948: Harry saw a large cigar-shaped object land in the scrub on Eggeltons Plain, crushing the scrub for around 200m.
• 1953: Children on a farm reported seeing three silver discs flying over a dam at a height of only 30m.
• 1954: Harry saw a being walk out from behind a tree, wearing a maroon body suit with a broad belt, described as 1.6-1.7m tall with long golden hair.
• Pre 1970: Harry experienced a time distortion, arriving three hours later than usual after a 5.5km horse ride.
• 1978: Harry's wife was visited by three men in black with red skin, and their cat behaved strangely.
• 1978: Twenty people saw an object hovering over Bribie.

From the Literature

This section reviews articles and books relevant to UFO phenomena:

1. Flying High (and fast): Discusses articles from 'Aviation Week & Space Technology' about secret advanced aircraft, including new quiet triangular shaped planes and very high-speed aircraft, suggesting a possible connection to US UFO disinformation campaigns.
2. Satanic Abuse Fears: Examines articles from the English magazine 'Magonia' and the 'International UFO Reporter' discussing allegations of children sexually abused as part of Satanic rites and their potential link to UFO abduction accounts. Peter Rogerson and Roger Sandell are quoted on the 'great fear' and archetypes of abduction.
3. The iSunday Sun~: Mentions a three-page spread on UFOs in the Melbourne newspaper, an extract from Timothy Good's book 'The UFO Report 1991', covering topics like English crop circles and USSR CE3.
4. The Adelaide Advertiser: Reports that the RAAF is investigating sightings of an object falling from the sky, possibly space junk or a meteorite.

Research Notes

• Ball lightning: Dr Mike Hough of Sydney is researching ball lightning, a rare form of lightning that can be spherical and float. He notes that some UFO reports might be generated by observations of ball lightning and is seeking contacts.
• PARANET: UFORA now has a research folder on the PAFIANET computer bulletin board for posting electronic mail and 'NEWS NOTES'.
• January Digest: Acknowledges compliments on the annual summary for 1990.
• Archives Search: The Australian Government Archives have released RAAF sightings files for 1955-59, and the 1960 file is also becoming available under the thirty-year rule.
• Abduction 'Implant' Claims: The author is researching claims of abductees having 'implants' placed in their bodies and seeks relevant articles and case references.

New Book

• Out there: The Government's Secret Quest for Extraterrestrials by Howard Blum (1990) is reviewed. The book covers a US Intelligence Group studying UFOs and SETI, the search for extraterrestrial life, and MJ-12, but omits the abduction phenomenon.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the reporting and investigation of UFO sightings, unexplained aerial phenomena, and related experiences such as time loss and alleged alien encounters. The publication appears to maintain an archival and investigative stance, presenting raw data from reports, literature reviews, and archival releases. There is an emphasis on cataloging sightings and exploring potential explanations, while also acknowledging the more unusual aspects of the phenomena, such as the 'Harry' cases and abduction claims. The editorial stance is one of diligent reporting and information dissemination within the UFO research community.