Phenomena Research Australia

Phenomena Research Australia or PRA is one of the oldest and largest UFO and Fortean investigative organizations in Australia that is still in operation. It was organized and established in 1949. PRA's primary studies centre on the study of Fortean events and Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) reports, sightings, encounters and other related phenomena, known as Ufology within the Australia and Oceania.

Formation and early history

Numerous early reports about aerial phenomena around Australia date back prior to 1947. However, it is widely accepted that the modern ufology starts with Kenneth Arnold case (June 1947) and the infamous Roswell UFO Incident (July 1947), both cases became international press items and appear in Australian broadsheet newspapers. See the 1947 Flap.
" for 7th 1947 - FLYING SAUCERS' To Be Hunted Down - Mystery has U.S.baffled. New York (AAP) -]]

The first gathering of Australian enthusiasts occurred in Melbourne in March 1949 at the Aeronautical Research Laboratory - Melbourne, Victoria (ARL). The non-government meeting minutes show an attendance of 23 enthusiasts from various state and local groups such as the British Interplanetary Society , Royal Aeronautical Society (RAS - Melbourne), Commonwealth Aircraft Corp - Melbourne (CAC) , RAAF and the Army Research Establishment. By May 1949 this early gathering became known as the Aeronautical & Meteorological Phenomena Research (AMPR) under Mr. Brian Boyle and Jack Seers. AMPR started to list and research “Flying Saucer” stories and produced a small limited quarterly publication called “Interplanetary Saucer”.
AMPR work load increased as the world ran into its next major sightings flap. See the 1950 Flap. The world press reports started to collect in greater numbers as Americans began to deal with the "Flying Saucer" age.

Then in 1951 AMPR changed their structure and name to the Aeronautics & Phenomena Research Victoria (APRV).

The sighting activity increased around the world and by July 1952 a Edger. R. Jarrold from Queensland, starts a private one man group in Sydney, New South Wales. Jarrold named his group the Australian Flying Saucer Bureau (AFSB). (See Doc). Jarrold’s activities in NSW were noted by APRV, who made contact. An agreement was made that the two groups would assist each other when possible. APRV nominated John. M. Anderson (See Doc) as their AFSB representative on the condition that his appointment is seen only as being neutral, there will be no branch affiliation with AFSB. Jarrold was seen by APRV as an independent secretive “loose gun”, however, both groups maintained an average working relationship.

Due to a greater public demand for research and information (1953 Flap) AMPR decided on 6 February 1953, to form an auxiliary group called the Australian Flying Saucer Investigating Committee (AFSIC), in partnership with the Astronomical Society of Victoria. Jan 1954 also proved to be a very active period as reports increased at such a rate that researchers become bogged down with the load. Out of this 1954 flap, also known as the "Victorian invasion", come the seeds of future groups and the first hints of the stress associated with this subject. In July 1954, AFSIC released a study of 55 sightings from the flap. This 1954 event is well documented in a 1987 publication called “The Victorian UFO report, 1954: a compilation of reports from the Victorian press”.

The flying saucer topic came under intense criticism in an attempt to stifle the Australian public debate. Out of the broad sheet press coverage, came surprise supporters for continued investigation into the phenomena, due to all the 1954 local sightings. Government Minister Richard Gardiner Casey (later Baron Casey and Governor-General of Australia - 1965 to 1969) wrote a ‘Letter to the Editor’ in an Australian newspaper dated 5 February 1954. The clipping included this:

“I have lists of the dates over the last several years on which people have reported having seen ‘flying saucers’ in Australia and have compared them with the dates on which the earth passes through the principal (sic) meteoric showers. There appears to be a noticeable relationship between these two sets of dates.” (See Doc).

Baron Casey was a member of the Victorian research group APRV; such was his interest in the phenomena. However, it was his time as Minister in charge of the CSIRO and as Minister for External Affairs that Baron Casey was able to act as a much needed conduit between official research, the public and public research groups. Casey’s curiosity on the subject related to the phenomena remained with him until his death in June 1976.

After Sq/Ld Birch meeting with Edger Jarrold's UFO group AFSB collapsed (Feb 1955), in just under 4 years, Mr Jarrold departed the active Ufology scene for good, only to appear on rare occasions. However, out from the ashes of Jarrold's group one new state group emerged. The most prominent and first to re-build was under the Directorship of Fred Stone. Stone forms the Australian Flying Saucer Research Society (AFSRS) based in Adelaide, South Australia on Feb 1955. (See Doc). Stone also sees a chance to become the governing body of all Australian Ufology. He asks APRV to come under his plan and they reject the concept. However, APRV agree to extend the same relationship they extended to Jarrold’s group with John. M. Anderson as their contact. This arrangement was agreed to and APRV supplied a list of contacts for Stone on possible branch organizers. Fred Stone's plan was to form three new state groups (Victoria, NSW, Queensland) under his control. With a new members list, Stone set his plan into motion. Although each new group developed due to individuals within these groups, in the end Fred Stone had little input into the other two state group's structure. His concept worked at first but soon ran into administration problems due to distance between states and distant lines of communication.

In April 1956 to deal with an increase in reports the Aeronautics & Phenomena Research Victoria (APRV) changed their structure and name to Phenomena Research Victoria (PRV).

The Australian space industry was in full swing and slowly research facilities that were based in Victoria move to South Australia and the Woomera Rocket Range. These departments changes start to effect administration and membership at PRV, so to keep up with the changing world, in 1961 the old AMPR again changed their structure and name from Phenomena Research Victoria (PRV) to today's Phenomena Research Australia (PRA).

By 1969 Phenomena Research Australia (PRA) change their policy and open limited membership to the general public with a new newsletter called UFO And Phenomena.

Today PRA is still actively based in Melbourne, Victoria, with a wide Australian and international technical support base.

Formation chronology
*1949 - Mar - Aeronautical & Meteorological Phenomena Research (AMPR).
*1951 - Feb - AMPR changed their structure and name to the Aeronautics & Phenomena Research Victoria (APRV).
*1953 - Feb - Australian Flying Saucer Investigating Committee (AFSIC) APRV auxiliary group formed.
*1956 - Apr - APRV changed their structure and name to Phenomena Research Victoria (PRV).
*1961 - Apr - PRV changed their structure and name to today's Phenomena Research Australia (PRA).

Key PRA studies
* 1954 - Lieutenant J.A. O'Farrell RAN Pilot .
* 1963 - Charles Brew - Willow Grove Encounter .
* 1966 - Westall High School UFO.
* 1978 - Valentich Disappearance.
* 1988 - Knowles Family UFO Encounter in Mundrabilla
* 1991 - Cahill Encounter.

Key PRA researchers
* Anderson, John. M. (AMPR)(AFSIC)(APRV)(PRV)(PRA)
* Auchettl, John W (VUFORS)(PRA)
* Barnett, Dr Ron (VUFORS)(PRV)(PRA)
* Boyle, Brian (AMPR)(AFSIC)(APRV)(PRV)(PRA)
* Deller, Gordon (AFSIC)(APRV)(PRV)
* Jones, Air Marshal Sir George (RAAF)(CAPIO)
* Seers, Jack (AMPR)(AFSIC)(APRV)(PRV)(PRA)
* Seers, Stanley (Stan)(QFSRB)
* Sloane, W. Howard (Ballarat Astronomical Society)

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