Flying Saucer Mania

Wessel's Island Legend.

When the time comes the Spirit of all life will visit. It will not come by sea, as men do. It will not come by land, as men do. It will come from the sky. And all the people shall see it, like the sun itself. Then there will be people where now there are no people, and houses where now there are no houses. But most of all men will be shown things that before they could not see, and they will hear things that before they could not hear. And the Spirit of all life will give them knowledge. At this time all men will become wise...

In 1976 Tamba- Tamba was gripped by Flying Saucer Mania.
On May 20th a Palmerston schoolboy, 12 year old Cook Makepeace, reported having seen a large, disk-like object hovering above Gough Hump. During the next four months there were a total of 12 separate sightings of unidentified flying objects in the skies over Tamba- Tamba. 14 year old Connor Cox, of Cox Plantation, described being followed by a beam of light from a hovering saucer, and struggling against a strong magnetic force before losing consciousness. Remarkably a number of photographs were taken:

Local writer Donald Rowley became completely immersed in the mystery, and spent years investigating, making interviews and corresponding with UFO experts from all over the world.

Donald Rowley

Cynics were inclined to put the sightings down to some form of mass hysteria , particularly when the first few sightings were reported by young people. Attitudes changed however when prominent citizens joined the ranks of the witnesses. For example, 72 year old Mason Greene described a trio of 'saucers' moving in a choreographed formation over Berry Sands.

Mason Greene

Major Ambrose addressed the Council and stated that it was his belief that the 'aircraft' were Soviet spy planes. His assertion that the security of the island was under threat led to something of a panic, with members of the public demanding that the Council approach either the USA or Britain for help.

Cook Makepeace

Donald Rowley invited prominent UFOlogist Dr Viktor Buschmann to Tamba- Tamba to consider the evidence in person ( this cost Rowley thousands of US$ out of his own pocket to arrange).
Incredibly, when questioned by Dr Buschmann both Cook Makepeace and Connor Cox said that they had made their stories up.
This still left ten sightings and the photographs, but the Council were happy to dismiss the whole affair as a hoax...

Connor Cox now: Doesn't want to talk about UFOs...