Shag Harbour witness, president of UFO society dies

Laurie Wickens, president of the Shag Harbour Incident Society, is seen in Shag Harbour, N.S. on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. On the night of October 4, 1967, Wickens and four of his friends spotted a large object descending into the waters off the harbour. The object was never officially identified, and was therefore referred to as an unidentified flying object. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

A witness to the 1967 Shag Harbour UFO Incident on Nova Scotia’s South Shore has died.

The Shag Harbour UFO Incident Society announced Laurie Wickens’ death on Sunday.

Wickens, the society’s president, was a teenager when he reported seeing an object crash into the waters off Shag Harbour, N.S., on Oct. 4, 1967.

“It went across the road in front of us, behind the hill we couldn’t see it, we made the top of the hill... there was a light in the water, went to the phone booth, called the RCMP and reported a plane crash,” he told CTV Atlantic during an interview in 2019.

Wickens said the bright object appeared to be floating one half mile from the shore, leaving a trail of yellow foam that people watched for about an hour before it disappeared.

The Canadian Coast Guard and fishing vessels sailed to the area to search for wreckage, but nothing was found.

The Shag Harbour UFO Incident Society says Wickens was much more than a witness to a historic event.

“He was a genuinely kind, honest, and caring individual who was always willing to lend a hand, offer advice, share a story, or simply be there if someone needed help,” it said in a Facebook post.

The Municipality of Barrington also passed along condolences in a Facebook post.

“Thank you, Laurie, for sharing your story, preserving our history, and welcoming the world to Shag Harbour. Your legacy will continue to inspire generations of visitors. We will miss you,” it said.

Wickens regularly shared his story at the local UFO center and during the annual Shag Harbour UFO Festival.

This year’s event will take place from Oct. 2 to 4 in Yarmouth, N.S.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau

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