Westall UFO Incident

1966 April 6

On the morning of April 6, 1966, during recess at Westall High School (Clayton South, Melbourne), 200–300+ students, teachers, and locals observed a shiny silver-grey disc or saucer-shaped object (~30 ft across by some accounts) hovering silently over the school oval. It maneuvered erratically for several minutes, descended toward the adjacent The Grange reserve (bushland with pines), appeared to land or touch down (some reported flattened/scorched grass), then ascended and departed rapidly.

Panic ensued among children; teachers tried to manage the crowd. Military vehicles (Army jeeps, RAAF personnel) and police arrived soon after, cordoned off the area, searched the site, and reportedly removed evidence (claims of confiscated photos/film). The school principal allegedly instructed silence.

In following days/weeks, multiple witnesses (including science teacher Andrew Greenwood) described visits from sharply dressed “men in black” (suits, sometimes American accents) who threatened job loss, ridicule, or worse if they spoke publicly. Some students recall officials addressing assemblies to enforce silence.

Official explanations include weather balloon or experimental craft; no conclusive prosaic proof. The event remains one of Australia’s best-documented mass UFO sightings, featured in the 2010 documentary Westall ‘66: A Suburban UFO Mystery and ongoing witness interviews.