The Close Encounter of Maureen Puddy
by Judith Magee

These encounters occurred in 1972, but were never written up in our publications until the 1983 "Review". Maureen addressed one of our quarterly meetings in 1995 and was attentively accepted. It has been said by some 'researchers', who have never even met her, that her case was an 'abduction', but to Paul Norman and myself with whom she spoke at length, it would have been more like a form of mind control or hypnosis. Maureen had three odd experiences, all in 1972 and documented faithfully by VUFORS, but unfortunately not always by others.

Her story starts with a visit to the Royal Childrens' Hospital in Melbourne, where her son had been taken after an accident at school when a cupboard had fallen on him and broken his leg. He had been taken to the hospital by the "Angel of Mercy" Helicopter Air Ambulance Service.

While driving home from a visit to the boy on the 5th July, 1972, she called in at her mother's home for a cup of tea and a chat, leaving there at about 9.15 p.m., taking the shortcut along the Mooraduc Road from Frankston.

On this occasion, she saw a blue light reflected down over the car and thought it was the helicopter flying overhead, and may be trying to get a message to her, although how they could tell her car in the dark had not occurred to her, so thought she had better stop and see what they wanted. She had not bargained on what confronted her. A large circular object, like two saucers placed together, with one upside down - the usual "saucer" shape. The object was possibly, in her estimating, two telephone poles high, and would have spanned the strip of road 24 feet wide, also taking in the 'nature strip' on either side of the road, making the 'saucer' approximately 100 feet across.

Having already alighted from the car, she leaned back against it, took a long look at the object and wondered what it was she was seeing. The object's surface was smooth with no joins, welds, seams or rivets, no doors, windows or portholes and no wheels. The huge object was radiating a brilliant blue light all around - an intense glow - there was no movement, no wobbling or rotating, but a faint humming could be heard.

She must have noted all these things while wondering what sort of aircraft it was and before fear took over; at which time she quickly got back into her car and drove off as fast as she could, only to find the object was maintaining its position just above and behind the car. No matter how fast she travelled, the object seemed to remain at the same distance.

Aware that the blue light was no longer with her, and seeing a very bright light streaking off in the opposite direction, Mrs. Puddy realised the chase must be over. It had followed her for about eight miles!

The witness reported her sighting to the Police at Dromana, some family members and also some friends, who considered it all a bit of a joke, so she decided to say no more about it............. until about three weeks later.

Then on Tuesday 25th July, 1972, after having visited her son again, she followed a similar routine, a 'cuppa' with her mother enroute home, and left at almost the same time, about 9.15 p.m.

Maureen arrived at the Mooraduc Road, travelled on a short distance of about one mile, when the blue light appeared over her car once more. "Oh no! Not again!" she thought. "This time I'm not going to stop". She grabbed the steering wheel more determinedly and put her foot flat to the floor, but the car just drifted to a stop on the side of the road. No matter what she did the Holden would not reply to her demands. She was wondering "where do I go from here". Terrified, she gripped the wheel and looked out the windscreen to see the object hanging silently in the air above her car, the countryside bathed in blue light. Then a voice spoke to her, not audibly but in her head she said, as if words had been put into a computer and come out in the most beautifully modulated voice and perfect English she had ever heard. During this time she experienced a most unusual sensation. She said that 'if you could be in a vacuum' then she had been - Perfectly silent and still.

The message was: -
"Don't be afraid ... we mean you no harm…..your tests will be negative ... tell the Media (longer pause) you are now in control".

At that moment the car started up again as if she had turned the key. She sat there for a moment or two, then drove off as fast as she could.

She stopped at the same police station only to find it closed, then went to the next, still on her way home. She told the officer, "I want to make a report of a sighting of a flying saucer", "Oh yes, Madam", came the reply. She insisted, in fear and frustration, so the policeman humoured her and she had it recorded.

Next morning she 'phoned Laverton R.A.A.F. Station to ask if they could offer any explanation of what she had seen, to which they replied that it could not have been an aircraft or balloon as neither would have been in the area at the time; but don't say anything as it could cause panic. They would send her a questionnaire to complete, but when later asked about this told me, "you'd have to be an astronaut to understand it", and I believe she did not bother to return it.

Naturally, we questioned Maureen regarding her experience in the car. What did the messages mean? She said she had not had any recent tests done, but some about six months ago proved negative. There was no use telling her not to be afraid, she was terrified! As for telling the media: she 'phoned three of the four T.V. stations. One was mildly interested since they were showing "Chariots of the Gods". Two made light of her news, so she did not bother to contact the fourth. I heard through a radio talk-back program, which in desperation, she had contacted, because the UFO-nauts had said to contact the media and she did not want to see them again!!

At this stage I had not actually met Maureen, only spoken to her on the phone - for one hour - but when I invited her to address one of our meetings at the National Mutual Theatrette, she agreed, and kept the full-house spell-bound for about two hours. The hall was crowded, there were even people in the lobby listening through the speaker system - thoroughly fascinated!

During the question period that night, Mrs. Puddy was really 'put through her paces'. "Did she think what she saw was a psychic phenomenon?" "Did she suffer any burns or after effects?" To both these questions she answered "No". "Did she think there were any other witnesses?" She thought there must have been one at least, because as she was approaching a railway crossing, she saw a man with a torch, leading a cow up one of the side roads. Surely the UFO must have passed very close to him, but would have been going in the same direction. Later the man's wife contacted her and also a lady living on a ridge, not far from the highway, - both had seen the light!

The third experience, which was purely psychic, occurred about six months later.

One Wednesday, I received a 'phone call from a rather agitated Maureen Puddy, who said she had been trying contact VUFORS. Her story goes:

For some days she had been hearing a voice calling to her to "return to the meeting place". Believing she heard someone calling her name at the front door, she went to open it and her husband, who was an invalid in a wheel-chair, asked who it was, but there was no-one there! When she went shopping, she heard "Maureen, Maureen, return to the meeting place", and she looked around to find there was no one near. She felt she had to go to the meeting place but she was too scared to go alone, so I told her that Paul Norman and I would be available when she wished to go. With very little gentle persuasion she agreed to go that Wednesday evening.

Paul fuelled his car while I prepared a hot drink and some supper, for we didn't know whether or not we would be just sitting for most of the night and we would require some 'fuel' to keep us warm even though it was supposed to be summer.

I need not have been so apprehensive because the UFO-nauts had our evening all worked out for us. I had, over the 'phone to Maureen, described Paul's car and told her where we would meet her, opposite the electricity sub-station, where the road widens, at about 8.30 ~ 9 p.m. We were early and it was not yet dark so we could see Maureen's Holden station wagon when she arrived. She got out of her car and ran towards us saying she nearly "went off the road back there". I suggested she tell me about it as we drove to the meeting place.

Before going further I should perhaps add, that as I entered her car, I had the odd feeling that something was amiss, I was experiencing a tingling sensation (like that of a mild electric shock), which passed off quite quickly. Maureen then told me that in the centre of the front seat, between where the two of us sat, had appeared an entity completely clad in a type of gold foil suit. As she turned to look in his direction, she was so startled she almost ran off the road, It was quite obvious she was quite shocked by the eventful drive...

By this time we had reached the 'meeting place which was somewhat hidden from passing traffic by a few trees. We drew to a stop and Paul came to sit in the back seat of the station wagon while I stayed in the front with Maureen.

We were talking about the latest incident along the road, when suddenly, she grabbed my arm and pointed across her car, exclaiming: "There he is! Can't you see him?" and she shook my arm saying that I must be able to - I tried to explain to her that it was like closed circuit television - from him to her.

She said he was coming closer to the car, in fact, so close that if I put my arm out I could possibly touch him. He was now standing almost beside the front headlight, so I asked Paul to take a little walk around the car. As he came to where the entity was standing, the entity moved back to allow Paul to pass between him and the car. At this point the entity beckoned to Maureen to follow him, but she adamantly declared that she would not. I told her I'd go with her and tried to gently ease her out the car door, but she hung onto the steering wheel and would not budge.

The entity then became impatient when she would not follow and she became a trifle upset, He apparently disappeared behind bushes and she suddenly commenced describing the interior of the UFO. She told us that the entity was standing there pointing to a large "mushroom" like object in the centre of a large circular room. The centre object, which was taller than an average person, was a little like jelly, moving all the time; there were lines like those of Roman numerals around the lower portion. The top of the "mushroom" had lines on it and the whole thing seemed fixed to the floor. She was apparently looking around the room and became very agitated at this point, crying, "I can't get out! There are no doors or windows. I can't get out!" I put my arm around her shoulders in an attempt to calm her, and could feel tears on my hand. She was really upset and as I clearly visualised what Maureen was describing, I decided to direct my thoughts to the entity; nothing to lose and maybe something to gain - as I was very concerned about Maureen's state, I felt she may have had a nervous collapse or even a stroke. I silently requested he take pity on the poor girl and suddenly she said, "he wants me to close my eyes". I replied that she should do so and almost immediately I felt her relax as if in a trance.

Again she began to describe the interior of the object and once again became agitated when she could see no way out of the vehicle. After a brief period she "came back to us" and we switched on the car's interior lights and asked if she would care for a cup of tea from our thermos flask. I had just handed Maureen her cup when she said, "Oh, I'm back in there again", and repeated the description, but this time somewhat more calmly, before stating, "he's gone. This time he's really gone. I can tell. It feels different".

She now seemed quite normal, so we went on with our supper, discussing the "mushroom" and trying to identify it. I asked if it could have been a gyroscope, but Maureen was not apparently familiar with that term so "compass" was suggested. She picked off a little gadget from the dashboard of her car and to my amazement it was exactly what I had envisaged from her description of the "mushroom. A small compass on a suction cup. I had not seen one before or since.

We did not dare let her drive home alone, nor did she wish it, in case of a return visit from our 'friend', or nerves on her part. I drove in her car with her and Paul followed in his car. I believe it was between 10.30 and 11.00p.m. when we arrived at her home which was quite some distance away. We did not take particular note of the time, but it was fairly late.

Some thoughts on the third Puddy incident: -

1. Was I also able to communicate with the entity? Did he really receive my thoughts regarding her agitated state? If so, what thoughts can they receive from more important and 'delicate' situations than that particular one'? Can they transmit to us?
2. Have you ever watched a "fun" hypnotist at work? "When I snap my fingers, you will go into a deeper trance" etc. Was the second meeting (July 25th 1972) about which Maureen stated that while she was sitting in her car, just prior to the voice speaking to her, "that if you could be in a vacuum, then I have been in one" - such an incident? There was no sound, nothing moved, all was calm and quiet, then the voice delivered the message. Was this third incident due to the 'snapping of the fingers' when they urged her to act?

If this is so, how many people can they hypnotize, perhaps even in their sleep, so we react when "they" wish, whenever "they" 'snap' their fingers? I find this a very sobering thought.

Last Updated: October, 1998
Copyright © 1996 Victorian U.F.O. Research Society Inc.
P.O. Box 1043 Moorabbin Victoria, Australia 3189
This page maintained by VUFORS 
About this Web site.