Australian UFO researcher Bill Chalker was born in Grafton, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in 1952. He was educated at the University of New England, graduating with an Honours Science Degree (B.Sc.Hons.) with majors in Chemistry and Mathematics. Since 1975 he has worked in the food industry as an industrial chemist, laboratory manager and quality manager.

Bill Chalker is one of Australia's leading UFO researchers and has written extensively on the subject. He is a contributing editor for the International UFO Reporter, the official publication of the US Centre for UFO Studies, CUFOS, and coordinates the NSW UFO INVESTIGATION CENTRE (UFOIC). He was the Australian representative for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organisation (APRO) from 1978 to 1986, and NSW state representative for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) from 1976 to 1993.

In August, 1996, his book The OZ Files - the Australian UFO Story was published by Duffy & Snellgrove, Sydney (email the publishers at: dands@magna.com.au or click here to read Glenn Campbell's review).

Mr. Chalker has had a long-term interest in UFO physical trace events. Part of this specialised interest appeared in his contribution, "Physical traces", to the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA) book, UFOs: 1947 - 1987 - the 40-year search for an explanation.

Other researchers and commentators have referred to Bill's interest in this area:

"Bill Chalker, an industrial chemist and Australia's leading researcher into UFOs. He is one of the most knowledgeable students anywhere in the world concerning physical traces found in association with UFOs."

- Paul Fuller & Jenny Randles in Controversy of the Circles -    
an investigation of the crop circles mystery (BUFORA, 1989)

"Chalker in Australia has worked to get UFO landing sites investigated with science and rigour..."

"Bill Chalker, an industrial chemist living in New South Wales, Australia, has investigated UFO landing sites in his spare time for more than twenty years. He is one of the most prominent researchers and is mainly interested in cases where physical traces have been found. He sees the investigation of such traces as the main scientific approach because if flying saucers have a physical reality and are actually landing on Earth, then the landing sites may offer detectable information. As Chalker says:

"The physical trace phenomenon is an enduring aspect of the UFO mystery, having manifested for the entire duration of the modern era of the UFO controversy. And like the UFO phenomenon itself, it is global in its extent."

- Edward Ashpole, The UFO Phenomena - A Scientific Look
at the Evidence for Extraterrestrial Contacts, Headline, 1996.

Detailed retrospective investigations have been undertaken by Mr. Chalker into several classic CE2 type events. These include Willow Grove (1963), Tully (1966), Westall (1966), and Burkes Flat (1966).

He has undertaken extensive review and dialogue with researchers involved in the Crop circle controversy to evaluate its implications for high strangeness CE2 cases in Australia.

Bill Chalker's contributions in the area of physical traces include:

Physical Evidence for UFOs in Australia - a preliminary study of the physical trace experience in Australia, paper at Australian UFO conference, UFOCON 4, 1979. Excerpts of this paper appeared in the MUFON UFO Journal, No.157, March, 1981.

Physical Evidence for UFOs in Australia - A study of Physical Trace Events (a work in progress document), an 85 page document circulated amongst Australian UFO researchers, July, 1983.

"Physical Traces" in Evans/Spencer, UFOs 1947-1987, 1987, pgs.188 - 194.

Tully (Australia) "saucer nests", in R. Story's Encyclopedia of UFOs, 1980.

Comments on the circles, in Controversy of the circles, a BUFORA publication by Paul Fuller & Jenny Randles, 1989.

"The Bent Headlight Beam case revisited," published in UFORAN, Vol.5, No.3, May-June, 1984, and FSR, Vol. 32, No.4, 1987.

"Rosedale, Victoria - A Close Encounter," with Keith Basterfield, UFORAN, Jan.-Feb.,1981.

"The Rosedale Landing with Physical Traces, Extraordinary case reported from Victoria, Australia," with Keith Basterfield, FSR, Vol. 26, No.6, 1981.