The Down The Mall investigations unit hates to leave a mystery dangling in the wind, so today we’re on the trail of … wait for it … the Missing UFO.
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Logic always says there’s an explanation for sightings of UFOs. As they say in Men In Black, it was the planet Venus reflected off a cloud of swamp gas magnified by your bifocals. But Bendigo’s had a couple which needed a little more consideration.
In May 1983, hundreds of people saw what they described as a bright snake-like light in the skies over Central Victoria. There were said to have been hundreds of reports, including one from a Romsey senior constable.
A then 17-year-old Radio 3BO DJ, Mike Evans, took a few calls from listeners and then, the next night, captured a photograph of what looks like an electrified rope loop in the sky. It got a bit of media attention for a while and then all was silent.
In April 2009, video images were captured of an erratic bright light in the sky and it’s now on YouTube (along with a lot of very suss other sightings. DTM found at least 10 sightings in eight years.)
But the intriguing thing about the 1983 report is that 30 years later, the Australian Air Force released previously classified documents about its UFO reports and its responses. In them was an analysed photo of Mike Evans’ photographic efforts. The report of the RAAF declassified files appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The only hint of a non-alien source in the RAAF documents was a report of an anonymous caller claiming the light was caused by a local rock group experimenting with stage lasers.
Other than that, the RAAF concluded it was down to odd atmospherics, reflected light from a train, a plane or another planet. Cue response from MiB. DTM would dearly love to hear from anyone who could – ahem – shed some light on the night.
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Aliens come in all shapes and sizes. We heard an interview with an Australian musician working full-time in Nashville in which he was asked how he obtained a US work visa. He explained his visa officially described him as “an alien of exceptional abilities”.