Boianai, Papua New Guinea — Anglican Mission 38-Witness Report

On the nights of June 26–27, 1959, Anglican priest Reverend William Booth Gill and up to 38 mission staff, teachers, and students at the Boianai Mission in the Territory of Papua (then a British colony) observed disc-shaped craft with blue spotlights. On the first night (June 26), the primary craft descended to within an estimated 500 feet. Human-like figures were visible on top of the craft near a railing-like structure. Gill, a credentialed clergyman and headmaster, raised his hand and waved; one figure appeared to wave back. Three other witnesses also waved; multiple figures responded. The craft hovered for several hours before departing. The following night the craft returned; the witnesses again waved and received apparent responses. Gill filed a written, contemporaneous report which was sent to the Anglican Church of Papua, and subsequently to the Australian government's Department of Air. The British Colonial Government (Papua was a UN Trust Territory administered by Australia) formally documented the case. Dr. J. Allen Hynek (USAF scientific consultant) reviewed the Gill report and called it 'one of the most puzzling UAP cases on record.' The Australian Department of Air conducted a formal review but could not explain the observation. The report — signed by Gill and 38 co-witnesses — is the largest group-witnessed UAP event with a contemporaneous written record submitted directly to a colonial government authority.