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| File Name: | knowles.txt |
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| Date: | Unknown |
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| Key Words: | ParaNet, UFO, Ufology |
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ParaNet File Number: 00157
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UFO RESEARCH AUSTRALIA
THE MUNDRABILLA INCIDENT
THE KNOWLES' ENCOUNTER
In the early hours of Wednesday morning January 20, 1988, the
occupants of a number of vehicles travelling along the main
highway between Perth, Western Australia, and Adelaide, South
Australia, were reportedly involved in an incident.
This report has been compiled from a personal interview with the
main percipients, the Knowles family; a statement given to police
by the Knowles; an inspection of their vehicle; an interview with
one of the truck drivers, and from the extensive media coverage
given to the incident, especially from taped video interviews
which appeared on television. Details of independent laboratory
testing results have been made available to us.
It will be some time, perhaps months before we are able to
present an in-depth report for distribution. However, due to the
constant demand from many quarters for a preliminary report on
our inquiries, we make this material available with the following
qualification.
The report is a raw information, with no attempt at analysis or
interpretation at this stage. lt will clearly be seen that there
are discrepancies within the accounts given by the Knowles to De
Jong and the story we obtained the following day e.g. which of
Mrs. Knowles' hands was affected. As we have been denied access
to the Knowles for clarification we can only present the details
as we have been given them.
Our investigations have been conducted amidst what can only be
described as a 'media circus'. To indicate the intense media
interest in the incident, the authors have now fielded well over
one hundred individual inquiries from all over Australia, New
Zealand, Northern Ireland, and the U.S.A.
In this report, compiled on March 17, 1988, we hope to cover as
much detail as possible about what has become known as the
Mundrabilla incident.
Members of investigation team in this case have been Keith
Basterfield, Ray Brooke, Steve Bolton, Vladimir and Pony Godic in
Adelaide; Garry Little in Melbourne, and Joan Johnston in Perth.
LOCATION
The incident occurred on a stretch of the main bitumised highway
between Perth and Adelaide. Between the localities of Madura and
Eucla, Western Australia, the area is more locally known as The
Basin and it is here that the episode reportedly occurred (see
maps 1 and 2). It is an isolated stretch of road with the Great
Australian Bight (Ocean) to the South and a range of hills to the
North.
Due to the distance of the site from Adelaide (1100 km by air)
and the ephemeral nature of the physical evidence at the spot, we
have not visited Mundrabilla ourselves. However, driver De Jong
has provided us with an excellent description of the location,
and showed us pictures of the general area. Together with TV
shots of the area this has given us an understanding of the
isolated nature of this stretch of road, the terrain, road
surface and vegetation present.
THE VEHICLES
As pieced together to date the sequence of events was as follows.
Four vehicles were involved. Three were travelling eastwards (see
figure 1) towards Eucla, and the other is understood to have been
on its way westwards in the direction of Perth. These vehicles
were spread over at least a 10 - 15 kilometer distance and not
travelling in a close convoy.
On initial media advice it was thought that there was a fifth
vehicle travelling westwards. This now appears spurious.
Vehicle one was a car and caravan, which is reported by the
Knowles to have almost collided with their car when driver, Sean
Knowles, stated he took evasive action swerving to avoid a close
encounter with the object. The identity of the occupant of this
vehicle has not been discovered by anyone to date and, in fact,
this person seem to have been entirely overlooked by the media.
On Sean's testimony this driver should have seen the object at
close range. We placed an article in a Perth Sunday paper in an
attempt to locate this person, but there has been no response to
date.
Vehicle two was a truck being driven by a Mr. Graham Henley, 57,
transport operator of Forest Hill, Victoria. Media reports place
Mr. Henley driving his truck though The Basin some 10 - 15
kilometers ahead of the Knowles' car. We have contacted Henley's
wife and asked him to talk to us. However, to date he has not
responded, although most of the time he is apparently on the
road.
Vehicle three was a Ford Telstar sedan (car) containing the
Knowles family from Perth, to whom we shall return later in this
report.
Vehicle four was a truck owned by a transport operator whom we
now know to be named De Jong (nickname 'Porky'). This vehicle was
at an unknown distance behind Knowles' car, and at the time was
being driven by a woman friend of De Jong's, named Anne.
As at March 17, we have now identified and spoken to the
occupants of two of the four vehicles involved. It may be some
time before we are able to personally interview the others,
particularly the currently unknown driver.
INVESTIGATION BY US
The story broke to us about 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday January 20.
The Ceduna police telephoned Ray Brooke whilst the Knowles were
present at the station. Arrangements were made for the family to
proceed to Adelaide where they would be interviewed and the
vehicle inspected, documenting the physical evidence. Ceduna
police advised us they had secured written statements and a
sample of a deposit for analysis. Nothing else could be done by
UFO Research (SA) until family and vehicle arrived in Adelaide.
The story leaked to the media, however, and the family were
intercepted enroute and concluded a deal with the Channel 7
television network. It appeared at this stage that 'cheque book'
journalism has scored over scientific evaluation.
On Thursday January 21, after negotiations with the 7 network,
the authors were able to spend three hours at the Adelaide
Channel 7 studios whilst the Knowles underwent extensive
interviews. Between interviews we managed to talk informally to
all members of the family. No formal in-depth interview was
possible in the circumstances. We confirmed their basic story as
related below.
The family was distressed and tired at this stage and told us
they wanted a finish to all television interviews. They appeared
to us to be down to earth people trying to cope with some
traumatic episode. Indications of a hoax were minimal.
Following the end of the interviews at the station we sought our
own formal in-depth interview. However, the family declined and
then left for an undisclosed location. The next day they
travelled on to Melbourne, Victoria, some 800 km from us, where
we understand they still remain.
However, the story as pieced together from our first hand
interview, and from notes taken whilst watching several TV
interviews being taped, is as follows.
THE MAIN PERCIPIENTS
Mrs. Faye Knowles, 43, and sons, Sean 21, Patrick 24, and Wayne
18, were travelling from Perth, Western Australia (WA) to
Melbourne, Victoria, for a surprise visit to Mrs. Knowles' family
in Melbourne.
At a still undetermined point West of Mundrabilla WA, Sean, the
driver, saw what he at first took to be a truck's light,
apparently along the road, approaching them from the East. As it
approached, it then disappeared after "jumping about a bit". It
became visible again and continued to approach their vehicle.
Sean commented that it looked like a "spaceship". It become
brighter and bigger. They kept driving towards it. It then
disappeared.
The next thing they knew it was behind them. Sean accelerated the
car in an attempt to get away from it. Suddenly it was in front
again.
At some stage Sean did a U-turn and travelled westwards for a
while, then did another U-turn to resume the original eastwards
travel. It is not clear whether this was an attempt to elude or
follow the light.
At another time Sean commented that the light was seen close to
their vehicle and they swerved to miss it and nearly hit a car
and caravan coming the other way.
The exact sequence of events from here is very confused. It
included:
* The rear right tire blowing out while they were travelling at
speed. Sean braked the car to a halt.
* Mrs. Knowles placing her hand on the car's roof and feeling a
"spongy substance". Mrs. Knowles told us she was sitting in the
rear passenger seat, behind the driver, nearest the center of the
road. (In Australia vehicles are driven on the left hand side of
the road). She stated she wound down her window and placed her
right hand on the roof. She had retracted it after feeling some
material on the roof. Immediately the back of her hand felt warm
for a few seconds, then the sensation of heat faded.
* The family winding down the windows and a "greyish-black mist"
coming into the car.
* The sound of their voices changing in pitch and appearing to
slow down.
* Them believing that the object had landed on the roof. When
questioned they said they did not see anything approach and land
on the roof, nor did they see anything protruding front, rear or
over the sides of the roof.
*A humming sound was heard.
* Sean blacking out over a period.
* Them all becoming hysterical, shouting and crying. Mrs. Knowles
said she believed they were going to die.
*A black deposit being found inside and outside the car.
* Indentations being found on the roof.
* Them believing the car was lifted off the road. However, when
asked if they looked out of the windows and saw the car off the
ground, they had not done so.
* Them saying that the vehicle was dropped to the ground and the
tire burst.
* Their two dogs going "crazy".
* A smell like "dead bodies" in the air.
* Them reporting that the car started shaking.
It should be emphasized that the exact sequence of the above
events has not been able to be obtained from the family as they
have not been available to us since January 21.
After a period of time Sean stopped the car and they all got out
to adjacent scrub. They reported that the light/object remained
in the vicinity of the car and then departed. Some fifteen
minutes, after stopping, they returned to the car and rapidly
changed the tire. From that point (believed to be some 40
kilometers West of Mundrabilla) they drove to Mundrabilla Motor
Hotel (WA).
POLICE STATEMENT
On March 17 we received a copy of a statement of a Senior
Constable First Grade of the Port Lincoln crime scene section,
Port Lincoln.
It records details, related a few hours after the incident and so
is presented (unedited) in full.
At about 1.00 p.m. (SA time) on Wednesday January 20, 1988, I was
approached at the Ceduna Police Station by two male persons (Sean
Knowles and his brother Patrick Knowles).
They reported to me that while driving on the Eyre Highway, at a
point between Madura and Mundrabilla in Western Australia, at
about 5.30 a.m. (WA time) this date, they were confronted by an
extremely white light about 15 - 18 meters in front of their
vehicle. They described the light as being extremely bright white
with a yellow core. They further stated that their vehicle, a
Ford Telstar, had been damaged by the object when it landed on
the roof of their vehicle while they were travelling at a speed
of about 110 kilometers an hour. They further stated that the
object, while on the roof of their car, had showered the vehicle
with a black ash type dust.
They displayed great anxiety and were visibly shaken by the
ordeal. I asked why they had not reported the incident to the
Police Station at Eucla in Western Australia prior to leaving
that state, and they informed me that they had not sighted a
Police Station at Eucla.
Neither did I receive from them a completely satisfactory
explanation as to why they had not reported the matter at Penong
Police Station being the first Police Station in South Australia
which they had passed.
This may have been a double sided question therefore receiving
one answer. The vehicle was parked in Poynton Street, Ceduna.
I attended at the vehicle in company with two persons and made an
inspection of the damage to the hood of the vehicle which they
indicated to me as having been caused by the object when on their
vehicle.
I found that there were superficial dents to the four corners of
the hood although the remainder of the hood appeared undamaged.
The exterior of the vehicle was covered by a fine black/grey dust
similar to a road film left on a vehicle in need of washing. That
same dust was obvious on the upholstery within the vehicle.
An inspection of the complete vehicle indicated that it appeared
quite well looked after and did not display any noticeable damage
consistent with having been involved in an accident or collision
of any kind. All tires on the vehicle were in good condition and
showed at least 3/4 tread.
They told me that whilst attempting to escape from the object,
the rear right hand tire had blown out. I asked to see the tire
which was produced from the boot of the vehicle. The tire was of
the same make as the other tires on the vehicle and had the same
amount tread wear. It was in good condition. However, complete
outer side of the tire was fractured at the base of the tread. I
asked for the vehicle to be conveyed to the police station at
Ceduna where I could speak further with the occupants of the
vehicle and make further examination of it.
On return to the station I spoke to Mrs. Knowles in a location
where we were out of earshot of the other occupants. Mrs. Knowles
was visibly shaken by the ordeal and insisted (upon) her honesty
in the belief that the Police were skeptical at the report they
were making.
It was stated that they had been on the Eyre Highway, at about
5.30 a.m., when they were confronted by the brilliant white light
in front of the vehicle. The light remained a short distance
ahead of the vehicle and began to 'zig-zag' from side to side
across the road. They stated that the object was about one meter
in width but were unable to estimate the height except to say
that it blocked their view of the road ahead of the vehicle.
At this time, a second vehicle approached their position
travelling in a westerly direction on the Eyre Highway. They
stated that the object gave chase to this vehicle and, in fact,
they lost sight of it to the rear of their vehicle as it circled
around their right hand side in apparent pursuit of the other
vehicle. At this point I asked Sean to draw a sketch of the
object which he did. The sketch resembled an egg in an egg cup.
The ground was indicated at the base of the egg cup.
They stated that the object then came from behind their vehicle
and their vehicle began to shake violently on the road from side
to side. Both stated having been extremely scared at this time
and Sean stated that he increased speed of the vehicle in an
attempt to escape from the object.
Mrs. Knowles then stated that she wound down the rear right side
window and reached toward the hood of the vehicle. She stated
that she felt something on the hood of the vehicle and made her
distress known to the other persons in the vehicle. Both, Sean
and Mrs. Knowles, could not recall any indication of light, at
this time, from the object on the roof, but Mrs. Knowles stated
that it felt soft, spongy and rubbery, and was hot although she
did not burn her hand. On retrieving her hand, however, she found
that it was covered in black/grey dust.
Both stated that at this time they were aware of high pitched
whirring or hissing noise but which was of normal intensity. Both
stated they felt disorientated and that they noticed that their
voices had become slow and deep when they spoke.
They were unable to say how long the object was on the roof of
the car but, during the time it was there, it appeared to lift
the vehicle off the road and forced it back down heavily on the
road. The rear right side tire on the vehicle then blew out. Sean
considered that this occurred as a result of the weight of the
object forcing down on the vehicle.
They stated that the object then vanished and they were able to
stop the vehicle. They both stated that the wheel was changed
hurriedly and they were about to move off again when they noticed
the object again, glowing bright white, ahead of the vehicle. The
object appeared to be in the center of the road.
They were extremely concerned and scared and, in fact, drove the
vehicle behind roadside bushes, vacated the vehicle, and
themselves hid separately from the vehicle. They remained hidden
for a short period until they could no longer see the object and
then drove from the location to the Mundrabilla Roadhouse where
they spoke with persons at that establishment shortly prior to
6.00 a.m. (W.A. time).
I then spoke to the passenger who had been indicated as sitting
in the front left side of the vehicle, Patrick Knowles. I spoke
with him separately from Sean and Mrs. Knowles and before he had
an opportunity of conversing with them.
His indication of the situation, which had occurred, was similar
to that as told to me by the others, although his description of
incidents differed. He stated that his impression of the object
was about similar in size, to that indicated, but it appeared to
him to have a brighter light at the top and at the bottom. He
described it as being bigger than the car and that the light
which it gave off was brilliant white. He also stated that, after
the object was apparently on the hood of the vehicle, and his
mother had felt it and remarked, he had opened his left side
front window and had been showered with a black powdery dust. He
was also aware of a foul smell. He stated that he began speaking
with a deep voice which was obviously sluggish and he gained the
impression that the object was 'taking over his body'.
His impression of the object on the roof of the vehicle was that
it was heavy, and was pushing down on the vehicle, and concurred
that at that point, while driving faster to escape the object,
the rear right tire blew out.
His impression of the noise, which apparently emanated from the
object, was that it was a deep whirring sound. He made no mention
of any light being emitted from the object whilst on the vehicle.
He stated that they had driven from the location to the
Mundrabilla Roadhouse where they had spoken to persons including
a semitrailer driver who, they believe, had made observations of
the white light as it was travelling on the Eyre Highway in the
same location and the time indicated.
I have checked with the Eucla Police and ascertained that they
received a similar report to that given by the four persons at
the Ceduna Police Station. Their report had been received early
on the morning of 20/1/88, apparently from a driver of a
semitrailer.
Eucla Police were aware of the report made by the four persons to
the Mundrabilla Roadhouse and were looking for the Ford Telstar
vehicle to obtain particulars of incident.
They have conducted inquiries in the Mundrabilla area particulars
of which I am not conversant.
THE KNOWLES' VEHICLE
The Knowles' vehicle, a blue 1984 Ford AR Telstar GL, front drive
automatic sedan, registration number 7GD-560 was made available
to us by Channel 7 on February 2, after it was transported from
Wudinna, South Australia. It was inspected by UFO Research (South
Australia) and UFO Research Australia. Comments follow:
The vehicle was generally in good condition. There were no
immediate signs of damage to it, when first seen, apart from a
shattered driver's mirror. The mirror itself was not present.
(Sean advised us that they hit a kangaroo at one stage of their
trip, and it is not known what damage to the car is a result of
this collision with the animal). The bodywork, for its age, was
in extremely good condition. The engine was relatively clean, and
there were no signs of panel beating.
Speedometer reading was 002414.2 km but as the car is four years
old this would suggest a total of 102,414.2 km has been
travelled.
Tires:
All five tires were tubeless Dunlop Grand Prix steel belted
radials type P185/75 SR 14. The front left, front right and rear
left (as viewed from the driver's seat looking forwards) were
first time tires. The rear right (this replaced the one which
blew) was a retread. The damaged tire was found in the boot.
The damaged tire:
This tire had blown out along a line where the steel belt
finishes and starts to go up the wall of the tire, in a circular
fashion.
Its tread was good, perhaps half of its original life left,
slightly worn on the outside. The whole valve for pumping air
into the tire, was missing.
Roof:
From a distance of a few meters it was difficult to see the four
reported indentation in the roof. In position they were roughly
at the corners of the roof. At close range it was possible to
locate four small in area, shallow in depth, indentations. The
areas were depressions, not cuts, and the paint in these spots
was still intact. There was no evidence of an indentation in the
center of the roof, nor any other prominent mark or scratch. No
luggage rack was present.
Electrical:
The family reported no effects to the engine, lights or clock at
the time of the event. We checked the sidelights, headlights,
indicators, washers, interior roof light, booth light, radio and
digital clock and all were found to be operable. When testing the
rear red brake lights we found the right hand light to be
inoperable.
The battery was a six cell unit in good condition. Internal fluid
levels were fine. Terminals were clean, firmly fitted with no
corrosion evident.
Engine is a four cylinder, petrol driven, 2.0 liter capacity
motor. Speedometer, odometer, fuel and temperature gauges were
operable. No tachometer was fitted. The car was driven by us a
short distance within the Channel 7 car park.
Radio/cassette:
It had a small, loosely fitted unit in poor physical condition
with broken knobs, dual speakers, AM/FM bands, 'Realistic' brand.
Its aerial was side roof mounted over the driver's door. When
tested in Adelaide by us with aerial down the unit generated lots
of static. With aerial fully extended the unit played fairly
well.
Internal/external deposits:
There was no evidence of any black deposit, internally or
externally, on our inspection except as stated below. However,
the vehicle had travelled from Mundrabilla WA to Wudinna SA
(several hundred kilometers) under its own power, and then from
Wudinna to Adelaide by truck (another few hundred kilometers)
before we viewed it.
In addition to this, on the day prior to our viewing we are led
to understand that Paul Norman, of the Victorian UFO Research
Society, vacuumed the vehicle in order to take sample. It is
hoped that the results of his testing will be speedily available
to us all.
The inside floor areas of the car were covered with sand
particles, pieces of food, empty drink containers and other
debris.
The one exception, as far as black deposits go, is as follows. On
the metal trims of the two front tires, there was a black deposit
present. This was not Present on the two rear tires nor the
damaged tire in the boot. It was distributed around the trim, but
did not extend to hub cap, wheel nuts nor anywhere else on the
metal surface of the tire. Its distribution was consistent with
coming from disk brake pads, fitted to the two front wheels,
under heavy braking, i.e. worn brake linings.
INTERVIEW WITH MR. DE JONG
Mr. De Jong (nickname 'Porky) and a woman, named Anne, were
travelling by truck from Perth, WA, to Adelaide, SA, at a speed
of about 95-100 km/h. They had stopped at the Madura Pass, WA, in
order to change drivers. Mr. De Jong went to sleep in the rear
cabin whilst Anne took over the driving.
A colleague of theirs, Graham Henley, was driving a truck along
the same road, in the same direction, but he was ahead of them.
They were far enough behind him that they were not able to see
his lights at all during the trip between Madura and Mundrabilla.
At a point forty kilometers West of Mundrabilla (close to the 40
km sign post) they'd passed an S bend in the road when Anne saw
two people waving on the right hand (opposite) side of the road.
(In Australia vehicles drive on the left hand side of the road).
Within 150 meters further on there was a car, also on the right
hand side of the road. The front of the car was facing in a
south-westerly direction, i.e. back towards Perth. Anne asked
Porky whether or not she should stop. After raising up from the
bunk, he said 'No'. They continued on.
Later a car overtook them at speed. After passing their truck,
Anne noticed that the vehicle's lights were switched off. In her
opinion the night was still too dark for a vehicle not to have
lights on. Then the lights of the vehicle came back on. Arriving
at Mundrabilla. they noted that another truck driver, Graham
Henley, was present and talking to a group of people around a
car. After looking at the truck Porky and Anne went over to
Henley. They then established it was these people who had been
waving at the side of the road and also the same people who had
passed their truck at speed.
The group in the car consisted of a woman and three young man.
Porky says the woman appeared hysterical and the boys also looked
disturbed. One was a white color in his face. They told a story
of a UFO. The behavior of the woman convinced the three of them
that something unusual had occurred there.
The woman, established later to be Mrs. Knowles, had a red blotch
on the back of her left hand which she was worrying about. She
told them she had touched something on the roof. She kept
repeating: 'Someone's got to do something', and 'Someone's going
to get hurt.'
THE KNOWLES' STORY AS RELATED TO
DE JONG
The family were heading eastwards towards Melbourne for holidays
with relatives. Sean was driving at the time, Patrick was
believed to be in the front bucket seat, Mrs. Knowles in the rear
left seat behind Patrick, and Wayne in the seat behind the
driver. Initially they saw a bright light ahead of them which
they took to be a truck. Something was then over the car. They
heard a high pitched whirring noise. Their minds and bodies were
taken over. Voices appeared slow and funny. Mrs. Knowles put her
left hand on top of the roof and felt something. This frightened
her. The car was lifted off the ground to an unknown height. They
did not know how long it was airborne. The car dropped to the
ground. They left the scene heading westwards. Then they stopped
to change the tire, made a U turn and headed eastwards again.
Porky formed an opinion that all this happened in 15-20 minutes.
QUESTIONS
Graham and Porky questioned the family about the incident.
1. The noise: Graham asked them if the noise they had heard could
have been a helicopter. The family said the noise was definitely
different from that of a helicopter. One of the boys said it was
a 'whirry' noise not a helicopter 'chuffy' sound.
2. Asked how high they were off the road, they said they didn't
know.
The two drivers volunteered to take the family back to the spot
to have look at the area. The family declined.
The vehicle was inspected by the two drivers with Graham pointing
out features and Porky following behind.
INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE
Porky looked at the vehicle. His observations were:
1. Of the burst tire: There was nothing inside the casing of the
burst tire.
2. There was a smell about the car which he said was closest to
'bakelite'.
3. There was nothing underneath the vehicle, i.e. no saltbush. He
concluded the vehicle had not been driven into the scrub.
4. Porky did not see any black ash/dust on the vehicle. Neither
inside nor outside. The car was dusty and dirty as per normal car
travel.
5. The boot was in a shambles, everything scattered. There were
no suitcases in the boot nor in or on the car.
6. There were four marks on the roof, one at each corner. These
were indentations not cuts. They looked the same as a mark one
would make by hitting the roof with a fist.
The Knowles family left Mundrabilla heading towards Eucla, WA,
and then South Australia, after spending no more than 30 minutes
at Mundrabilla.
Graham and Porky went into the road house and discussed the
episode with the manageress there, Mrs. Shirley Lundon. Following
this discussion Mrs. Lundon telephoned the Sergeant at the Eucla
police Station. Porky spoke to him and told him what he knew.
After this the two truck drivers borrowed an automatic utility,
from the road house, and went out to the spot together with Anne.
They went back along the road to see what they could find, but
especially to look for three things:
a. Clumps of rubber on the bitumen which would indicate a
blowout.
b. Pieces of glass from the drivers side mirror. The mirror was
reportedly smashed after a kangaroo hit the Knowles' vehicle.
This was said to be during the time they had their vehicle lights
out in front of the truck.
c. The car jack and car jack handle reportedly left at the scene.
The group could not find evidence of any of these, despite
knowing the area/road well and knowing exactly where the car was
parked, and kangaroo hit.
Both sides of the road were inspected at low speed.
THE SITE
They located the spot where they had seen the car stationary on
the side of the road. The road at this spot is slightly
undulating. By this time it had been an estimated 1-1 1/2 hours
since they passed the spot the first time, and the time now was
between 0545 to 0615.
The evidence at the location, which they saw for themselves,
consisted of the following:
1. Footprints. There were footprints where persons had been
walking around. There were four sets of prints heading from the
car away into the bush in a south-westerly direction. These
prints were not full marks but more front foot and toe marks as
if running. From a point in the bush there were prints heading
back to the road in a northerly direction in a straight line.
There were then four sets of prints plus dog paw marks going back
along the side of the road in the sand - full pattern as if
people were walking. One set of prints was that of someone with
bare feet, one with thongs and two with shoes or runners.
2. There was the impression in the ground of a car jack where
they had changed the tire. When questioned, Porky believed it was
a squarish mark and not one of the old round jacks.
3. Tire prints. On the bitumen there was a skid mark some 15-20
meters long apparently made by the rear left hand tire when they
pulled up. In the dirt there was evidence of a flat tire on the
vehicle coming off the road, and no flat tire when they got back
onto the road, There were signs that the vehicle was driven
backwards on to the bitumen before doing a U-turn and proceeding
eastwards.
There was, however, no sign of the car jack handle reportedly
used to change the tire. They did a grid pattern search for these
and were perturbed when they couldn't find them.
They failed to find any trace of clothes, which they believed to
have been loose in the boot, which the Knowles said they took out
to get to the spare tire and which they left at the scene.
AFTERWARDS
The truck party then returned to Mundrabilla where Porky had
another talk to the Eucla police. He learnt that the vehicle had
passed through Eucla by then. He suggested the police call Penong
police in South Australia and have the car stopped, as there was
definitely something wrong.
After a whole morning had passed by, the two truck drivers
finally left Mundrabilla and headed on. Porky went on to Penong
where they stopped for a while and then on to Wudinna for coffee.
A helicopter turned up there and they investigated, finally
learning that the Knowles family were in a motel and various
media organizations were also present. After some time they were
allowed to talk to the Knowles family.
After talking to the Knowles they proceeded to Adelaide where
Porky appeared on Channel 9 for a short interview.
MISCELLANEOUS
1. Porky knows the road well as he has been a truck contractor
travelling between Perth and Adelaide for several years.
2. They did not know the Knowles vehicle was ahead of them during
the section Madura/Mundrabilla, i.e. they didn't see the car
lights ahead of them until the Knowles passed them.
3. Porky says the Knowles car couldn't have been on the side of
the road when Graham passed the spot.
4. Anne saw no unusual lights at any stage, especially not when
they passed the Knowles' car. No unusual effects were noted on
the engine, lights, UHF nor CB radio, steering etc. No unusual
sounds were heard.
5. Timing: It was between 0400 and 0430 local time when they
passed the stationary car on the side of the road. Porky
confirmed the time as about 0445 when he got to Mundrabilla. They
said it was still definitely dark when they passed the stationary
car.
6. Mrs. Knowles was sitting on the left hand side passenger's
seat, not behind the driver, according to Porky.
7. Sean was the driver at this time. He appeared hysterical to
Porky and was unable to talk at all at Mundrabilla.
8. The weather: At Madura Pass Porky had checked the vehicle. He
noted that the night was clear, stars were visible, there was no
Moon. He said it was a clear sky, no clouds an no sign of any
lightning in the area. Sunrise was definitely after they saw the
figures waving at the side of the road.
9. Graham told Porky that he had seen an unusual light in his
rear vision mirror and tried to call Porky on his CB radio. Porky
did not receive such a call but believes he was out of range at
the time anyway. Graham did not know Porky pulled up at the
Madura Pass and stayed there a while, thus increasing the
distance behind the two vehicles. At the time of passing the car
they had on low volume a CB radio and a UHF radio. Anne was
listening to a cassette.
10. Asked if the Knowles had mentioned any other vehicle being
involved in the encounter, Porky said no, they hadn't. Anne was
asked if she saw vehicles going the other way, i.e. West, during
the time Madura to Mundrabilla. She said yes. Without being led
she was asked if she had recollections of a car and van passing
the other way. She stated she did not remember such going by, and
added that it would be rare for someone to pull a van during the
night anyway.
11. Upon the return trip in the utility they did find a man
asleep in a car, 20 km west of Mundrabilla. They woke him up by
looking in his car.
THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
REPORT BY INDEPENDENT
LABORATORY
Channel 7 asked the Australian Mineral Development Laboratory
(AMDEL) in Adelaide to examine the car whilst it was held at
Wudinna.
A copy of AMDEL report, dated January 29, 1988, has been made
available to us by Channel 7.
Relevant extracts from the report read as follows:
'A visual examination of the failed tire, front and rear wheel
arches, roof and vehicle interior was carried out. Samples of
dust were removed from the left front wheel. The vehicle was
inspected using a portable radiation meter.
'The dust samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and
emission spectroscopy techniques. The analysis was compared to
analyses of material taken from front wheels in the Adelaide
area.
Re the dents on the roof:
'The dents were consistent with an object being pressed into the
roof rather than an attempt to lift the roof.
'Inspection of the vehicle using a radiation meter revealed no
areas showing count rates above the background levels. Areas
inspected included the roof, front and back seat, and the front
wheels.
Re the dust:
'The analyses are considered to be characteristic of dust from
wearing brake pads and discs. No significant foreign compounds
were present in the dust samples.
'Summary - The investigation revealed that the damage to the tire
was consistent with running on a deflated tire for an extended
period. It is considered that this would account for the odor,
smoke and vibration sensed during the incident.
'The material taken from around the front wheels was typical of
residual dust from wearing brake pads and discs. No significant
dust was observed on the vehicle as presented for inspection.'
ANOTHER SAMPLE TAKEN
Another sample of a deposit was taken by an officer of the South
Australian Police Department (SA P D) at Ceduna on January 20,
1988.
In discussion with the SAPD, on February 1, they advised no
testing of their sample had been undertaken, that the sample
collected was extremely small, and they were probably to turn
their sample over to W A PD in whose jurisdictions the event
occurred. We are currently negotiating with both the SA PD and WA
PD for custody of this sample.
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
We are following various leads including:
* Seeking to interview the other truck driver.
* Seeking to document independent observation of lights in the
same area.
* Negotiating with the SAPD and WAPD for their samples.
* Seeking advice from those experts who were reported as
advancing hypotheses of various kinds to explain the event, e.g.
meteorite fall.
* Seeking the identity of the alleged driver of a car and
caravan said to be a close witness.
IN CONCLUSION
As at March 17, 1988, it is our opinion that the entire incident,
particularly the central experience of the Knowles, is still open
to a number of interpretations.
VOLUME 6 - APRIL 1988 - NUMBER 1
(C) COPYRIGHT 1988
UFO Research Australia Newsletter With permission from the Editor
to reprint on ParaNet Information Service.
m those experts who were reported as advancing hypotheses of various kinds to explain the event, e.g. meteorite fall.
* Seeking the identity of the alleged driver of a car and
caravan said to be a close witness.
IN CONCLUSION
As at March 17, 1988, it is our opinion that the entire incident, particularly the central experience of the Knowles, is still open to a number of interpretations.
VOLUME 6 - APRIL 1988 - NUMBER 1
(C) COPYRIGHT 1988
UFO Research Australia Newsletter With permission from the Editor to reprint on ParaNet Information Service.
