THIS FILE CONTAINS PAGES REPRODUCED FROM A BADLY FADED OR ILLEGIBLE SOURCE. SCANNING THE PAGES AT A HIGHER RESOLUTION WILL NOT IMPROVE THEIR LEGIBILITY. ReviMd Oct 80 FILENo PartNo DEPARII\4ENT OF DEFENCE NOTE: This cover is to be used only for official file series recorded with Australian Archives. Fonn Number AR 111 is to be used for working papers. REPORTS ON FLYING SAUCERS ANn AERIAL OBJECTS Referred to FoliO Referred to 1:;-<ill.Jj ARCHIVAL ACTION INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED IN THE FILING OF CORRES- PONDENCE AND THE HANDLING OF FILES ARE CONTAINED IN DEPARTMENTAL AND SINGLE SERVICE MANUALS File Number CLOSELY RELATED FILES Oepnrtment of Defence (AIR FORCE OFFICE) MINUTE PAPER RECLASSIFI~ATION OF FILES Reference : DI(AF)AAP 810 para 326. DEFAIR 580/1/1 ReferenccAF554/1 /30 (34) In accordance with Reference A, all folios, in all parts of Department of Air File series 580/1/1 are reclassified 'UNCLASSIFIED' VTith effect 7 May 82. . A. PERSKE) FOR L.\'K:R PJJ'ERS SE~ Ph~ .. TELEPHONE: PENRHH 2331 TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: "AIRCOMMAND SYDNEY" ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE 5S"4 ... 1-~0 I b HEADQUARTERS OPI:RATIONAL COMMAND PENRITH 1W NSW 2nd December 1969 REPORT OF lTIHDEIHIFIED FLYING OBJECT 1 . Lnclosed are reports completed by observers of an unidentified flying object observed in Horth Queensland on 14th September 1969. Also enclosed are copies of all correspondence relevant to the sighting held by this headquarters. Reference is made to .cllclosure 2 . This headquarters has not supplied Mr B. HARKIN, Principal Officer Space Researc h Group, ,ieapons Research Establishm:ent , or any other scientific body, vii th the inforzn.ation supplied in the reports. Your department may v1ish to do this. Squadron Leader for Air Officer Commanding Enclosures: 1 . Copy of letter Police Station Cloncurry 1390/69 2 . Copy of letter 1ffiE IU5644/2/l 25uEP69 3 . Copy of HQTVL 5/40/Air(83) 16S~P69 4 . One copy each of 'Aerial Object Observed' reported by Llrs Janice HALL I1Iyrtle PATERSON Mr Robert HALL Mr D . LAV/RBH CE Hr .a. DUV~ESTHIC \ e:o f\\j \t)o.1 Police Station, \) V.\J CLONCURRY, MEMORANDUM, Flying Officer SA . TOWNSVILLE.48 0, Da'ar Sir, -y---- Please find enclosed Four (4) proformas completed in connection with the sighting of an Aerial Phenomena on the 14th September,l969 n ear Donnor's Hill via Clor1curry. Copies of proformas were sent to Inverleigh Station via Burketown, Donnor's Hill and Wondoola Station via Cloncurry. Sighting were also made from Outstations of the abovementioned properties and forms were sent accordingly The proformas were sent to the Managers of each property who ~n turn were asked to distribute to persons who made actual sightings. On receipt of further completed proformas, they will be forwarded immediately. Yours Faithfully, (A,H.Crowe) Officer in Charge of Police, CLONCURRY, 'AIR Mt\JL UNCLASSIFIED WEAPONS RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT SALISBURY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA BOX 1424H, G.P.O., ADELAIDE, S.A. 5001 TElEGRAMS: "WEAPONS" ADELAIDE TElEPHONE 599 For further Information refer to Mr. B. Harkin. In Reply Quote Flyins Officer R.J. SalmQnd, Headquarters, R.A.A.F. Base, '.OOWNSVILLE, QUEENSLAND, ~810. I acknowledge your letter HQTVL 5/40/Air(83) of 16th September reporting an U.F.O. seen and heard near Bang Bang Homestead on 14th September. The report s~ems highly compatible with a meteorite entering the earth's atmosphere, becoming incandescent and'then disintegrating explosively. lft could be very helpful if the questionaires being collected by the Cbncurry Polioe were to yield sufficiently precise information on spe eds, heights and directions to enable search parties to locate meteorite fraement a in t he localit,r. I am sure that Queensland scientific bodies would be very grateful to receive from ~ou any such information you can collect and col l ate. verified that Weapons Research Establishment i s unaware of any rockets being fired in or towards North Queensland on that date. I am awaiting reoeipt within a few days of the fortnightly bulletin publi shed by Goddard Space Flight Centre, Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A., on behalf of the I.U.W.D.s. World Warning Agenoy for Satellites. The next issue (published to-day) will detail ~ satellites known to have re-ente~ed the atmosphere in the period 9th to 22nd September. I shall ~te again to inform you if it transpires that any artificial satellite decay . on 14th September The report of further explosions heard in the same area. 16 hours later seems, at first glance, rather unlikely. Confirmation from additional witnesses seems essential before accepting the reality of such an improbable coincidence. I shall be glad to hear further news of this event from lOU if learn anything significant from later reports. (Brian Harkin) (for) PRINCIPAL OFFICER SPACE RESEARCH GROUP. HQTVL 5/40/Air( 83) Officer-in-charge Satellite Prediction Centre Space Research Group Weapons Research Establishment Box 1424H GPO ADELAIDE SA 5001 Headquart er s TOWNSVILLE QLD 4810 I6th September 1969 REPORT OF UFO NORTH QUEENSLAND 14TH SEPI'EMBER 19()9 This headquarters bas received reports of a bright l y glowing object with a tail of smoke sighted near Bang Bang Homestea d (140 .39E 18.32S) at approximately 0 5 houro on 14th September. Theee obserYations were followed b~ a loud explosion . The light flash !rom the object and the noise from the explosion were sufficient to wake people at several homesteads as far as thirty-five miles apart. Full details, including the direction of travel of the object have not ~et been received here. However, questionnaires have been forwarded to Cloncurey Police Station !or cootpletion by the vari ous witnesses. Two observers at Bang Bang Homestead reported hearing more explosions at appr.ximately 2145 hours on 14th September, but reports of th~exploaions have not been receiTed from other sources. I would appreciate 10u~forwarding anJ information you ma1 hold which may be of uae in eTaluating the cause of these phenomena. Yours f a ithtully, (R.J. SALMOND) nying Officer For Officer Commanding HOT!';: Above let t er also sent: t o Commonwealth Bureau of Hcteorology Wickham Te BRISBAtlE QLD RESTRICTED INTELLIGENCE -REPORT OF AERIAL OBJRCT OBSERVED (Operational Command ASI 3/A/Sl PART 1 -REPORT BY OBSERVER f""C' Off SAL.o10rl>) i>u1-to,.,C. t c.orH~SI'IToo.J S I~ / I S ~t:.r f ) Date and time of observation 1. Hl?v .. 1.'/.f?.<f. .... Weather conditions at time of observation. Describe any aids or equipment used in the observation ~. !~ ..... . . Where was object first observed? (eg overhead, coming from behind a hill, What first attracted observers attention (eg light or noise) If there was more than one object: - What wa s the colour of the light or object? .k:-:-i.f::. ~.~ .. ~f..4Q.,.J Was any detail of structure observable? RESTRICTED RESTRICTED Was any method of propulsion obvious? ~ Was there any sound? (or angle of el~'tion}.if.~(.~; What was its height? What was its speed? Was the object stationary? ::E>id;~ect;m trai ate, or manoeuvre at all? Was any trail of exhaust, vapour Drligpt seen? ~.~ oo~lltftt~ril \.~,..r t (eg mid-air, behind a hill, over the horizon) Where ~id object dieappers? Do you know of any physical evidence? other supporting evidence) (such as fragments, photographs, or 26. Have you observed any unusual phenomena previously? ~.~ 28. State any experience which enabl e s observer to be reasonably certain about the answers given to 18 and 19. 29. Are you a member of any organization interested in aerial phenomena? 31. Any additional information which relate s to the sighting._ ~/ MR H~L.'-RAIII<:-.s:'\:..oEAl-1\1.-HoMFcttAos Frtol>'! ltJJtlt'-l!tC.rf ( 1~ f~M w .... Dool-A ~i' lrS" tl.J.o suy RESTRICTED RESTRICTED PART 2 -UNIT EVALUATION The following military aircraft were in the vicinity of the r eported UFO position at the time: 33. The following civil aircraft were in the vicinity of the reported UFO position at the time: 34. Calculations show that the following planets or major stars were in that portion of the sky at the time: 35. A meteorological balloon was released from ~ l ':-: ..... at z and could have been in the reported UFO position at the time. 36. The State Observatory in the nearest capital city affirms that aerial phenomena in that portion of the sky at the time were: 37. Any other relevant remarks (eg, about satellites, rockets, research balloons). 38. There is conclusive evidence that the object reported was t t d uld h b ME\"eoR. SN'lER.INCt {3A\Q.Iti MMos.P~E. 'Of:GoMetl<r IN41tJ1>6!>G.tiiiT liND t>tsetJIEG-P.ft'TIIIG-E:fP..,oStve.'-'1. 40e The cause (or likely cause) of the sighting cannot be determined Headquarters Townsville. ANNEX A TO AS! NO 3/A/5 RESTRICTED RESI'RICTED INTELLIGENCE -REPORT OF AERIAL OBJECT OBSERVED ( QPera ti oneJ. Command ASI 3/A/Sl PART 1 -REPORT :BY OBSERVER Name of observert:l (. ~ fh !~ ... Address of obeerver.D _q N.rp.fJ.~. If:( ~S. Tlfr:~Al.~ ... ~1-.r;N.Ci.id,!\. (..IJ i-.1-.lt Observers location at time of sighting.- ;;..~.- ~J (JA./- Weather conditions at time of observation ~.0..'-&--. ;t /P.~ .............. . 8. Describe any aide or equipment used in the observation Where was object first observed? (eg overhead, over the horizon) ~ ~ coming from behind a hill, 10. What first attracted observers attention (eg light or noise) 11. Did object appear as a light or as a definite object? 12. If there was more than one object: - 13. What was the colour of the light or object? ?-JJ.J.lA ... &~ ........ . 15. Was any detail of structure observable? RESTRICTED RESTRICTED What was its height? (or angle of el~tion) ~ What was its speed? (or angular velocity) ~ What was the direction of flight with rG to landmarks or points of the