Ivan T. Sanderson F.L.S., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., M.A. (Cantab)

Ivan T. Sanderson

Ivan T. Sanderson F.L.S., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., M.A.(Cantab). Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, Ufologist, Cryptozoologist, Counter-espionage Agent for British Naval Intelligence. Ivan Sanderson was a very well educated man with a yearning to always learn, and discover more.


Sanderson attended Eton College, and also earned a BA (with Honours) from Cambridge University in Zoology, and later would also earn himself MA degrees in Botany and Ethnology. (Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyses the characteristics of different peoples and the relationship between them )

Sanderson became known worldwide after an encounter with “Kongamato” (see link at bottom of page) a bat described “As The Granddaddy of all bats” which lives in Africa. The creature is described by many locals as looking like the dinosaur “Pterosaurs”.

Sanderson's evidence is held in high regard due to the nature of his training and education, but this encounter and many other encounters with the bat-like monster were (and probably still are ) very controversial at the time, with many people believing the creature to be a myth or hoax.

Here's Sanderson’s description of the event as quoted on Wikipedia:

Sanderson: "Then I let out a shout also and instantly bobbed down under the water, because, coming straight at me only a few feet above the water was a black thing the size of an eagle. I had only a glimpse of its face, yet that was quite sufficient, for its lower jaw hung open and bore a semicircle of pointed white teeth set about their own width apart from each other. When I emerged, it was gone. ... And just before it became too dark to see, it came again, hurtling back down the river, its teeth chattering, the air "shss-shssing" as it was cleft by the great, black, Dracula-like wings."


Sanderson was well known for his epic expeditions into tropical areas in the 1920s and 1930's, writing about his travels and findings, animals and nature in general, earning him a great deal of

respect from the general public. A tragedy occurred though, in 1925 Sanderson was with his parents in Kenya where they had travelled to work with a film crew, Ivan's Father was killed by a Rhinoceros, the whole event being caught on camera.

Ivan Sanderson was well known in the 1960s and 1970s for his radio interviews in the USA, where he had eventually emigrated too, choosing New Jersey as his new home.

Ivan Sanderson Founded the Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained (SITU) in 1967. SITU was a non-profit organisation that investigated strange phenomena ignored by mainstream science.

The Sanderson family were also large volume Whiskey manufacturers

He died of cancer at his New Jersey residence in 1973.

Links:

http://www.richardgrigonis.com/Ch01%20Prologue%20and%20On%20the%20Trail%20of%20Ivan%20Sanderson.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kongamato

© 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

All content on “Eidolon Paranormal & The Haunts of Adelaide” sites, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012, 2013, 2014

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photos used here on this site are sourced from The State Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

Paranormal Investigators: Past & Present: Mark Wallbank

Haunted AucklandMark Wallbank

This week we travel back to New Zealand to meet Mark Wallbank, founder and lead investigator of Haunted Auckland. Mark has been keenly researching the paranormal since the 1980's sometimes with other people, and at times by himself. 

I asked Mark how he became interested in the paranormal? 

“I've always been interested in everything outside of the 'norm'. Normal to me, was boring. As soon as I could read, my research began. UFOs, Cryptozoology, Ghosts and all of life’s mysteries. My world suddenly became a lot bigger and I found I had many, MANY questions that needed answering.”

Have you had anything paranormal occur in your life? (if so, what has happened? ) 

“A few things like a dark shadow approaching me, going through me and then disappearing behind me, many years ago....many experiences with super icy cold spots. Nothing I would consider life-changing or amazing though. Just a few neat experiences that made the moment that little bit more interesting to me.”

Why did you become an investigator/ researcher? 

“Because my questions weren’t being answered. My school teachers had no answers, my parents had no answers, so I had to go and seek out some answers for myself. I used to lead a small paranormal group back in the 80s. We were unofficially called "Auckland Ghost Hunting Group" (Yeah yeah, I know. A name like that these days would raise the anger of many paranormal groups. Ghost 'hunting' seems to be a well loathed phrase in this day and age!) We were young and naive but very enthusiastic! We roamed around cemeteries and old derelict buildings and houses taking photos and recording audio. It was fun. We hung around for a couple of years until fizzling and heading out into different directions. I went solo for about 20 years, which was actually quite satisfying and character building. Then in 2010, I got the urge to be a part of a group situation again and so started piecing together a team of researchers.”

How has becoming an investigator changed your life? 

“It hasn’t really changed me as a person, as I've always been passionate about the Paranormal. I guess as I've grown, I've learnt a lot more and the more I've matured the more serious, investigative and systematic I've become in my research

I'm also a bit more focused and hopefully a little less naive these days. My passion and enthusiasm is one thing that has never faded with age though. In fact, it's growing with every new thing I discover.”

Mark and his team have done some fascinating investigations, and work closely with other teams in the area, including Core Paranormal NZ, whose founder, George, I profiled in an earlier edition. 

One of the great things about the Haunted Auckland website is the detailed investigation reports of each place the team visits, these are a valuable reference tool for any other paranormal investigation team entering the same premises at a later date, or a learning tool for people just entering the field wondering how to go about writing detailed reports on cases.

Check out the Haunted Auckland website and Facebook pages at the following links 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Haunted-Auckland

http://www.hauntedauckland.com

© 2013 Eidolon Paranormal

written and researched by

Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

All content on the “Eidolon Paranormal Blog” site, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.