Awesome Or Off-Putting: Father Gill’s UFOs

Awesome or Off-Putting is a weekly delve into cryptozoology, ufology, aliens, medical marvels, scientific wonders, secret societies, government conspiracies, cults, ghosts, myths, ancient artifacts, religion, strange facts or just the plain unexplainable.

This week: Ufology/Aliens

UFO sightings are claimed all the time, but it's a rare one in which the aliens are seen waving by 30-some witnesses. But that is exactly what is said to have happened in 1959 Papua, New Guinea. Several craft were sighted, and apparently, the ship inhabitants seemed quite friendly.

On April 5th, 1959, Father William Booth Gill was a missionary for the Australian Anglican Church in New Guinea. He claims to have seen a solitary light on an uninhabited mountain - what makes it an extraordinary sighting is that the light moved faster than anything Gill had ever seen. One month later his assistant saw an actual saucer, but this was still only the beginning.

On June 26, Gill and about 37 other people saw a four-legged disc-shaped craft. The size of the craft is described as "five full moons lined up end to end," and the ship had people on top of it. You read that right - though the term normally used is probably humanoids instead of people. The beings seemed to be setting about some task, and at this time no direct interaction was reported. This craft eventually vanished, but was soon replaced by several smaller 'objects.' The original ship reappeared around 8:50 PM. The entire sighting lasted about four hours.

The same ship reappeared the next day. Gill describes it here:

"On the large one two of the figures seemed to be doing something near the centre of the deck. They were occasionally bending over and raising their arms as though adjusting or "setting up" something. One figure seemed to be standing, looking down at us."

That's right - the beings seemed to be watching those that were watching them. Gill thought this to be a rare opportunity, and waved at the creatures - and they waved back. He put it like this:

"To our surprise the figure [waved back]. Ananias waved both arms over his head; then the two outside figures did the same. Ananias and self began waving our arms, and all four seemed to wave back. There seemed no doubt that our movements were answered…"

The sightings seem to have concluded the next day - with a bang! Eight 'ships' were seen at 6:45, and at 11:20 their was a bang on the roof. The noise was loud enough for Gill to suspect damage, but none was found. Four craft were in a circular pattern above the building at a great height, and that seems to have been the last of them.

We're told that Gill later lectured on the topic - and quite a bit by all accounts. If any of you have access to online audio of Gill's lectures we'd love it if you posted it below.

Read More:

1959-The Papua, New Guinea UFOs - About.com