We Meet Ray Jorden from Haunting: Australia
By David Goodman. / 28 October 2014
Its not often you meet someone who is a real life ghost hunter, who is also a bit of a handsome bear. I caught up with the amazing Ray Jorden, who can be seen as part of the cast of Haunting: Australia, on the Really Channel, at Midnight, 30th October, and was able to ask him how he got into Ghost Hunting, and to tell us a bit about what spookyness is in store for us from the show.
DG: Hi Ray, great to meet you, tell us a bit about how you got into Paranormal Investigations.
RJ: Great to meet you too David a real pleasure and thank you for asking me to be a part of your magazine. I suppose my journey in the unknown began when I was around five or six years old, I would play with my cousin at my grandfather’s house in the cellar looking for ghosts, monsters and ghouls. At that time we didn’t have any concept of the paranormal, ghosts or spirits. Then one day I was in the garden playing with my cousin and my sisters when I just so happened to look up to the kitchen window and I saw my grandmother (who had passed away around six months previously) looking at me with a very serene content look on her face, she was almost integrated in to the net curtains. Some could argue it might have been a trick of the light causing a distortion on the net curtain’s but I know what and who I saw. I knew what death was but had no real understanding of what that meant, though I knew she had died, so after a few moments of looking at her I looked away to see where the others were and when I looked back she was gone. I wasn’t frightened or scared at all I just didn’t know why she was there. I told my mother that night who actually believed me and it is still something to this day I cannot explain. Moving on a good few years I lost my two best friends three months apart from suicide, this then sent me on a new journey to find out if once we are dead are we dead? At this point I had come to believe and still do that we just do not cease to exist and from this point it has taken me to here and helped me carve a career in paranormal investigations on and off televeision.
Woofdord Academy
North Kapunda Hotel
DG: What’s the most interesting/scary thing you have witnessed?
RJ: There has been so much that I thought was paranormal that then could easily be explained, but it’s when you go through all the logical theories and explanations and you are still left with the “it could be” that is what keeps me going. I mean when you are alone in a location, and you know you are totally alone and hear a voice, a clear voice which we call a disembodied voice and then catching that on your recording equipment that is like pure gold evidence, and also in many ways a privilege to hear. I have witnessed what I believe to have been apparitions in all manner of ways over the years, voices, whistles knocks on command, really so much David over a huge amount of years. I always said that I have never been scared or frightened on paranormal investigations, I have been spooked and a little jumpy. When I went to Australia to film the new show, that turned in to an amazing journey, real fear like I have never experienced before in situations out of my comfort zones and being part of an amazing team that gathers some incredible evidence.
DG: Is there somewhere you would refuse to go, somewhere too haunted?
RJ: No there is no where I would refuse to go as many places claim some kind of haunting. In the new show Haunting: Australia, we all go on solo walk rounds on our own with just a camera, we are being monitored at CCTV control and can be heard via our microphones but totally alone in some amazingly large locations.
DG: What do you do for Halloween?
RJ: Halloween is a great time of year and I love how it is spent over here in the UK and also in the states. Its considered one of the most ghostly times of the year but to be honest, that can actually be any time not specifically Halloween. But saying that I normally am booked to appear at a haunted location somewhere in the UK on a ghost hunt and spending it with a guests who are wanting to experience some kind of paranormal occurrence, this doesn’t always happen on command it’s when you least suspect it you just might have something happen and always keep that open mind. This year I am taking Halloween off for a change and I am heading to London to see a Halloween theatre performance of Ghost Stories with my gorgeous partner, well I actually bought the tickets for his birthday as he wanted to see this show for some time now and what better way to spend Halloween?
DG: In the show airing this week – what was the scariest encounter?
RJ:The first show is at Woodford Academy in the Blue Mountains in Australia, a great location with many hidden tales, there wasn’t so much of a scariest encounter but more anticipation of what might happen on solo walk rounds and what was going down with other cast members, I don’t want to give too much away but I personally caught an amazing EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena ) ghost voice so you will have to watch to find out more. There was a huge encounter in one Episode of the show called North Kapunda Hotel in South Australia, something happened to me which has never ever happened before but you will have to keep watching to see how this episode unfolds.
DG: You covered a lot of venues, how were they chosen?
RJ: The lead investigator and great friend for many years now Robb Demarest,who many will recall as the lead investigator from the US series Ghost Hunters International, sourced many of the locations aided with cast member Allen Tiller. His knowledge of haunted locations in Australia is amazing and is a pretty well-known figure in paranormal circles. So these guys were quite instrumental in the locations along with Grant Osborne from the production company.
DG: is there one place where you would love to visit and maybe be left alone for one night?
RJ: Well maybe you should arrange a dark haunted location for us to spend the night and maybe we can see what comes up David! Ha Ha, but seriously there are so many places I would love to stay it would be like a kid in a candy store to try and chose one. I would love to spend a night in the Whalley House near Los Angeles and also Longleat house both reportedly haunted and very active with ghostly activity. I am really open minded about locations and happy to investigate new, old or outside locations which have not only history but also great paranormal reports of activity, witnesses and back stories attached.
DG: What advice would you give to someone wanting to visit a haunted or spooky location?
RJ: Well firstly I would suggest that you book yourself on a paranormal ghost hunting experience. There are plenty being run at weekends and two of the best companies around are Shadows of the Night paranormal events, run my dear friend Claire Sloan and also Haunted Happenings run by another dear friend Hazel Ford. These guys not only offer amazing locations and aim to give you a taste of what a ghost hunt is all about, but guide you through vigils and to get you totally involved in the night. Honestly David this is the best way to start out and get access to some great haunted locations around the UK.
DG: Where can people get hold of you?
\Oh David, how very forward. I can be found on my fan page on Facebook called The Real Ray Jorden, also on Twitter @rayjorden and via my website www.rayjorden.com I always reply to comments and posts and always happy to chat to anyone who is wanting to chat to me.