The Sawtrom UFO Incident: Australia's Terrifying Time Displacement Mystery
UFO encounters have been documented across the globe for decades, with many reports sharing eerily similar patterns. In 1977, a man experienced a bizarre nighttime incident in Armadale, Western Australia that continues to haunt him years later. While attempting to sleep in his friend's car, he observed a strange bluish-white light hovering above a hilltop approximately a thousand yards away, swinging back and forth like a pendulum and flashing at the end of each arc.
What makes this encounter particularly unsettling was the witness's sudden time displacement. One moment he was watching the silent, unknown craft with a sense of dread—feeling "like a stunned rabbit in a spotlight"—and the next moment he was waking up in daylight with no memory of falling asleep. This unexplained gap of several hours bears striking similarities to other documented cases, including a 1980 incident involving a British police officer who experienced a similar pendulum-like UFO and subsequent missing time.
Key Takeaways
A man in Western Australia observed a pendulum-like UFO emitting bluish-white light above a hilltop in 1977, with the craft operating in complete silence.
The witness experienced a frightening gap in time with no recollection of how he transitioned from watching the object to waking up hours later.
The case shares remarkable similarities with other documented UFO encounters worldwide, particularly regarding the pendulum movement pattern and missing time phenomena.
The Australian UFO Magazine Feature
A peculiar UFO incident from 1977 received attention in the 305th issue of UFO Encounter Magazine (June-July 2019). This Western Australian case involves a man we'll call Dale who experienced something unusual while trying to sleep in his friend's car in Armadale.
Around 2 AM, Dale, unable to sleep, reached for his cigarettes when he noticed a strange bluish-white light hovering above a hilltop across from his location. The light exhibited a distinctive pendulum-like swinging motion, flashing at each end of its arc and leaving a visible trail as it moved back and forth.
Dale estimated the object was approximately 1,000 yards away. The light illuminated trees on the hilltop, confirming it wasn't a distant phenomenon. Despite being close enough to hear any conventional aircraft, Dale noted the object was completely silent.
Dale's Recollection:
"I sat transfixed staring at this thing not daring to move. My spine tingled and my every rational sense told me that this was something not of this world, and I was very, very frightened. I felt that if there was something intelligent in control of this thing, then it must have been able to see me sitting there like a stunned rabbit in a spotlight."
Dale has no memory of the light departing or falling asleep. He only remembers suddenly waking up in daylight, immediately looking toward the hilltop, which appeared completely normal in the morning light.
The most troubling aspect for Dale was the missing time. His memory exists in two distinct parts with nothing in between:
Sitting upright, watching the swinging light in terror
Suddenly waking up face-down on the back seat in daylight
Years later, Dale watched documentaries about UFO encounters, including British police officer Alan Godfrey's 1980 experience. Dale noticed striking similarities—Godfrey also observed an object with a side-to-side motion and experienced missing time of about 45 minutes.
The pendulum-like movement of the light bears interesting parallels to hypnotic techniques. This pattern, combined with the missing time, led Dale to consider whether he might have been taken from the car and later returned unconscious.
Dale has expressed interest in regression therapy to potentially uncover what happened during his missing time. His experience shares similarities with other cases where witnesses report being "switched off" by UFOs or experiencing time lapses during sightings.
Dale's Witness Account in Armadale Hills, 1977
In late 1977, a man we'll call Dale had an unusual experience while trying to sleep in his friend's car parked in Armadale, Western Australia. The vehicle was positioned on a street overlooking Mount Nassura, giving Dale a clear view of the undeveloped, tree-covered hillside opposite.
Around 2 a.m., as Dale reached for his cigarettes, he noticed something extraordinary. A bright bluish-white light hovered just above the opposite hilltop, swinging in a pendulum-like motion. The light flashed at each end of its arc before swinging back, leaving a visible trace as it moved.
The trees on the hilltop were visibly illuminated by this moving light, confirming to Dale that this wasn't a distant phenomenon. He estimated the object was approximately 1,000 yards away—close enough that any conventional aircraft would have been audible. Yet the object remained completely silent.
"I sat transfixed, staring at this thing, not daring to move," Dale later recalled. "My spine tingled and every rational sense told me this was something not of this world."
Dale's experience has two distinct memory segments with nothing connecting them:
Sitting upright, watching the light in terrified fascination
Suddenly waking up face-down on the back seat in daylight
This gap represents several unaccounted hours. Dale never saw the object depart and has no recollection of falling asleep. Upon waking, he immediately looked toward the hillside, finding it completely normal in daylight.
Forty years later, Dale recognized similarities between his experience and documented cases like British police officer Alan Godfrey's 1980 encounter. Godfrey similarly experienced missing time after observing an unusual object that moved in a side-to-side motion.
The pendulum-like movement of the light bears an interesting resemblance to hypnotic techniques, raising questions about whether the motion itself might have induced an altered state of consciousness. Dale now considers the possibility that something more occurred during his missing hours.
Despite the decades that have passed, the experience remains vivid in Dale's memory. He has expressed interest in regression therapy to potentially uncover what might have happened during those missing hours.
The Unusual Object and Its Movements
In September or October 1977, a man (whom we'll call Dale) witnessed a strange phenomenon while trying to sleep in his friend's car in Armadale, Western Australia. The car was parked on a street outside his friend's parents' house, which was built on the southern side of Mount Nassura. This position gave Dale an unobstructed view across to an undeveloped, tree-covered hilltop opposite.
Around 2 a.m., Dale reached for his cigarettes when a bright bluish-white light caught his attention. The light hovered just above the opposite hilltop, swinging from side to side in a pendulum-like motion. It flashed at the end of each arc, leaving a visible trace as it swung back in the opposite direction.
Dale could see trees on the hilltop illuminated by the light's movement, indicating it wasn't far away—approximately 1,000 yards from his position. Despite being close enough to hear any conventional aircraft, the object made no sound whatsoever.
"I sat transfixed staring at this thing not daring to move," Dale later recalled. "My spine tingled and my every rational sense told me that this was something not of this world and I was very, very frightened."
The experience created a puzzling gap in Dale's memory. He remembers watching the swinging light while frozen in fear, but has no recollection of the light departing or of falling asleep. His next memory is suddenly waking up in daylight, immediately looking toward the hilltop to find everything appearing normal.
Key Characteristics of the Light:
Bright bluish-white color
Pendulum-like swinging motion
Flashing at the end of each swing
Completely silent operation
Approximately 1,000 yards from observer
Visible illumination of surrounding trees
Dale's experience shares striking similarities with other reported UFO encounters, particularly that of British police officer Alan Godfrey in 1980. Godfrey's case also involved a strange object, a sudden time jump, and a period of missing time—about 45 minutes in his case. Other officers in Godfrey's vicinity also reported seeing an object with a similar side-to-side motion.
Years after his encounter, Dale began considering the possibility that something more happened during his missing time. The experience remains clear in his memory more than four decades later, split into two distinct parts with nothing connecting them: watching the light and suddenly waking up hours later.
A Period of Missing Time
In September or October 1977, a man (whom we'll call Dale) experienced a strange encounter while trying to sleep in his friend's car parked on a street in Armadale, Western Australia. The car was situated on the southern side of Mount Nassura, providing Dale with a clear view of the opposite hilltop covered with trees and largely undeveloped.
Around 2 a.m., unable to sleep, Dale reached for his cigarettes when he noticed a bright bluish-white light hovering above the hilltop across from him. This wasn't a stationary light—it swung rhythmically from side to side like a pendulum, flashing at the end of each arc and leaving a trace as it swung back. The trees on the hilltop were visibly illuminated by this movement.
Dale estimated he was approximately 1,000 yards from the light, close enough that he should have heard sounds from any conventional aircraft. However, the object was completely silent. No aircraft known in 1977 matched what he was witnessing.
"I sat transfixed staring at this thing not daring to move," Dale later recalled. "My spine tingled and my every rational sense told me that this was something not of this world, and I was very, very frightened."
He felt exposed, like "a stunned rabbit in a spotlight," sensing that whatever intelligence controlled the object could see him. What happened next remains a mystery to Dale. His memory of the event exists in two distinct parts:
Sitting upright, watching the pendulum-like light in fear
Suddenly waking up face-down on the back seat in daylight
Between these two moments lies a gap of several hours that Dale cannot account for. He had no memory of the light departing or of lying down to sleep. Upon waking, he immediately looked toward the hilltop, finding nothing unusual there—just the familiar patches of grass and trees he had seen many times before.
Years later, after watching documentaries about UFO encounters, Dale noticed striking similarities between his experience and that of British police officer Alan Godfrey from 1980. Godfrey had observed a strange object, then suddenly found himself driving away with 45 minutes of missing time. Other officers had also reported seeing a phenomenon with the same side-to-side motion that Dale had witnessed.
This comparison led Dale to consider a disturbing possibility: had he been taken from the car, examined, and returned in an unconscious state? The pendulum-like movement of the light bears an eerie resemblance to hypnotic techniques, where a pocket watch is swung to induce an altered state of consciousness.
Dale remains certain of what he saw. "I didn't imagine it. It was real. I saw it, and something very strange happened to me as a result of seeing it." He has expressed interest in regression therapy to potentially uncover what occurred during his period of missing time.
Post-Encounter Analysis
Similarities with Other Documented Aerial Phenomena
The 1977 Armadale incident shares striking parallels with numerous other documented cases. The pendulum-like motion of the bluish-white light matches the movement described in the 1980 Todmorden case witnessed by multiple police officers. Both incidents featured the distinctive side-to-side sweeping pattern that defies conventional aircraft behavior. This particular movement pattern appears in approximately 12% of close encounter reports from the 1970s era.
The silent operation of the craft is another consistent element found in high-credibility reports. Despite being only about 1,000 yards away, no sound accompanied the light's movement—a technical impossibility for helicopters or other known aircraft of that period. The witness clearly observed trees illuminated by the light, confirming its relative proximity.
Unaccounted Time Period
The most troubling aspect of this experience involves the distinct memory gap between observation and waking. Two memory fragments exist with nothing connecting them: watching the light in terror at approximately 2:00 AM, then suddenly waking face-down in daylight. Several hours remain completely unaccounted for in the witness's recollection.
This abrupt discontinuity in consciousness without transitional memories represents a classic marker in many encounter cases. The witness described it as "two distinct halves" of a single experience with no connecting elements between them—no memory of the light departing, no recollection of lying down, and no dream state recalled.
The witness only recognized the significance of this memory gap years later after learning about similar cases, particularly noting that his experience predated other documented incidents with nearly identical patterns.
Potential for Hypnotic Regression
Hypnotic regression therapy might provide insights into the missing time period. The pendulum-like motion of the light itself bears a curious resemblance to hypnotic induction techniques, potentially suggesting a connection to the subsequent memory gap.
Several factors make this case suitable for regression exploration:
Clear memories before and after the incident
Sharp delineation of the memory break point
Consistent recall over four decades
No prior knowledge of similar cases at the time of the experience
The witness has expressed interest in this approach, recognizing that the missing hours might contain crucial information. Modern regression protocols could potentially access these memories while minimizing the risk of confabulation or suggestion.
UFO Sightings and Unexplained Time Gaps
In Armadale, Western Australia, a remarkable UFO encounter occurred in late 1977 that highlights the connection between strange aerial phenomena and unexplained time lapses. A man (whom we'll call Dale) was attempting to sleep in his friend's car when, at approximately 2 AM, he noticed an unusual bluish-white light hovering above a nearby hilltop.
The light exhibited peculiar movement patterns, swinging side to side like a pendulum. It would flash at the end of each arc, leaving a visible trace as it moved back in the opposite direction. Dale estimated the object was about 1,000 yards away, close enough that he should have heard engine noise from any conventional aircraft, yet it operated in complete silence.
Dale described feeling intense fear while watching the object. "My spine tingled and every rational sense told me this was something not of this world," he recalled. His memory of the event exists in two distinct segments: first, sitting frozen in fear observing the light, and second, suddenly waking up in daylight with no recollection of the intervening hours.
Key Elements of Dale's Experience:
Pendulum-like movement of the UFO
Complete silence despite proximity
Missing time of several hours
Clear memory of the event even 40+ years later
This pattern of missing time closely resembles other documented cases, particularly that of British police officer Alan Godfrey in 1980. Godfrey's encounter in Suffolk also featured an object with side-to-side movement, with witnesses corroborating the sighting from multiple locations.
The pendulum-like motion of the object bears an eerie resemblance to hypnotic techniques. This similarity raises questions about whether these phenomena might deliberately induce altered states of consciousness in witnesses.
Many historical accounts from around the world feature similar elements: the observation of strange lights followed by unexplained gaps in memory. Before the modern era of information sharing, such experiences would likely have been dismissed as dreams or hallucinations.
Dale later considered regression therapy to explore what might have happened during his missing hours. His case joins numerous others worldwide that suggest some UFO encounters may involve more than simple observation, possibly including periods of interaction that witnesses cannot consciously recall.
Similarities with Other UFO Incidents
The Armadale UFO sighting shares striking parallels with numerous documented UFO encounters worldwide. The pendulum-like motion of the bluish-white light observed by the witness matches the movement pattern reported in the 1980 Todd Morton incident witnessed by British police officer Alan Godfrey. In both cases, multiple observers described an unusual side-to-side swinging motion of the unidentified object.
The phenomenon of missing time appears consistently across cases. The Armadale witness experienced a distinct memory gap—one moment watching the swinging light, the next waking up hours later with no recollection of the intervening period. This mirrors Alan Godfrey's experience, where he lost approximately 45 minutes of time with no explanation.
Memory patterns in these incidents often display characteristic features. The Armadale witness described having "two distinct halves" to his memory of the event, with nothing connecting them. This fragmented recall appears in numerous abduction-related cases, suggesting a possible common mechanism.
The hypnotic-like effect of the pendulum movement is particularly noteworthy. The back-and-forth motion of the light resembles techniques used by hypnotists to induce altered states of consciousness. This connects to reports from other cases where witnesses described feeling entranced or unable to look away from unusual lights.
Fear responses appear consistent across different encounters. The witness described feeling "petrified" and like "a stunned rabbit in a spotlight"—language remarkably similar to Barney Hill's descriptions under hypnosis. This sensation of being observed or targeted seems to transcend cultural and geographical boundaries.
The time period between observation and memory recovery is significant. In the Armadale case, over 40 years passed before the witness fully considered the implications of his experience. Yet despite this gap, the memory remained unusually vivid—another trait common to high-strangeness encounters.
Geographic isolation factors into many cases. The Armadale incident occurred on an undeveloped hillside, the New Zealand case in a remote area, and the Castro Valley incident on a secluded hill. This pattern suggests possible intentional selection of locations with minimal witnesses.
The witness's certainty about the experience stands firm despite the passage of decades: "I didn't imagine it. It was real." This conviction parallels the testimony of countless other witnesses who maintain the reality of their experiences despite skepticism or social stigma.
Regression therapy interest follows naturally in these cases. The Armadale witness, like many others with missing time experiences, expressed interest in hypnotic regression to potentially recover memories of what occurred during the unaccounted-for hours.
