23 June 2005
The spooking of Australian cricketers in an English castle is not surprising and should not be dismissed out of hand, says the head of Monash University's School of Political and Social Inquiry.
Professor Gary Bouma, whose area of expertise includes spirituality, says the reported experience of all-rounder Shane Watson and team media officer Belinda Dennett at Lumley Castle Hotel in Durham would have been frightening.
Newspapers have reported today that the two saw ghostly figures ahead of tonight's one-day match.
Local folklore has the hotel haunted by the ghost of a 14th century aristocrat who was murdered by Catholic priests.
"I've no doubt there are haunted houses where unpleasant things have happened, and Britain is such an old country with such a rich history that of course there are plenty of such locations," Professor Bouma said.
"But we live in a society where it is not acceptable to talk about such experiences -- we have a secularist, modernist approach and tend to dismiss these events, but people need to be given permission to discuss supernatural encounters."
Professor Bouma said paranormal experiences were not limited to people who expect them.
"People can feel a range of emotions -- from mild amusement to fear and shock," he said. "But my view is that people should not scoff at the experiences simply because they might not have experienced something similar themselves."
Professor Gary Bouma is available for interview on 9905 2982. For further information, please contact Ms Allison Harding in the Media Communications unit on 9905 2085 or 0408 812 301.
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