17

A Suitcase of Sand

A report of a suitcase 'sighting' at Wolfe Creek meteor crater, Western Australia was received from a VFI researcher in the field on 4th April 1997. A VFI geologist, Ernst B. Konnick, was dispatched to survey the site on the 8th April and made the following comments in his report of 10th April:

Wolfe Creek meteor crater, 120km south of Halls Creek, the nearest notable settlement, south of the Kimberleys. The world's largest authenticated meteorite crater. 800m wide. 49m deep. Produced by an impact of a huge iron meteorite about 250,000 years ago. Traces of recent visitation: remains of campsite and evidence of minor excavation. After an extensive survey with metal detecting equipment no trace of target was found.

VFI Australia HQ suspected foul play, perhaps by one of Tulse Luper's adversaries, or even worse, instigated by a faction of the VFI. The original report was checked. There seems to be strong evidence that a man matching Tulse's description was seen in Halls Creek asking for directions to Wolfe Creek. He was carrying a large suitcase. Other documents by Tulse also mention his interest in the site in relation to the migration of native birds. There was too much circumstantial evidence mounting up for it to be dismissed.

In the chaos that ensued during the witch-hunt for the VFI faction, research on the Wolfe Creek case ground to a halt. Almost all were obsessed with the idea of a tangible 'target,' and the apparent 'fact' that it had been 'stolen' from under our noses, that no comment was made of the field samples brought back from Wolfe Creek by Konnick. These were rock samples (siderite fragments) and detritus found at the campsite. Konnick showed me what he considered to be the most important find, a scrap of paper (remarkably well preserved by the dry conditions) on which was written a series of eight grid references. No other information was given. It could have been written by almost anyone.

Nevertheless, in May and June Konnick and I visited all of the eight locations (we were forced to act unilaterally as VFI Australia was still suffering the trauma of a purge). The sites were spread over a large region of outback Australia, including the Southern part of the Northern Territory, the Eastern half of Western Australia and the state of South Australia. Each location has its own report, but to illustrate the nature of these sites, one is the John Flynn Memorial (a tribute to the founder of the Flying Doctor service) located in the Northern Territory, and another is Maralinga (site of British nuclear weapons tests in the late 1950's) in South Australia. Each site is of remarkable interest, but they seemed to bring us no closer to the 'target'.

Then on Saturday, 12th July a breakthrough, of sorts. Konnick and I were in the Melbourne Public Library with all the maps and charts relating to the Wolfe case. Konnick had brought his young son Fritz with him and Fritz was staring with great interest at the map we were using to mark the eight grid references. After our backs were turned for a moment, we noticed that Fritz had jointed the eight sites together with constellation - like lines. Astonishingly, the shape created by Fritz resembled that of a suitcase! With all our erudition we had missed the obvious. It now seems likely that Tulse's Wolfe case is a symbolic one, created by the lines on a map. The eight locations themselves may yield further clues to the life of Tulse Luper.

In the meantime, and off the record, may I suggest the sacking of the entire staff of VFI Australia, and the hiring of a group of eight year old children headed by Konnick?

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Peter Greenaway

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