High Strangeness in the Blue Mountains - Faulconbridge (June 1974) & Woodford (Thursday 18 November, 2021)

From UFOIC (UFO Investigation Centre) files:

My friend David Reneke investigated the following striking close encounter that took place at Faulconbridge during June 1974. The witness, a 67 year old woman, was living on the Great Western Highway, a few doors away from Grose Road. The following events took place just after 8 pm:

"I saw a pink glow from my kitchen window and went outside to investigate it.  I was astounded to see a bright "water-melon" pink object, dazzling all over as though made of sequins.  It was suspended over the entire width of Grose Rd. and about 15 feet above the electricity wires.

There was no movement or noise, but after watching for about 5 mins. three rays of white light came from its side and focused on the ground. The rays stayed for about 2 secs. then receded and returned. This went on rhythmically until just before the object took off.  I could see through the rays as though looking through a white veil or mist. 

Just at the place where the object was poised was an electricity transformer. It has since been removed by the council and relocated.

I wanted desperately for someone else to see it, but all the neighbours were away and although I could have gone into a house in Grose Rd. to call them, I was reluctant as it would have meant walking too close  to the object, indeed right under it.  I had a phone in my own place but did not want to leave the object, so I tried several times to flag down a passing car, but no one would stop.  Then I decided that I must go and ring someone, when the thing took off.  The rays stopped, it rose into the air and sailed away evenly at incredible speed towards Katoomba.  It was absolutely soundless." 

From David Reneke's report: "As she stood in a dazed state, the witness realised that she had been wearing only her light dress, similar to a night-dress but a little thicker for warmth.  The cold night air would normally have affected her in a few minutes but nothing like this had happened, whether the excitement of the event had caused her to forget all about the cold or whether the object itself bathed her with warmth is not known. One thing is certain, normally she couldn't have stayed outside for more than two or three minutes before being forced inside by the cold but she had been standing there on the roadside for approximately 15 minutes with no noted effects."

"Next day I told several people living nearby about it, but no-one would believe me, and I was looked at so suspiciously it was quite disconcerting!"

A nearby store owner and friend had also noticed a pinkish glow coming from the west. She motioned for her husband to come to the window but he said she must "be seeing things" and refused to become involved. The reported times matched exactly and the colour and direction noted were in complete agreement with what the main witness observed.

David Reneke observed in his report, "For many years after the sighting (the witness) has been plagued by a mysterious malady.  She began to get fainting spells and was put on a course of medication by her local doctor who was at a loss to explain her sudden (and uncommon for her) sickness. (She) resigned from her position as secretary of (a group) because of this illness and has since moved to a new dwelling (elsewhere in the Blue Mountains).  She fainted in the street twice between 1974 and 1978 and had been unable to carry out many of her normal duties during that time.  She has been a healthy woman all her life and the sickness she suffered was completely out of character for her, it has cleared up by itself now (June 1978)."

(Artist (Chris Chalker) rendering on a photo taken at the site by David Reneke in 1978 - there is some uncertainty about the placement of the 3 beams based on the file information)

I was intrigued by "the strange rays", wondering whether they may have been a form of so-called "solid light":

The witness: 

"three rays of white light came from its side and focused on the ground. The rays stayed for about 2 secs. then receded and returned. This went on rhythmically until just before the object took off.  I could see through the rays as though looking through a white veil or mist"

"it sent out 3 rays of white light which shone onto the road. The rays stayed about 2 seconds, receded and then returned doing this rhythmically."

David Reneke:

"suddenly, and without warning, shot out three white rays of light from it's under-side.  They were well defined and appeared to be coming from small openings below the body line of the craft ... the mysterious rays of light were trained on the roadway as if they were searching for something, they were straight beams ..."

"After about 2 seconds the rays each, and in turn, were retracted into the craft..."

On reaction from others:

"No one believed me.  I expected some understanding from my son who lived in Sydney at that time, but he looked at me very apprehensively and even to this day (1978) when he sees me, asks if I have seen any "little green men" lately.  My answer is always that he is the only one I have seen! Some people take pains to point out bright stars to me saying how they could easily be mistaken for UFOs and some who seem understanding, say that even if I had got someone else to the spot in time, they probably would not have seen it because they would not have the psychic power which gave me the ability to do so! At these times I wish my psychic power was strong enough to change them into frogs or something! Some others just suggest helpfully that "I take more water with it."  The whole experience has made me very wary of mentioning it...."

Just a few kilometres up Grose Road and 5 or 10 years earlier there lived a wondrous soul who might have understood this woman's extraordinary vision of the night. Norman Lindsay the artist drew and painted visions splendid. 

To the Festival (1934) - perhaps a Min Min Light festival held in some Spooky Hollow ... perhaps not?:

In an earlier painting Lindsay captured a supernaturalistic spin on Tam O'Shanter spun from Robert Burns poem:

"She ventur'd forward on the light,

And, wow! Tam saw an unco sight!

....

"Or like the borealis race,

That flit ere you can point their place."

As the 1974 UFO was heading off in the direction of Katoomba it is worthwhile considering this piece from the UFOIC files - Katoomba 1957:

High strangeness may be touching down, just up the road (7 km) from Faulconbridge at 7 pm Thursday November 18 (this week): Spooky Hollow with Bill Chalker at 20 Mile Hollow, 68 Great Western Highway, Woodford, NSW 2778 (book via the link just above).