Adelaide Ghosts and Hauntings - Paranormal Field Investigators

THE OLD SPOT HOTEL, GAWLER

GHOSTLY PHOTOGRAPH

Interview with Scott Pearson

Photo courtesy Alison Oborn

In the early 1990's Scott Pearson was informed by his brother that they were suddenly experiencing strange happenings in their new home. They had moved into the Old Spot Hotel in Gawler, one of the most historic Hotels in the township. Although the original Old Spot Hotel was operational in 1840, it has since been rebuilt at least 3 times. Like many pubs of the time, it was also used as the town morgue.

His brother was a hardened sceptic so, for him to admit that he felt the place was haunted, meant that it certainly got Scott's attention. He had himself started to feel things when visiting and so one day he decided he would stay the night, and being a photographer, try and capture any 'ghosts' that may be residing there. He managed to capture one of the most intriguing photographs to date.

In 2010, Alison Oborn decided to track Scott down, which proved difficult since the Old Spot eventually informed her that he had died 3 years before. It wasn't until she saw a post on a forum from a Scott Pearson, that she realised they had made a mistake. Finally she got to talk with Scott and discussed some of the happenings in the Hotel and how he came to take the photograph. Here is a short interview with Scott.

Alison
Hello Scott,
Scott
Hello
Alison
The reason I was ringing is because I came across your photo on the internet many years ago that was taken at the Old Spot Hotel.
Scott
Yes, the photo is all over the internet but the original looks a lot different then you see on there. It has been in the Advertiser and Ray Martin did a special on it for Current Affair.
Alison
So they have played with it on the internet?
Scott
Well there are around 30 sites that have got the photo on there but only a couple look like the original. The original looks a lot better as it is hard to get a good view of it on the computer. Every now and again I go online to search what's around regarding the photo. I think I responded to some blog and asked them how they got this photo and have done this to others a few times but get no response.
Alison
So your brother used to own the pub… is that right?
Scott
Yes he lived there with his wife. Their kids who lived there all saw and heard stuff.
Alison
I went into the Old Spot recently and the present owners said that they haven't had much happen in recent years.
Scott
Yeah I went there about... must have been 12 months ago and I hadn't been there for a long time. As soon as I went in though I could feel 'them'.
Alison
So what is it that you experienced in there.
Scott
Well everything was fine for a few years until we started renovating the place. I am an electrician as well. We knocked down walls and rebuilt the bar and as I was rewiring you got that feeling that there was something sitting next to you, a presence. His kids were under 10 then but they were suddenly waking at nights and complaining of somebody being in their room. There were reports of an old man and a girl being seen. About this time the cleaning staff refused to work there anymore because they complained they were seeing things, feeling things and hearing things too. And then one day when I was there, one of the staff who was new, came running up from the laundry saying there was a pirate sitting on the washing machine and she was crying. But when she explained what he looked like, it sounded more like the old coachmen and the way they used to dress with the long coats and large hats.
I was into photography as well and assumed that if they were seeing things with the naked eye then it has to be able to be printed on film. I did a lot of research on different types of film, different speeds, ultraviolet and infrared film which we didn't get anything on, but then I got that one image on a high speed black and white film (3,200 iso speed Kodak TMax film B&W). I was up all night taking photo after photo down the hallway where most of the sightings and activity was.
Alison
And that is where this one was taken?
Scott
Yeah that was where… the layout has changed a lot there now, but it was behind the front bar facing down the hallway. The toilets are on the right and it was facing towards the back yard.
My brother used to be a policeman and he was a real hardened sceptic and wouldn't believe in anything but then he started saying he was seeing things and hearing stuff which is when I really got interested and spent the night there taking photos.
Alison
Had he experienced anything himself there?
Scott
He was seeing things like orbs
Alison
What, with the naked eye?
Scott
Yes, of course I have never seen an orb that I can't explain on photograph and I get a lot of photos sent to me to look at.
Alison
I admit that the one photo that ever intrigued me was yours.
Scott
Well, the same because when I got it I went through all the negs… I didn't print them off and I thought at the time I had nothing and chucked them in a drawer but then one day I was just setting up the enlarger and pulled the roll of film out and I saw one with a funny mark on it. So I enlarged it and printed it and I got it into the developer and saw what was on it straight away and thought 'my god' and was freaking out a bit. I printed a couple off and went to police forensics and they said it was unexplainable. The best they could come up with is that it is some sort of movement which you can see in the foreground but it doesn't explain the faces above it or behind it. It obviously looks like the little girl and the old man that is reported. There was two of us there that night, but neither of us looked like these faces.
Alison
Did you feel anything at all down there when you took it?
Scott
Oh Yeah.. it was so strong it was just like walking through a force. It was the first time I had ever felt it but since then it has developed. It was crazy for a while but I have learnt now to switch it off when needed.

Photograph Courtesy of Scott Pearson. Not to be used without Scott's Permission