Shana, David and Patia Delaney.

The Northern Star

WARDELL man David Delaney once saw the ghost of a woman standing mysteriously by a gravestone, the face of a baby in a 'sphere of energy' beside her.

Other times he has seen strange balls of smoke in night-time photographs, unexplained streaks of light and silhouetted figures hanging around Northern Rivers cemeteries.

He even has a resident ghost at his home, where it is said a man died some years ago.

With Halloween happening this Friday, Mr Delaney said people were not more likely to see a ghost. However, he said it was a good excuse to get dressed up and go ghost hunting.

Sceptics have dismissed his experiences as nothing more than water particles, clouds of dust or even pollen in the air - but Mr Delaney wants to believe.

“I used to be a sceptic myself, but now I have seen some things that are just amazing,” he said.

“Five years ago I went on a ghost tour in Picton (south-west of Sydney), thinking it was a bit of a joke.

“But we saw orbs (fields of energy), ectoplasm (a substance said to manifest as a result of 'spiritual energy') and the silhouette of a lady. I thought, 'this is pretty cool', and decided to look for them here.”

Mr Delaney now runs tours of the 'ghost hot-spots' in the region through his business, Paranormal Pursuit Ghost Tours.

He said orbs and ectoplasm were often found at churches, graveyards and halls, and said Wardell and Rous were two 'paranormal hot-spots'.

Mr Delaney has spent countless nights in the dark with a digital camera to gather evidence.

And it has become somewhat of a family activity, with his 15-year-old son Kieren and daughters Shana, 17, and Patia, 20, often going along for the trip.

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