Within Police File
Why Police Called Some Witnesses Reliable
The Cunderdin reports reveal how local officers judged witness reliability without proving that the objects were extraordinary.
On this page
- The February and April Cunderdin reports
- What reliability meant in local policing
- Where witness testimony still falls short
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
The Cunderdin reports from 1954 are often cited in discussions of Western Australia’s police UFO files because they show something more specific than an unusual sighting. They reveal how local police officers assessed witnesses. In these records, constables did not claim to know what had been seen. Instead, they recorded observations, interviewed witnesses and added comments about whether those witnesses appeared trustworthy. The result is a useful case study in how rural Western Australian police weighed testimony during the early years of official UFO reporting. The reports strengthen confidence that the witnesses sincerely described what they believed they saw, but they do not by themselves prove that the objects were extraordinary. The Dusty Box+2State Library of Western Australia [thedustybox.com]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
The February and April Cunderdin Reports
The best-known Cunderdin material comes from two separate episodes in 1954 that entered the Western Australian police reporting system and were later forwarded through official channels connected to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
February 1954: Three Witnesses Questioned
A February 1954 sighting near Cunderdin attracted enough attention that Flight Lieutenant Arnold of the RAAF requested further information from police. The request moved through police channels from Perth to Northam and then to the local constable in Cunderdin. Witnesses were interviewed and their statements recorded. [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
The most revealing part of the surviving record is not the description of the object but the constable’s assessment of the witnesses. After conducting enquiries, Constable Webb reported that the three people involved were adamant that what they had seen was not an aircraft and was unlike anything they had previously observed. A related summary described them as “adult, sensible” people with standing in the community. [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
That language was significant in a rural policing context. The officer was effectively telling his superiors that the witnesses were not known fantasists, pranksters or unreliable observers. He was not certifying that their conclusion was correct. [The West Australian]thewest.com.auThe West AustralianState records show the skies over WA have seen many UFOs5 Nov 2022 — Malcolm Quekett trawls through the Western Austra…
April 1954: Vera Fulwood’s Observation
A second Cunderdin report followed only weeks later. On 9 April 1954, Vera Fulwood and her children watched a silver-coloured object near their property north of Cunderdin. According to the police report, the object appeared round and flat, reflected sunlight, moved relatively slowly and seemed to rotate as it travelled westward. The witnesses watched it for several minutes before it disappeared into the sun’s glare. [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
Fulwood stated that she did not believe it was an aeroplane and noted the absence of engine noise. Her account was taken seriously enough to be formally documented and forwarded through police channels. Most important for later researchers, Constable Zanette added a personal note that he had known Fulwood for about a year and regarded her as reliable. Another version of the report records that he saw no reason the information should not be treated as trustworthy. [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
Again, the officer was commenting on the witness rather than validating the object.
What Reliability Meant in Local Policing
Modern readers sometimes misunderstand these credibility notes. In the WA Police UFO file, words such as “reliable”, “sensible” or “teetotaller” were not technical findings that a UFO had been authenticated. They were shorthand judgements about the person making the report. [State Library of Western Australia]slwa.wa.gov.auState Library of Western AustraliaThe truth is not out thereThe file includes reports of UFO sightings from government officials and memb…
For a country constable in the 1950s, several factors influenced credibility assessments:
- Whether the witness was known personally to police.
- Their reputation within a small community.
- Whether they appeared sober and responsible.
- Whether their account remained consistent during questioning.
- Whether there was any obvious motive for fabrication. [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
The Cunderdin reports are valuable because the officers explicitly recorded these judgements. In a small Wheatbelt town, a constable often knew local residents personally. When Zanette stated that he considered Fulwood reliable, he was drawing on direct knowledge of her character rather than a brief encounter. [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
This helps explain why the police file remains historically interesting. It preserves not only what witnesses claimed to see but also how local authorities evaluated those claims at the time. [State Library of Western Australia]slwa.wa.gov.auState Library of Western AustraliaThe truth is not out thereThe file includes reports of UFO sightings from government officials and memb…
Why Credible Witnesses Do Not Settle the Mystery
The Cunderdin material also illustrates an important distinction in UFO history: a credible witness and an extraordinary object are not the same thing.
A witness can be honest, sincere and careful while still misidentifying what they observed. Human perception has limits, especially when judging the size, speed, distance and altitude of unfamiliar objects in the sky. Without independent evidence, investigators cannot easily determine whether a witness interpreted the scene correctly. [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
In the Cunderdin cases, several questions remain unanswered:
- No photographs were produced.
- No radar data are known to accompany the reports.
- No physical traces were recorded.
- There is little surviving information about weather or atmospheric conditions.
- The reports do not conclusively exclude all conventional explanations. [The Dusty Box]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
As a result, the reports support the conclusion that witnesses genuinely believed they had seen something unusual. They do not establish what that object actually was.
Where Witness Testimony Still Falls Short
The enduring value of the Cunderdin reports lies in their documentation rather than their mystery. They show local police carrying out interviews, forwarding information through official channels and recording their views on witness reliability. They also show the limits of that process. A constable could assess honesty and character, but could not necessarily identify an unfamiliar aerial object from witness recollections alone. [The Dusty Box+2The West Australian]thedustybox.comThe Dusty Box U.F.OFiles - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera…
Within the broader history of Western Australia’s police UFO files, Cunderdin stands as a reminder that credibility notes were intended to answer one question only: “Do we trust this person to report what they think they saw?” They were never intended to answer the much harder question: “What was actually in the sky?” State Library of Western Australia+2ABC News [slwa.wa.gov.au]slwa.wa.gov.auState Library of Western AustraliaThe truth is not out thereThe file includes reports of UFO sightings from government officials and memb…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Why Police Called Some Witnesses Reliable. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience
Directly addresses how UFO reports, witness credibility, and investigative standards were assessed, closely matching a page about police...
UFOs
Focuses on the evidential value of testimony from trained observers and officials, paralleling police assessments of trustworthy witnesses.
The Hynek UFO Report
Draws on extensive case material and discusses the evaluation of reports, evidence, and witness credibility.
Passport to Magonia: from Folklore to Flying Saucers
Examines large numbers of witness reports and how investigators should interpret testimony without assuming a final explanation.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.
Endnotes
-
Source: thedustybox.com
Title: The Dusty Box U.F.O
Link: https://thedustybox.com/2020/11/17/u-f-o-files/Source snippet
Files - The Dusty BoxNovember 17, 2020 — 17 Nov 2020 — Constable Zanette completed the report and noted at the end that he had known Vera...
Published: November 17, 2020
-
Source: slwa.wa.gov.au
Link: https://slwa.wa.gov.au/stories/slwa-abc-radio/truth-not-out-thereSource snippet
State Library of Western AustraliaThe truth is not out thereThe file includes reports of UFO sightings from government officials and memb...
-
Source: thewest.com.au
Link: https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/was-ufo-history-revealed-state-records-show-the-skies-over-wa-have-seen-many-unidentified-flying-objects-c-8450517Source snippet
The West AustralianState records show the skies over WA have seen many UFOs5 Nov 2022 — Malcolm Quekett trawls through the Western Austra...
-
Source: abc.net.au
Link: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/perth-focus/ufo/12499372Source snippet
'UFO file' sheds light on strange encounters in Western...27 Jul 2020 — The UFO file holds dozens of police reports linked to sightings...
Additional References
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqpAsmQnoZYSource snippet
Australian police UFO files RAAF declassified In the 80s the RAAF held hundreds of files documenting UFO sightings 🛸 | Uncropped | ABC Au...
-
Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBs7Gd6yood/?hl=enSource snippet
Many of the reports come from country towns across WA, including Kojonup, Onslow and Bridgetown...
-
Source: websail-fe.cs.northwestern.edu
Title: edubiennials Feijo BSDs Villalon woodi woods spiders
Link: https://websail-fe.cs.northwestern.edu/downloads/OTyper_data_aaai18/FIGER_data/word_list.txtSource snippet
Report 25,576 Beane Beano Kicklighter masted invincibility Canute Gretel... Ufo Ufa Evigan Open-Air Braugher Llanito Moquet approach Rev...
-
Source: dokumen.pub
Title: bunyips and bigfoots 2nbsped 9798703605486
Link: https://dokumen.pub/bunyips-and-bigfoots-2nbsped-9798703605486.htmlSource snippet
Bunyips and Bigfoots [2 ed.] 9798703605486On 28 February a witness phoned radio station 4BC to report that he had seen a... alien invade...
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrou1Yl-haoSource snippet
Inside the Australian UFO Archive: The Sea Fury, Maralinga, and the Valentich Mystery...
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yFIRaalq10Source snippet
Inside the Australian UFO Archive: Tullamarine, Goulburn, and the Townsville Radar Case...
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ6s2NmySbsSource snippet
Australian Filmmaker Claims To Have New Evidence Of 1980 UFO Sighting | 10 News+...
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPsNpvY1XjcSource snippet
Government UFO/UAP Sightings Exposed: Shocking 2009 7NEWS Documentary | Ross Coulthart...
-
Source: fsb.raafansw.org.au
Title: raafansw.org.au Going Solo
Link: https://fsb.raafansw.org.au/docPDF/HIST03-Going-Solo-The-Royal-Australian-Air-Force-1946-1971_1.pdfSource snippet
aliens, and did in fact lead to the capture of large numbers of Koreans trying to enter Japan illegally.34 Bcof's air forces also repatri...
Topic Tree