The object was seen below and above the clouds, at the same time as Venus was in the sky. The "men" waved back in response to those on the ground, and the craft moved back-and-forth in response to a torch waved from the ground. The object was sighted by 39 independent witnesses from distances of around 500 feet, and for periods of up to two hours at a time. A woomping sound was heard. (William Gill).
Hynek summarized the reports of Reverend William Bruce Gill of the sightings, which extended over three days:
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Dear David,
Have a look at this extraordinary data. I am almost convinced about the "visitation" theory. ... I do not doubt the existence of these "things" (indeed I cannot now that I have seen one for myself), but my simple mind still requires scientific evidence before I can accept the from-outer-space theory. I am inclined to believe that probably many UFOs are more likely some form of electric phenomena or perhaps something brought about by the atom bomb explosions, etc. ... It is all too difficult to understand for me; I prefer to wait for some bright boy to catch one to be exhibited in Martin Square ....
Yours, Doubting William
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Dear David,
Life is strange, isn't it? Yesterday I wrote you a letter . . . expressing opinions re the UFOs. Now, less than 24 hours later, I have changed my views somewhat. Last night we at Boainai experienced about 4 hours of UFO activity, and there is no doubt whatsoever that they are handled by beings of some kind. At times it was absolutely breathtaking. Here is the report. Please pass it around, but great care must be taken as I have no other....
Cheers, Convinced Bill P.S. Do you think Port Moresby should know about this?
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. . . and as I was about to turn around the corner of the house, something caught my eye in the sky, and I looked up toward the west. And there I saw at an angle of about 45 degrees this huge light. 1 didn't think, of course, even then of flying saucers as such. I thought, well perhaps some people could imagine these things, but never me. And there it was. 1 called Eric Kodawara, and 1 said, "What do you see up there?" He said, "There seems to be a light." I said, "Well, you go and tell the teacher Steven Moi. Tell him to come along quickly." And then Eric went along, and he collected as many people as he could, and we all stood and gazed at it. Then we went up further up into the playing field, and the sighting went on. I've got it recorded here. I had decided by this time very quickly to get a notebook and pencil, and I thought, well, if anything is going to happen, it's going to happen now, and surely tomorrow I'll wake up and think it's been a dream, that I haven't really seen one. If I've got it down here in pencil, then I'll know at least I haven't been dreaming.
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Time 6:45 P.M. sky: patches of low clouds. Sighted bright white light, direction northwest.
6:50 called Steven and Eric.
6:52 Steven arrived confirms, not star.
6:55 send Eric to call people. One object on top moving — man? Now three men — moving, glowing, doing something on deck. Gone.
7:00 men 1 and 2 again.
7:04 gone again.
7:10 sky cloud ceiling covered sky height about 2,000 feet. Man 1, 3, 4, 2, (appeared in that order) thin electric blue spotlight. Men gone, spotlight still there.
7:12 men 1 and 2 appeared blue light.
7:20 spotlight off, men go.
7:20 UFO goes through cloud.
8:28 clear sky here, heavy cloud over Dogura. UFO seen by me overhead. Called station people. Appeared to descend, get bigger.
8:29 second UFO seen over sea — hovering at times.
8:35 another over Wadobuna Village.
8:50 clouds forming again. Big one stationary and larger. Others coming and going through clouds. As they descend through cloud, light reflected like large halo onto cloud — no more than 2,000 feet, probably less. All UFOs very clear. "Mother" ship still large, clear, stationary.
9:05 clouds patchy, numbers 2, 3, 4 gone.
9:10 number 1 gone overhead into cloud.
9:20 "Mother" back.
9:30 "Mother" gone, gone across sea toward Giwa.
9:46 overhead UFO reappears, is hovering.
10:00 still there stationary.
10:10 hovering, gone behind cloud.
10:30 very high hovering in clear patch of sky between clouds.
10:50 very overcast, no sign of UFO.
11:04 heavy rain.
Data sheet of observation of UFOs 6:45-11:04P.M.
Signed William B. Gill.
Gill later provided more detail as follows:
7:12, men 1 and 2 appeared — blue light. I might mention here that the cloud ceiling was about 2,000 feet, and I judged the cloud ceiling by a mountain. And all of this, of course, was well under the cloud ceiling. By this time, in a space of 25 minutes, the sky had clouded over.
At 7:20 the UFO went through the clouds, right through.
At 8:28 the sky was beginning to clear again, although it was heavy, the cloud cover was heavy over Giwa. UFO seen by me now over it. I called the station people the second time that night around 28 minutes past eight, and it appeared to descend and get bigger. . . . Others were coming and going through the clouds — remember we now had patches of clouds. They were descending through the clouds and the glow of the discs was reflected at the base of the clouds, and then they would go in through the cloud again, and they seemed to enjoy doing that.
Then came the next night, and this was the interesting one. A large UFO was first sighted by one of the nurses at the hospital at 6:00 P.M. ... It happened this way: we were walking, and this thing came down to what we estimated as the closest we had seen it, and I was practically the closest we were ever to see it.
Somewhere between 300 and 500 feet it dropped down. It was not dark, and we could see it quite clearly. It was still bright and sparkling, but it seemed very near and clear. And there was this figure again on the decking, as I called it, at the top. And it was the teacher who said, "I wonder if it is going to land on the playing field." I said, "Why not?" And so we waved, like that, -- Hello -- and we were a bit surprised now, and the thing waved back. And then Eric, who was with me, my constant companion, waved his two arms, along with another lad, and then the figures waved two arms back.
The Department of Air, Commonwealth of Australia, wrote as follows:
Father Gill Case. Over a period of three days, Father William Bruce Gill and 38 others at Boianai Mission repeatedly saw a platform shaped object with "men" on top in the skies above the mission.