Yowie Sightings in the 1970s: Media Coverage and Key Witnesses

During the 1970s, reports of Yowie sightings experienced a resurgence in the Australian media. Such coverage typically required two essential elements: first, a sighting report that caught enough attention to reach a newspaper, and second, a journalist with both an interest in the topic and the desire to write about it.

One such journalist was Gary Buchanan from the Northern Star newspaper, serving the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Buchanan documented several notable Yowie encounters, including one of the most famous incidents of that era. While he covered an early sighting from 1935 in South Lismore, it was two reports from Woodenbong during the 1970s that captured national attention.

Thelma Crewe’s Encounter

In 1976, Mrs. Thelma Crewe found herself unable to sleep and stood by her kitchen window at 1 a.m. Although there had been reports in previous weeks of two Yowies roaming near her home, this was not on her mind at the time. As she looked out on the moonlit scene, she observed two Yowies, each about five feet tall, standing in a vacant lot beside her house.

She insisted there could be no mistake, as the area was well-lit and the figures were close enough to distinguish clearly. The creatures’ heads appeared to sink into their shoulders, and they moved bipedally. Their arm hair was notably long—about six inches—longer than the hair elsewhere on their bodies, which reminded her of an orangutan. She also noted their resemblance to the description given by George Grey, who was reportedly attacked by a small Yowie in 1965, west of Kempsey. Thelma provided AYR with sketches of the creatures she saw.

Jean Maloney’s Sighting

Less than a year later, another sighting took place on Lindsay Street, just a few streets away. Jean Maloney was awakened at 2:30 a.m. by the distressed yelping of her Australian Terrier in the backyard. Yowie encounters seldom end well for dogs; many animals react with fear, and those that confront the creatures often return with serious injuries or go missing altogether. In this case, the dog died from its injuries.

Like many earlier witnesses, Jean has since passed away. Fortunately, her experience was documented and not lost to history.

Witness Testimony

The account of Jean’s encounter was later recorded during an interview with Paul Cropper.

 

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