The Australian Paranormal Research Group was established in 1983 as a privately operated, not for profit research organization, our activities are funded via the estate of Doug Mannings who was our founder. Although we restrict our research efforts to apparitions, hauntings and poltergeist activity, we have also conducted over the past nine years, research into area’s such as Psychic abilities and psychological effects upon perceptions of reported paranormal events.

The AusPRG employs a number of approaches to our research efforts including;

• Anecdotal
• Historical
• Experimental

• Participant – Observer (immersive)

• Debunking
• Survey

We do not conduct events or research for entertainment purposes.

Our Team

Daibhid O’Nhiall: Consultant

Sandra Williams: Case Manager
Gary Doehling: Legal Advisor
Beth McKenzie: Logistics & Administration (Australia Wide)
Elly Vaughan: Forensics
Mike Downs: Health & Safety Advisor/Qualified Counsellor

New South Wales

Lara Miah: Senior Researcher/Team Leader (NSW)
Peter Burnett: Technical Services Audio/Visual (NSW)
Maddy Sanders: Research (NSW)
Callum Owens: Research (NSW)
Connor Powell: Research/Qualified Trauma Counsellor (NSW & VIC)
Lilly Doyle: Research (NSW)

Victoria

Sophia Storey: Senior Researcher/Team Leader (VIC)
Martin Lynch: Technical Services (VIC)
Christopher Sanderson: Research (VIC)
Johan Paatalo: Research (VIC)
Athos Sabbatini: Research/Technical (VIC)
Ulrich Lehmann: Research/Photography (VIC)

South Australia

Arnel Rakose: Senior Researcher/Team Leader (SA)
William O’Neal: Research (SA)
Michelle Evans: Research/EVP Specialist (SA)
Jenna Beckworth: Historical Research

Queensland

David Sukurp: Senior Researcher/Team Leader
Jeanine Byrd: International Research Coordinator/Logistics
Gary Kauffman: Research (QLD)

Membership

With the exception of Daibhid O’Nhiall, Sandra Williams and Beth McKenzie who manage the operations of the group, all positions are filled by members who volunteer their time. It is the dedication and professionalism of these members that have made our research efforts possible and their contribution cannot be recognised enough.

Membership is selective however and prospective members undergo a stringent series of background checks, interviews and even psychological assessments. If membership is granted, there are several area’s in which a member can specialise or if they so desire, or become cross trained in a number of areas such as;

• Technical
• Video and Audio
• Research
• Field Based Research and Investigations
• Controlled Research

Training is provided by “on the job”, theory and self paced learning programs. Training is mandatory for all members regardless of the specific area in which you might have an interest. The AusPRG also maintains strict policies and guidelines including safety which all members are required to adhere to.

At this time there are no vacancies for new members but as positions become vacant, bulletins are posted on our website at www.ausprg.org or on our MySpace page.

What Do We Do?

Essentially the AusPRG conducts research into what is considered the Paranormal, meaning that which is considered to be unusual phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious scientific explanation, in this case we tend to restrict our efforts to “ghosts”, hauntings and poltergeist activity. We do conduct controlled experimentation and research into special human abilities but our primary focus is on the proving or disproving of the existence of intelligent life after death and research and documentation of reported occurrences that might be paranormal in nature

We do not research cases involving reports of UFO’s, Cryptzoology or even conspiracy theories.

Please note that we do not use Mediums or Psychics unless our research efforts, at that time, are centred on such abilities.

The AusPRG do not “Bust Ghosts” and find the practice somewhat suspect.

We are often called upon by organisations, business and individuals who have or are, experiencing something which they believe might be Paranormal in nature. As these cases do assist us in our research efforts, we do not charge any fee’s whatsoever, nor do we accept donations as our charter strictly forbids it.

Over the years we have built up and maintain a number of external resources who assist us by offering counseling where a person or persons may need such a service, forensic and technical expertise to assist us verify evidence or data collected during field based investigations or items that may be sent to us that cannot be verified by members of our own team.

Members of the AusPRG are not experts in the field of Paranormal Research, but we are professional and backup our efforts with many years of experience and training in our area’s of specialisation.

In addition to being called upon to assist others, we also provide advice and guidance to filmmakers, and event organisers. Once again these services are generally provided free of charge but are considered on a case by case basis.

For more information please feel free to visit our website at www.ausprg.org.

Where, if our workload (and it often is) restricts us from taking on new cases, we do have a number of organisations to which we can refer someone both within Australia, and overseas.

Although our research efforts are managed from Australia, we do not restrict our efforts and teams have visited Germany, USA, UK and many other countries to conduct research

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by email to admin@ausprg.org or visit us online at www.ausprg.org.