On the 16th of October 2013, Eidolon Paranormal was approached
by a year 11 student at Nuriootpa High School, Adam Robinson,
with some questions regarding a research project into
Paranormal phenomena he was undertaking. I felt Karen's
answers to Adams questions were so great, that I decided
(with Karens permission) to make her answers her team
profile for the website here...so without any further ado,
I introduce to you my wonderful wife, Karen Tiller
- Allen Tiller
What got you interested in paranormal activity?
Well, I have always believed that ghosts do exist. I mean, I grew up in my Great Grandparents home, where when ever anything went missing or you couldn't find something but you were damned sure of where you put it, it was the resident spook Peter! It was always “Peter did it!” It was accepted that there was activity that occurred, and never really thought anymore of it. There was one occasion in particular that was witnessed by a few family members, I was present also, that lead my Great Nana to seek an explanation of the activity. In short, it was believed to be my Great Aunty making contact with my Great Nana (Daughter attempting contact with her Mother)...
Like most people I imagine, I have always been enthralled by ghost stories and such but when it came down to it, I was pretty spooked by it all and didn't want to know about it. I always had the motto of “If they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone!” but that all changed when I met Allen Tiller and I was introduced to the big wide paranormal world. I never knew that people were apart of investigation teams let alone that they would go out and investigate supposed haunted locations and buildings or that there were TV shows out there such as Ghost Hunters International or Ghost Adventures etc.
And now here I am today, a full fledged “Ghost Hunter” as many like to call us.
If you could only take one piece of ghost hunting equipment on an investigation, what would it be and why?
One piece of equipment? That is so difficult...I would have to say that in order to capture any possible evidence and also, to record your own feelings, reactions, what you see and what occurs around you, a video recorder would be the best one piece of equipment to take with you anywhere. Now, that doesn't matter if it is an older video tape recorder or an 8mm or if it is a newer digital recorder. You do not have to have the latest and greatest in order to go out there and film yourself and what you are investigating.
Of course, a higher quality camera and clearer vision may help enable you to distinguish between paranormal activity and non-paranormal occurrences. Although no one can tell you the best camera to use, or which type has captured the most activity and evidence, I believe it is yet to be seen. There are many on the market, new and old, I think it can be a case of personal choice, find what you enjoy using, have fun with it, try different things and don't worry if others have a different opinion, it's OK, they're aloud to and so are you.
Where is the most haunted location you have ever investigated?
I think that I am yet to investigate the most haunted location, I am still waiting for that location that I unquestioningly believe yes this place is 110% haunted. Now in saying that, I do believe that I have encountered activity in certain locations and that they are indeed haunted but I have not had the privilege to investigate there.
Where is the one place that you haven't investigated that you would most like to?
Gosh...another hard question!
There are so many places that I would love to investigate. In Australia and overseas. The one place that does stand out is actually a cemetery. Grey-friars Cemetery Edinburgh. I first saw it on an episode of Ghost Adventures but it has stood out as a fascinating and beautiful cemetery. I love the old world Gothic architecture, headstones and tombs. I would really LOVE to investigate Grey-friars.
Have you ever gotten scared during an investigation and have you ever been concerned about your safety because of paranormal activity?
I have gotten a little scared at one area of an investigation. It is at the Gladstone gaol in South Australia. On each occasion that we have been to the gaol, I have really disliked an area in the kitchen/dining room, it is off to the side of the kitchen, it looks like 2 cold rooms side by side in a little dark area. The first cold room has shelving with bits and pieces of crockery on it from memory. I really don't like it, the feeling is hard to explain, it is kind of like dread mixed with fear...I just know that I don't like it at all and it is really dark in that section, no light gets to it. The last time we were there overnight, a guest on the investigation had the same feelings as I did he didn't like it either, it creeped both of us out. So we decided to go in and do some evp sessions and investigate further. (Our attempts were foiled due to people in the distance, they could be heard on the voice recorder and the cameras, ruining any potential evidence.)
What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is new to paranormal investigating?
The one piece of advice would be to observe what goes on around you. Look and listen to everything and take notes. Do your research and don't rely on other peoples research. Find out things for your self. Check up on things because all of what you find, what you read or what you are told is not necessarily true. Investigate for your self what you want to know. By all means ask questions and lots of them and ask different people what their views are, what their beliefs are, what methods they use and what equipment they have faith in because everyone is different and everyone has a different style of doing things. And a lot of people believe in a lot of different things.
People have been doing this for a long time but there are no set rules and there are no definite answers. If anything, it just leads to more questions and wonderment.
If you have the opportunity to stick around after you die, would you and who would you haunt?
I would watch over people. I would like to think that I would try to communicate with family or friends to let them know that I am there. If I could, if I was able to, I would protect them.
What paranormal locations are in the Barossa and surrounding areas?
There are a number of reported ghosts of the Barossa, whether they are indeed true or not leaves a lot to be desired really. Personally, I can't vouch for any publicly. Most are just hearsay and rumours.
How can I find evidence to prove to others that paranormal activity exists?
This may be the hardest question to answer of all.
I think that we are all still trying that one actually. I think that most people who are out there taking photos, doing electronic voice recordings, setting up video cameras, setting up DVR (digital Video Recorder) systems are all still trying and hoping to capture that piece of evidence that they can show to the world and go here, here it is, they do exist, I've got it!
There will always be the people that will believe that you have caught something and they will say “great catch, well done.” There will always be the people that will dispute what ever is placed in front of them and will not believe that you have captured anything at all, ever.
And then you will always have the people that look a little further, take a little time, dig a little deeper, take into consideration the surrounding conditions, the elements, the location, weather factors etc...
My point is to look further than what you can see on the surface, none of this is cut and dry and many people believe in many different things. Take a look at it all and learn, learn as much as you can and then decide for your self what is relevant to you and what resonates with you.
​
​