She says her views were given a sever jolt about 10.45 p.m. on Sunday when she was awoken by a bright light outside the window of her home at Dungay, near Murwillumbah.

Dozens of others also phoned the police and weather bureau to report a strange glowing light - but Mrs Dawes apparently got a unique close-up. "It looked as if it was only half a kilometre way and was suspended inthe clear sky between hills and low cloud," she said yesterday.

"It was a blood-red and orange colour. I have never seen a colour like it before in my life. It was growing and shrinking between the size of a tennis and basket ball. "As it grew smaller it went brighter and as it grew bigger the light became less intense, but it lit up the ground outside. I didn't know what it was and I started to panic and ran downstairs to get mum husband."

She said With their 10 year old daughter they watched as it started to slowly rise in the sky before flying off at speed. "It must have been in the sky for about three minutes. It was very strange experience but I can't find a logical explanation for what I saw," she said "I didn't believe people who claimed they saw UFOs or things from space, but now I'm ready to keep an open mind.

Strange

Murwillumbah police said they went west of the town after another couple reported a strange light. A police spokesman said they agreed with a weather bureau spokesman that it might be a phenomenon associated with thunderstorm activity at the time but 'we have no real explanation for what it was."