On Monday evening 8th August I received a phone call from Filey based UFO Investigator Russell Kellett. Russell and I have known each other for 10 or so years and it’s fair to say we have not always seen eye to eye.
It is also fair to say that we both have the same expectations for this subject, we are both confident that there is a reality to the subject and we both have personal reasons for our beliefs and we both would like the truth to be out.
I had an encounter with classic silver disc shaped flying saucer back in the autumn of 1980 the sight of which convinced me that there was something totally unearthly about the whole UFO phenomena, whilst Russell Kellett’s encounter involved a far more sinister experience of typical close encounter of the third kind.
Now we all have our critics in this subject, everyone has them without their input we would not have to try and qualify our beliefs so a healthy dose of scepticism keeps the grey cells fit and working.
Russell came under the cosh a little bit after his recent presentation at a conference event held here in the UK. He explained his frustration that the Technical gremlins appeared to have got to the venue long before the audience and his lecture material was doomed not to behave for his talk. Some of the conspiracy theorists out there might suggest the equipment was doctored or that the powers that be were there to make sure unsuspecting Joe public didn’t see anything they were not supposed to.
Poppycock (that’s the nicest word I could think of).
The equipment and it’s supplier let the conference organisers down by taking on something ‘out of their league’ it would appear. The organisers of the event are friends of mine and they were just as gutted for Russell as anyone was.
Anyway what I am trying to tell you is that Russell Kellett has some very interesting filmed material, whatever it may be. He also owns hour upon hour of material of which this interesting stuff forms a smaller part of, most of it filmed by Russell himself.
Russell left Bradford a while ago and along with his family and relocated to the North Yorkshire Seaside town of Filey, you may have read such comments of Bradford being the UFO capitol of the world when Russ lived there so now he’s moved to Filey how come the UFO Capitol moves with him.?
Two fold.
Russell Kellett spends a great deal of time watching the skies, he lives in Filey so he watches the Skies above Filey, Russ has filmed things all along the North Yokshire coastline, he has also received films from members of the public who like Russ want to know
‘What have we filmed’?
I dare say that if you spend a couple of hours everyday watching a certain part of the sky you will see things that are unusual.
It’s fair to say that those of us who take a serious look at this subject don’t label everything we see as an alien spacecraft, far from it. I find it just as intriguing filming or investigating possible military exercises or secret craft that we are not supposed to see, but then one has to ask the question
‘if these things are experimental or secret craft then why on earth would their respective owners operate them in possible view of the public at large?’
It beggars belief.
So we are left to ponder over the fact that if our or someone else’s military aren’t so stupid to operate equipment in view of those they don’t want to see then what on earth is it that gets caught on camera?.
Powerful organisations such as the military or even NASA do things that you or I would conceive as stupid or to be kinder not thought about.
I have watched with interest the latest Shuttle mission, the mission controllers floor managed the event like a Hal Roach movie, they got all the publicity they needed for all the wrong reasons.
People dream of getting a flight into space, I suggest members of the astronaut corps carry out Kamikaze rituals before they get on board another shuttle flight.
Does
it need a multi million dollar team of Rocket engineers to point out that
exposed joints on plumbing designed to carry liquid nitrogen are in danger of
being struck by not only lumps of foam insulation but bird strikes and the like.
A bird strike was cited on this very recent mission.
Was the aim of this mission to actually carry out a down to the minute work plan that will have been planned years in advance or was it simply an outing to patch up a shuttle that had sat on the ground for two years.
An embarrassing waste of money…
Rant over and back to our article.
The media interest in the subject was kick started by a quote from researcher and investigator Steve Mera who’s
quote went around the worlds media faster than saying, "We’ve found an alien saucer crashed on the M1." Remember when good old Dennis Plunkett said he was hanging up his binoculars, well it seems the media are far more interested in the subject suffering a demise than they are in reporting anything positive about it.
It strikes me as a bit of a dumb question when we are asked ”have sighting dwindled?” or ”why don’t people see UFOs anymore?”
Now I don’t want to sound like a bleating old schoolmaster but, how many UFOs were seen at Roswell?
Let’s say one, here we are 60 years on and everyone still talks about Roswell.
How many were seen at Rendlesham,?
I’m sure you know what I’m trying to say. One good sighting with coverage and a case goes into the hall of ufological fame.
UFO sightings are rare events they must, otherwise the planet would be littered with UFO rubbish and cast iron evidence but the interest in the subject continues.
The fact is the subject has had little good press or television for a long time.
Riddle of the Skies, First Tuesday great programmes, along with UFO Hunters and The British X Files all gave some credibility to the Pilots, the Policemen and members of the military who along with ordinary people like you and I have had the bottle to talk openly about this subject.
In the past I have sent some stunning and very hard to knock material to many broadcasters, It’s fair to say I have had little luck in getting a positive or even balanced reaction from the media at large, The Monster raving loony party a better media deal always.
That doesn’t stop me wanting more.
My belief in this phenomena like I mentioned at the start of this article stems from an encounter that convinced me of the reality of the subject, that will never change.
So what do we think that small news filler that SKY News broadcast on Wednesday 10th August did for the subject?
It showed that we are sensible about what we claim and that we are still searching and I hope helped to convince people that this subject is alive and well.
I was invited at short notice to take part in the interview by Russell Kellett.
He had recommended Prof. Roger Green of Warwick University (a law society expert witness) to the producers as someone who would cast a professional eye over some of Russ’s footage.
Russ has sent stuff to Prof. Green for informed opinion in the past and like we did when I worked with UFO Magazine paid Roger for his professional services, but at short notice Roger had to pull out.
That’s when I was asked if I would pass an opinion on some of the clips In Russell’s possession.
I accepted and travelled along with my UFODATA colleague Michael Buckley not really knowing what to expect from the day.
However what did come from our meeting with Russ was an observation of silliness within the subject.
Back biting and bitching goes on in all walks of life and such events had, I will admit kept me away from close contact with Russell and likewise from Russ working with me.
If people have an opinion of this subject that’s fine, it’s their opinion but don’t get personal with remarks unless you can really back them up.
There are liable laws in this country too.
Chinese whispers have in the past cost lives and there are selective idiots in this world who will invent answers to questions they don’t know, my mum would have called them ‘romancers’ I would suggest some of them are nothing more than vindictive ill informed liars with a great big streak of green running through them.
People who have little or nothing to offer the subject but an over active mind inventing qualifications and experience who seem to thrive and take get great privilege in winding up the dedicated people who give their all to the subject.
Yes, you people wind me up and, excuse me, piss me off too. Ufology would be a better place without you.
UFO Magazine is no more, Graham passed away, you know he died and left a family shattered.
He was 49 years old - nothing was planned, it just happened, his widow did not want to carry on without him.
UFOs were a big part of Graham's life.
I, like Russell Kellett, have put thousands of hours into this subject because like Russell I believe in it.
It stresses you at times and puts pressure on your personal life but yet we carry on.
Yes I was in a wonderful position working alongside Graham at the magazine for almost a decade. But the day to day running of a publishing business is not all UFO spotting, it was darned hard work but I enjoyed every single minute of it.
Now along with friends and colleagues we have carried on the faith by way of www.ufodata.co.uk.
The site is made up of articles etc in an easy to read PDF format. We have organised our first event ‘The Great British UFO Show’ October 1st in Leeds and we are about to launch on online electronic bookstore were we can offer publication for the many people out there who have manuscripts that publisher will not offer deals on.
Not because the work is rubbish but because this specialised subject won’t sell like Harry Potter and if publishers can’t make big returns on an investment then they are not interested.
I hope to work closely with Russ over the next few months and hopefully help with the computer analysis and enhancement of some of his films.
Unlike
so many of the sceptics and debunkers out there I am please to proclaim
Ufology is alive and well.
Long live ufology.
I am sure the truth is out there…
Russel Callaghan.
In an article published in ‘The Guardian’ newspaper on Thursday 11th August 2005
And quite a lengthy article it was too, the reporter who interviewed both Russell Kellett and I at the same time over the phone made an error that could have caused problems.
He quotes our saying that Russell Kellett will be showing some of his footage at our ‘Great British UFO Show’ conference 1st October 2005.
Both Russ and I have no idea where the quote came from, mindst you he was interviewing two blokes called Russ about the same subject.
The Great British UFO Show speaker list is as confirmed several months ago, however since the Guardian Article was published Russ has kindly offered to attend the event and bring some of his analysed and enhanced material with him and let you see for yourselves what he believes to be authentic Unidentified Flying Objects, caught on camera.
So if you want to join us on the day get your tickets booked, you can do this online or by post.
See conference pages on the web.