Rev-Oct SO DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE NOTE: Tbis cover is to be used only for official file series recorded witb Australian Archives. Number AR 111 is to be used for working papers. SUBJECT: FILE NUMBER OI.D AlR 580/1/1 pt. ?4. REPORTS ON FLYlliC SAUCERS AND OTHER AERIAL OBJECTS. Referred to Referred to ARCHIVAL ACTION INSTRUCTIONS 'Ut'f nn: BE FOLLOWED IN THI - .S(.L,vr Mt~R y Or-.5., ~ H ... ,~ I PONOENCE AND THE ARE CONTAINED INC l:v:r-hJ,r-r.~ SINGLE SERVICE MAl /trll-cC:.,.JFi Pr-I.ICi tJ.'J! , I r:J2> MAY B Ho-rd-t:<v.>e-.fK. C f. ;..{e, l.~rln>i 1/l:JU,.J r'1,/t!c e,Ji{,t ;Jtvtliy7.3 /f-; sr /lttJ- f1&,S t'1 R/tCI<tmfll do t!c: r~M.r/ ~ !),l>orJE- t?..:JZJ..j II UN K,JeJ,J J::o~IJ.~ ~ s>tR,v!i Mt!5 t1 J<.,rlc. I ;(ZMIPZJ!;. jlrJf,,Zf'i G t..;q,JF- 111~uJ R~AJ wY,.J-ftcl.. bx1MA'f 73 ,;,;fc_.urr Jo ,!..fltll. 7~ "J)/Cr .,tp A'e~. CLOSELY RELATED FILES File Number (PJR FORCE OFFICE) MINUTE PAPER !'~CLASSI:?I"ATIOlT 0~ FILES DI(AF)AJ_P 810 para 326. DEFAIR 580/1/1 In acco:-da.:'lce ,.,ith ReferCl"tce A, all folios, in all parts of Department of Air File series 580/1/1 arc reclazoified ' u:WLASSIFIED' 1'1i th effect 7 Nay 82. 1i' H. llir::~imaki, 126 Webb Street, llr ISA QLD 4825 Daa.r Sir, With reference to your report of an unusual aerial s~1ting on 20th April 1973, it has been determined that the most probable cause vaa the ai~tino of a meteorolozioal balloon. Inveati~tions revealed that a balloon ~ounted with a 20 inc!l r~ncotor and a vhite ll3ht uas released .rom the Heteo:rolo ical Section at Lonerc oh airport at approximAtely 3.30 am on 20th Aoril, and this balloon would, under tne atmospheric co:1ditiona pertainin;:; at the time, lmve reacted sioil~ly to the livut as described py you. The only apparent di:::orepancy is tL:e OlJO d of arproacb of the 11sht as described, but the invcoetiC;ltj.nz team rust treat that aspect of tile report as speculative, as it is impossible to aouess speed unlee~ the cize of the object and/or the distance fron the observer ~le trust that this explanation is aatiefaotory and thAnk you for your co-operation. Yours faithfUlly, (C. J . ODG ;ps) Director of }1lblic Relations irjJ}l ( I ) IJith refere~oe to the requeet by the l!on. ~" e:1tworth r. P. , for inveati&ation of an unusual aerial oight1Qs ~de on 20th April 197,, the investi~tion has been oonduoted and. a draft r,.ply to lfr \/entworth ie attached. Youra Sincerely Dear l.r Wentworth, In respon.;e to your enquiry addressed to the tiinieter for 1'1:anspo.rt and Civil Aviation, relatine; to an unusual aerial ei&ht1ns oodo by fir Hondrick Rirsit1ald. at Longreach on 20tll .april 197~, the Departr.ent of Air has carried out an investigation and concludeo that the cost probable cause wno the sighting of a ~eteorologioal balloon. f.ir !Iirsimaki, 1.n answer to a request from the llAAF, related the story of the sil;htins and anowered a specific questionnaire. '!he dota.ils supplied bore little rese .. blance to the sensational newepa description and, in the opinion of the investigatinc teac, did not re:;;emble t!1e descriptions of t he ' I1in iiin Light' as quot ed in the Au tralian moyclopaedi~, Vol 6 , pace 91 (a copy of which ie nttac.ed). It haa been deterolned that at t he time or si~,t~, a ~eteor- oloeioal balloon countod with a 20 inch renector and a ..., 1te lisM wae r<'leo.sed fro-::~ the teteorologice.l. Section at Lol'lX'e oh airport and thb ball oon would, under t he at~oepherio conditions pertaining at the time, nave reaoted sitdlarly to the li<ht as seen by Ur !Iirsicald. The only apparont discrepancy ia the speed of approach of tlJe li{';ht as described by the witneec. The speed of an object is virtually impossible to assess unless the size of the object and/or the distance from the observer is known, and it io considered i n this case that the speed aeseoernent made by r;r Hiroimaki 13 in error d\18 to hie la.e'c or !.nowledge of both of tbese filr IIiroim.:lki has aloo been advised of the results of t ~ investigation. The Uon 1 .c. 'entworth 1 Redoan Road Yours .;inoPrel y R. :SISUOP /~r-tvcA-It.t:.~ REPOil'.l' OF UNUSUAL Al':RIAL :;IGJITINC::l Part 1 -Report by Observer Address 1-Z b u./ j;. C3 :r -= ' Occupation P / P.F 7=, 1 t:. K?. Start of observation: Time '3 ~o End of observation: 3 fits. am/w of date 2o .v-a [tj_7 .3 times W~ath~r.oonditions ~of observat~on, referring to cloud, wind In what direction was the sighting first observed? - --~AJ~o _ At what angle to the horizon? 7. In what direction was the sighting last observed? --------- At what angle to the horizo~? e. Estimate of distance and/or altitude from 9. Describe the objeot(s)/light(s) in your own words, referring to the number, colour, eize, shape, brightn~ss (relative to full moon/star ) , soUnd, speed, method of propulsion, manner of disappearance and any other unusual features. If possible provide a sketch. /9 (oontd) X hAsr S:G#1JNc;5 o.,L lire lt-7171 ( Jltldet yk' i?&Gr,.-v 7() G.Gr D1#NtfR W1e o fhe. /'.Jhf wtils b/r:/'~' Cfna' clctlf.:d /mtt, :.>licws v./Je/l If 111as , .,;nttllt: ,.~ alla<~l each Ct~"C"rf /ook fkml!/ 7IJ Seemu( *' ~?ve ~e,1 hi- St~ ct a. n~,n:J -full 5etmed h /;aile 0.-?tl I a/'~e.tre,.Y vel't-t c r~.u. Y .rb ~< ,e rt:5en Have you any photographs of t he evidence of f ragment s scorohin sJ.ghtlng, o: is there any pbyei9 ' g or ground J.ndentatione? IVO 12. Any additional comments you wish to make. -4tB /.awtfl ,wM . -th tC cam.~ .1-rm~:t.lttt'~ .&icoatdo MJ Signature~...,. ' r l!. lll.roi~. 126 e'll11 .,treat, ~e Dileotorate of .i. Foree IntellietJnce -waa requested on 1' Ju&a 1973 ~o investigate ~ unusual aerial ei~ting alleged to have been made by yau. on 20th .April 1973 o.e reJ>ortod iu the Iris bane Courier tail' newapa.per or 26th .ril 1973 a a reault ot th15 requeot a letter ~ questionnaire ~ere diapatcbed to you rro this Dopart-;lent on 21s.; J.:nc 1973. Tc dAte, no answer ~ been received, and to cover the posoibility t at either our letter or yoJr reply went e.str8.l in t'!:.e pest, we enolo~c another questior~re. ould you plca:;e cot..plate the q1!eotion.-,aire ~ :r.,ttrn it to t. e Depart ent of ~. C3:lilerra, as soon as ]JOSsible. Answers and tivo description should be as detailed no possible, to allow adcq~te investittion. You cay be assured t ::.at the inveatic;ation will be thorOUBh and will be treated in con!ieence. Yours faithfully, Or ];! Co.ptain Di ector or Air Force Intelligence for Chief of the Air Staff !Write Ct'l this side only) Subject: AERIAL SIGHTING REPORT 1. The attached copy of a letter forwarded today for signature by the Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence is referred in relation to your file 580/1/1 Pt 24, folio 15A Please advise if a reply is received from .t>1r Hirsimaki- for further advice to Mr Wentworth on file 569/9/33. tfl I C--.(~ A/Exec 0 Air COMMONWEALT H OF AUSTRALIA Dear Mr \fentworth, MINISTER f"OR OFFENCE PARL.tAMENT HOUSE BERRA A C T 2&00 Further to m.Y letter of 25th June, 1 973 in response to youx enquiry addressed to the Minister for Transport and CiYi 1 Aviation, I o,m '~ri ting to let you ll:now that I am stilL unable to provide o.ny wortlwhil e information about !,he rn::tt.te:r. The press cutting from the BJi sbane Courier Mai 1 of' 26th April , 1973 enclosed d th y-our letter indic;J ted that a. Mr Hendrick Hirsima.ki had c Jajmed to have seen an UnidcnLii'ieu Flyin~C; Object on t .he outskirts of Longreach at 3 .30 a . m. on Good Frjday, 20th April, 1973. The Department of Air has "ritten Lo Nr llirsimaki seeking ad<litiona.l specific information to enable the :investigation to be iniLiated. To date, Mr Hirsimaki has not returned the information requested, and in the :interim. it will not be possible for the investigation to proceed. If the information sought is obtained, thus enabling the investigaLion to proceed, I will writ e to y ou again. The Hon. W.C. Wentworth, M.P., 1 Redman Ron.d, Yours sincerely, (R. BISHOP) Ministor Assisting the Ninistor for Defence Nr H, liirsi ca.ki, 126 Webb Street, !It lea Q.LD 4825 Denr ::iir , The Directorate of Air Force Intelligence has been requested to investigate an unusual aerial sighting made by you on 20th April 197~, and reported in the Brisbane Courier Mail' newspaper on 26th April. Would you please complete the enclosed question- naire and return it to The Department of Air, Canberra, as soon as possible. Answers and narrative description should be as detailed as possible to allow adequate investigation. You may be assured that the inveetivation will be thorough and that you will be informed of the results. Thanking you in anticipation for your assi~tance. Yours faithfully, &rrl\lp Captain lror Chief of the Air Staff MIN MIN-MINEHALS AND MINEHALOOY 01 kn.1\\ pcci<'>, with shOJI!: dtvclopmcnt in New 10C10 feet, one! tlwol dcsccnclrd nlmost to the C111nra llt f<-,,,t ~5 <'nd<mic spccc~). others occur-ground. The phc111 '"'" w,>< observed for 10 nn'" Hl lnd,HH.'~i.l. 011<." in the-s~romon Tslnnds and nlmutc.s llnd w.as lr. '\.11 diS.l{lpc.uing into lhc t\1; (.I . ,uil/,.lltu .me!.-\ /ucyi) in North Queens-ground. All o its mOV<'m<nt' were wpid. l.md. A rnillo11lii, tl'" "mar>h.tll te", grows to Eo:dicr reports on the Mlbjccl h.w come from . bout 50 [, d loi!'h iu scnobs between the Tully many pnr.ts o the interior, have clccuh~d vMying m!l).lmtr,'<' riwr~. Qld. It has l .rgc, r.lther shiny types of loght, and h.wu brcn prnducti\'C of numcr- J.<,,fi,h "I' to 6 mclw< Inn!(. ,, strong dur.1ble ous thcorjes. George r..,nnll, in r..,md of .11 irogc :.cldi-h tunhcr, and smooth b.~tk. which cont.>ins (1951), quotes several hmhmcn of the C<ntrc as P""onou punciple. Cluster. of fi,e to ~even h~,-;n:~ seen in wild places a >int:lr !,right light, ' fl'"' "1th lnnJ.: t.mwn'-~bout 1!; inches-like th~t of a motor-e.>r, which f.ulrtl when np- 'j>pc.>r nn the old.-r hrnnchwood, ~nd the sprc-pro>chcd; ond he cites an obon):on;,J " having t . cular cotlr,l, cur.ll-acl pods rc,cmble bcaded id U>ot the mv>tery light w;s not knnwn hdoo <'d'-t~ wla~n npC"n~.~.l out t1wy diM:Io:.c blnd~ thc.'l coming of the ,vhUu mnn. v~\rimu writer~ in <h ~rt in c.ul.H')'~ ,Ito'' ~\'IC'k,L<e. Qucen:\lr.nd new papers h:wc gavcn dc.t.liiC"d dr- ,\\'l>lwun h, m . !l :;cnus of p<'r.nni.1! herb< '< scriptinns of their experience; with the "'I'Po'c<.l ~cr.unhlinJ: h..-li:<~hrubs, rdatC'c.! to :J1e th cs .Alcn-:'\tin ~fin. One m:m ~l:tte!. that a light \\hic;h he t1Ja<J anl Oi<rntnCIIIJS (J l . rgc ;\I,,,J . gnsc.m saw nettr the Landsbornu~h Hivcr zig1~1ggcd !:""" with tw,, ocpr.sent.1tiWs in 1\.:>oth Aus-nlong > ridge until it rc.<chttl ,, to"N, and then it tr .. ll.l), but <lilf, int: in the nhscncc o npic>l gbmls illuminated the trunk, ro'e ~rnong the branches, fr,m its .mtl.,r,. Th, 23 sp<'Cics ,Jcsclibrd occur and emitted an eerie ;::rccni.<h ~low nhout 3 feet cludlv m tropical Am~ric" nnd l\l;ll.lyi"; four in dinmctcr; ~rtcr thnt it travelled nbout 100 yards have b,., . ., r<'COI<lcd for Au~trali:l. nil of them <Jwny, only to return ::>nd pass tluough the ho:u1chcs b,urg tnclemic. N . grncofi. nncl N . monO-$/'Crma nrc of the tree without illumHiallng tlJc trunk. Another olmost prosto:tt(' ~nd ranging from northern ;o<cw writer records having seen tht lt;ln ntllnbcrs of Sooth W,1ks. throu~:hout eastern Qucenshncl. to times, but only in the wontc r months following tho the Gulf countn, Arnlwm Lnn(l .1nd tht'. Kimber-tropical wet seoson; in e<>th <)f l1is in$t~nces the !e)'s. W.A. N. ~rnci/is (sometimes c~llccl .. nMive light travelled at the one height nbove grass (qsing scmilile plant' ) oflcn grows tlitkly on S?od or fallfnt; according to the wound's unduiMions), clllwo)S rountry l> the oxd\osion uf glasses, nnd is nnd in enclo instance it gave the impo<s~ion that it thrn n troubk$Ornc weed. Z:.CIICI1Cn(J t;IOIICIJ (load-was "brcn.thi11g, expanding. nnd shrinking". tne), with white Aowcr-hc.1tls, is n small orn;~-Suggestions rcp;Md1ng the origin of the phc- mental tr<c of tropical America, cultiv:>ted in parts nomcno11, naturally varyin~ in .1ccordancc with of northern Au>traha including th~ Darwin fore-the~ pe of light observed, have included nfercnccs shore. J.H.w. to ball lightning. the effects of the clear inbnd oir (SeC' also ADr.:<A"THnA; ALotZZIA; E:o<'Ti\DA; on the appearance of twinkling stars (tlois theory >U>tOSA, WAT'T'l.t.) is emphatically rejected by most bu1hmrn). the glow produced by certain noctmnGl insccL,, and ~ll:'\ /Ill:\, a t<'nn of aborigin.>l origin, once thecJicct crented by eertmn spccocs of lungoid .1pphcd to ,, hotel situat<>d at a lonely spot in the pkmts io association with a certain type of soil. nort~.-w~:;t of Quccn<bnd, .1nd l.1ter used for a Because of the sporadic nature of the occurrence, ".;l.ost lil(l.t'" pr>rtcd to h~ve been seen there no $Cientilic investigation l.~s been ronde, but tloe ,,nd m other p.rts of the inbnd, p.uticubrly the tentative view of ~colo.~ist5 relates the pl>c- :\evcr-:\cver. The hotd in question, long since nomenon, at le~t on its larger scale, to gases from burnt dowr., w.>< phccd nc .. r n bore-head on the bores or marshy ground. rwd between \l'arcn<la .>ncl Lucknow stations, It may he noted that most of U>e features re- towords Bouhn, ~nd it has been suggested that the ported to be associated with the ll!in lllin arc "woll-o'-the-wisp" li;:ht nrore from spontaneous simib.r to those recorded in relation to the ignis <ombon.lhon of ccrt.oin l:lscs, especially methane, fatuus ("foolish fire"), Ule "wJllo'-the-wisp" or S"cn off by the bore. ucorpse candle", which occurs, irrcgul.1rly and un \\'roting m the Xortlo Q~tccrrslnnd Not11mlist predictably, over marshy ground or in gravcy.1tds (]Jn. 1954;, C. B. lll. ;crris states thnt he nnd two in cettain parts of Dritatn and thr Contilent. Tho comp~nions >aw a ~lin )\!on hght opcr ting, at ignis fatuus s u;unlly cxplolJJttl M bdng the Oomc 11 p.m. <n 5:1. M,y 1953, on a black-soil plaiJ> of of burning marsh gas (hugely mcthnne), which h~s the a,.,kly T.bldnnd, :-I.T. The light, which W3S been ignited by hyd~ogen phosphodc contnfncd in whil't: Jnd \' ry brilliant (more so lh>n nny decaying org;~nic matter. planot~ry boo.hos ob~ervcd at tho time), faded ~t inteo'V.1h .1nd then ~C<)uircd n bright red flnsh. It moved in irre;::ulnr circles ond spirals, tt.oug}) strJight UJ>w.ird, to n height of about :<I~NERALS A;>:O l\H~tmALOCY. This n1tklv contoio's n bl'ief ~urvey of mjncrol \"ochoctlon fu Au~\ralin. wil'll spccinl rc(crcncc \O t oose n1incr:ol$ Rovat Ausrr-elll"' Air l-ore A273 -MEMORANDUM ~ILE r )1 Tt AP.OINTMENT I PHONE NO 65 l'al.l:;lerston Crcsoont, .::<iUI'il l2LDOUIU:E VIC 05 ili th reference to your report of a,n unusual aerial sighting at Holbrook 11811 on 31st i~eh 19n, H lul.3 boen determined that the mo3t probabl e cause was a liJQt aircraft. It is oo~on nractice for li~t aircraft to operate at nizbt with landinc lishts on for i!leni if1c~tion purposes. \Jhen operatinc under night visual meteorol o ~cal conditions in areas outside DCA control, sue~ a:; Holbroo}, tbeee aircraft are not required