GERRAND, Christopher

Family Name:

Gerrand

Given Names:

Christopher

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

1969

Death-date:

29 April 1969

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age/ Age Range:

20 years old

Location:

NSW, West Wollongong

Occupation:

Metallurgy Student

Primary Motivation: Draft Resister – Opposition to military conscription and the Vietnam War

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Reason for Court Appearance:

Refusal to register for national service under the National Service Act 1964

Court Name and Location:

Not Applicable, Not Applicable

Court Hearing Date:

Not Applicable

Court Outcome:

Not Applicable

Further Information:

Christopher Gerrand was from West Wollongong, New South Wales. He was a metallurgy student. He refused to register for the January 1969 national service intake. He informed the minister of his refusal to register and his reasons for doing so. He objected to military conscription and the Vietnam War.He and Mac Gudgeon, another conscientious non-complier were accused by the NSW MP J Poel of being communist. They were not.He was awaiting prosecution for his refusal to register when he died suddenly 29 April 1969 at the Point Kembla Hospital as a result of a car accident earlier 12 April 1969. Two nights before he died Chris asked for and signed the Declaration of the War Resisters International and thus became a member of the Peace Pledge Union of NSW. Earlier in April he wrote a statement for publication. He explained that his views on Vietnam had changed and he was now opposed to Australia’s participation in the war. He further stated that, “I do not believe that a government has the moral right to conscript people to be trained to kill…By refusing to place myself under military command I hope that others will realise that something can be done to change the present situation. If increasing numbers of people publicly refuse to register, we can force the Government to repeal the Act…By gaoling me as a political prisoner the Government is reduced to the level of the system it claims to be trying to contain. I have refused to register to show my disapproval of the Government’s attitude to conscription and to Vietnam. I will have an answer when my children ask what I did to stop women and children being burnt by napalm”. Sadly, Christopher never had to answer.

Confirmatory Sources:

Peacemaker, Jan/ Feb 1969, p.6.; Mar/ Apr 1969, pp.6-7.; May/ Jun 1969, p.1 and Nov/ Dec 1969, p.8.

Courtesy: The Peacemaker, January/ February 1969, p.6.