George Pedley, the UFO and the Tully "saucer nest" - a tribute

 George Pedley witness to the 1966 Tully (Euramo) "flying saucer" and the famous "saucer nest" in far North Queensland recently passed away:

George Pedley banana farmer

(from his family's eulogy - 11 July 2022)

The service video on the Blacks Funerals web site gives a striking picture of a man who had a rich and full life full of family, love of horses and an enduring interest in the farming life.

The family eulogy mentioned: 

"In the 60s he began growing bananas on Ashley Butler's property at Euramo, but devastating floods saw the end of that venture.  This was also the site of his UFO encounter, but after the first shock and resulting fame he preferred not to talk about it except to family."

The Tully Times story was a mixture of George's story and journalism

George was generally reluctant to talk widely about his experience. I spoke to him on a number of occasions, but found him to be reluctant to resurrect his experience. However, George was interested enough to assist a serious attempt to clarify what had happened. 

On June 13, 1981, I interviewed him:

B.C.: From what I have read, you saw what you called a spaceship? You didn't really describe it in much detail.

G.P.: Oh, I would never have said I saw a spaceship!

B.C.: That's what the papers were quoting you as saying.

G.P: Well, that's wrong for a start. I saw an object ... something going up and that's it. Just what it was, I don't know.

B.C.: What did you really see?

G.P.: Well, I just saw this thing in the sky and it took off! It was about 25 feet when I saw it - 25 to 30 feet in the air when I saw it.

B.C.: It was in the air when you saw it?

G.P.: Oh yes, I didn't see it in the lagoon as they say. That's wrong. The marks were in the lagoon ... and it just took off from there (in the air). It went up another 25 feet and it just flew straight out.

B.C: So you saw it rise up from a position of about 20 feet when you first saw it.

G.P.: That's right.

B.C.: And the position where you first saw it, was that in the same spot where the nests were found?

G.P.: You mean the object?

B.C.: Yes, where you saw the object rise up, you say you saw it originally from 20 feet in the air, roughly about 20 feet in the air . . .

G.P.: Yeah ...

B.C.: Where the nests were subsequently found, was that directly beneath that position or ...

G.P.: That's correct.


B.C.: What sort of size would you have put on it?


G.P.: Size? Oh, the size was pretty right. I'd say 29-30 feet, something like that.

B.C.: Did you get the impression of an object, or was it sort of a solid-looking thing or gaseous . . 

G.P.: Well, I thought it was a solid thing, at the time. I didn't see any portholes, or anything like that, antennas or anything like that. They could have been there, I'm not saying they weren't there.

B.C.: What sort of shape would you have put on it?

G.P.: Something similar to like two saucers, you know, face to face ...

B.C.: What sort of color?

G.P.: It seemed a silvery gray, a blue gray, like that.

G.P.: [With regard to the media assertions that he saw the object rise up out of the lagoon] I think there was a little bit of misunderstanding there. I would say it was their fault Anyway, I'd never say that.

B.C.: So how long in sight was it for? 

G.P.: We worked it out to say 30 seconds.

In terms of the unwanted fame his UFO experience bought him the most prominent coverage came an episode of the 1994 British programme "Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious Universe": "A Crop of Circles".  George appeared in the programme driving his tractor adjacent to the site of his January 1966 daylight encounter and pointing out the location - Horseshoe Lagoon.

Here are some frame grabs from that episode (by way of review, education and tribute).  I recommend you seek out the episode, available in a box set from Time Life "Arthur C Clarke Collection":

This is what George Pedley saw:

The photos come from Albert Pennisi's archive collection

(Above: George pointing out the direction of the UFOs departure)

(George in front of the "saucer nest")

(George & Albert Pennisi inspection the site)

(Albert showing how the floating "nest" could take his weight)

Some of the press coverage:

I wrote a detailed account "The 1966 Flying Saucer Nest revisited".  Read it here.

George Pedley - good journey, rest in peace