UFORA Research Digest - No 23 - Jul 1991

Magazine Overview

Title: RESEARCH DIGEST
Issue: 23
Date: July 1991
Publisher: UFO RESEARCH AUSTRALIA
Compiler: Keith Basterfield

Editorial and Production Notes

An important notice from the editorial team announces a change in the publication schedule for Research Digest. Due to a decrease in the number of quality reports received from the UFORA network and in an effort to reduce costs, the Digest will now be produced bi-monthly. The next edition is scheduled for September 1991, with submissions accepted until the end of August. Paying subscribers will continue to receive their 12 issues. The editorial team notes that the Digest is being produced out of their own pockets.

Cases from the Network

This section presents a series of UFO sighting reports from various locations in Australia, cataloged with UFORA identification numbers, dates, locations, times, and brief descriptions. The reports often include witness details, object characteristics, and sighting duration.

• UFORA91055 (Jan 1988, IIfraville, TAS): A lone witness observed a silver, round to disc-shaped object low over distant ranges at dusk. After about five minutes, the object moved straight up into the sky and disappeared.
• UFORA91056 (Late 1989, Lorinna, TAS): A single witness walking home in a rural area noticed a star-like light moving towards the north-east. The light moved down, crossed in front of a hill about 1.5 km away, performed a curve, blinked out, and then reappeared moving away behind the hill.
• UFORA91057 (2 Aug 1990, Rebecca River, TAS): A witness on a fishing boat 500m offshore saw a silver/grey, bus-shaped object heading south down the coast. The object dipped down in front of tall dunes and disappeared behind another, failing to reappear. The sighting lasted about 20 seconds.
• UFORA91058 (5 Dec 1990, Radnor, TAS): Several workers on a chicken farm observed a large mass of white lights moving slowly past in the south-eastern sky, heading east-north-east. Two bright lights were ahead of an estimated 15-20 other lights. The lights were visible for two to three minutes. Inquiries found no air traffic movements for the area.
• UFORA91059 (13 Jan 1991, King Island, TAS): A number of people reported an erratic white light from a farm. The light moved from the constellation of Orion across to the east, then turned west, circled a star multiple times, headed south-east, and then disappeared south-west.
• UFORA91060 (22 Oct 1990, Pomona, QLD): While feeding birds, Mrs Dhlberg saw a noiseless silver, rectangular-shaped object moving steadily in a north to south direction. Her and her neighbour's televisions went on the blink. The sighting lasted 60 seconds.
• UFORA91061 (19 Oct 1990, Ipswich, QLD): While observing two F111 aircraft with a telescope, a silver, ball-like object was seen following the jets for about two minutes. It then stopped, changed direction, and retraced its steps. The telescope was checked and found to be flawless.
• UFORA91062 (17 Feb 1990, Brisbane, QLD): An elderly lady saw an orange-red object moving slowly north. Several other people also witnessed it. The object appeared at an elevation of 30 degrees to the east and disappeared behind trees at 10 degrees after five to six minutes.
• UFORA91063 (20 Mar 1990, Brisbane, QLD): A man heard a two-second noise, like an F111 booster, followed by a bright flash of light.
• UFORA91064 (1962, Brisbane, QLD): A sixty-five-year-old barmaid recounted an event in a bar where a man, after drinking, suddenly disappeared. The man had a smooth face and smooth grey hands.
• UFORA91065 (Dusk, Brisbane, QLD): Mr W Schneeberg saw a large round object hovering 10-15 metres above the ground. The underside was in shadow. After a few seconds, he and his daughter ran inside. Three to four minutes later, the object departed. During the episode, lights, the oven, and the television behaved erratically. The next morning, four chickens were found dead, and the daughter's eyes were irritated for days.
• UFORA91066 (1955, Bamiara, PNG): An unidentified caller reported seeing a big blue ball over the ocean moving at about 160km/hr. Everything lit up blue, even through cracks in walls. The object made no sound and disappeared around a headland.
• UFORA91067 (13 Aug 1990, Brisbane, QLD): A witness and a neighbour saw a large light over a chicken shed, lighting it up. The object moved off, and they followed it. It hovered momentarily over them. They stopped their car, but heard no noise. They lost sight of it behind trees.
• UFORA91068 (1 Jun 1991, Buderin, QLD): A witness felt a nocturnal light was close. It moved forward and back, described as one large upper light and two small lower lights, the top one bright and the bottom one faded white. There was no audible noise.
• UFORA91069 (2 Jun 1991, Tewantin, QLD): A man with 16 years of RAAF experience reported a bright pulsating, white light with red and green included, which moved slightly up and down.
• UFORA91070 (10 Jun 1991, Wurtulla, QLD): A 12-year-old girl saw a strange orange light in the sky that turned red. It seemed circular and travelled faster than a plane, heading south, then turning sharply off and heading south again.
• UFORA91071 (30 May 1991, Beerwah, QLD): A government worker saw a speck in the sky at 3 p.m. that did not appear to move and was visible at dusk. It was identified as Venus.
• UFORA91072 (Jun 1990, Bokarina Beach, QLD): A witness fishing from the beach noted a bright object hovering over the water, then rising vertically 60-100m before turning horizontally towards Brisbane. It was observed for five to eight minutes.
• UFORA91073 (24 May 1991, Sunshine Coast, QLD): A 58-year-old woman saw a bright, round, twinkling light moving rapidly across the sky from west to east.
• UFORA91074 (2 May 1991, Maroochydore, QLD): A middle-aged woman saw a rapid, bright, white light, round in shape, moving in a straight line east to west and disappearing into clouds.
• UFORA91075 (2 May 1991, Maroody River, QLD): A 20-year-old woman reported a bright, fluorescent white object moving fast and silently from east to west. It entered clouds which then lit up.
• UFORA91076 (18 Apr 1991, Buddina, QLD): A 74-year-old man watched a dull yellow, star-sized light appear in the south-south-east and rise rapidly in a low arc to the north-north-east.
• UFORA91077 (18 Mar 1991, Wurtulla, QLD): A large, bright light suddenly appeared in the field of view of a 51-year-old woman, well above tree top level. The area beneath was lit, showing the light's path. It appeared briefly.
• UFORA91078 (8 Apr 1991, Buderin, QLD): Several elderly people noticed four bright lights moving from the south-east to the north. The upper two were larger, appearing like search lights with green light below. A low humming sound was heard.

From the Literature

This section reviews recent publications and articles relevant to UFO research:

1. The MUFON Journal (March 1991):
* M. O'Brien: "New Witness to San Augustin Crash" (4pp) - A new crash retrieval story.
* J. Carpenter: "Reliving July 5, 1947" (3pp) - Hypnotic work relating to a crash.
* M. Strainic: "River, Lake and Creek" (4pp) - Physical trace cases in Canada.
* M. Wales: "Proposed Physical Measurements of Crop Circles" (2pp) - Analysis of trace cases.
2. Nexus magazine (May/Jun 1991):
* D. Roads: "From Crop Circles to Hieroglyphs" (4pp) - English crop circles.
* "Ufos - Roswell Revisited" (5pp) - A new witness to Roswell.

Research Notes

• Robert A. Baker's Book: A retired American psychology professor, Robert A. Baker, has published a book titled "Shey Call it Hypnosis" by Prometheus Press. The book reportedly references UFO abductions and the work of Keith Basterfield and Bob Bartholomew on fantasy-prone personalities. It is not yet available in Australia.
• Media Flap: Following the publication of Baker's book and his mention of Basterfield and Bartholomew, there was a brief media flap in Australia. Keith Basterfield conducted 9 radio interviews, a piece appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, and he was featured on the Channel 9 'Today' show. Additionally, a Perth ABC radio show discussed the UFO phenomenon, and another Adelaide ABC program was negotiating a documentary.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the detailed reporting of UFO/UAP sightings across Australia, the challenges faced by researchers in obtaining quality reports, and the ongoing efforts to document and analyze these phenomena. The editorial stance, as indicated by the notice, is one of pragmatic adjustment to resource limitations while maintaining a commitment to publishing subscriber issues. The inclusion of literature reviews and research notes suggests an effort to connect local findings with broader UFO research and to address potential psychological explanations for witness accounts.