Family Name:
Christofides
Given Names:
Louis (Louie)
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
1949
Death-date:
13 December 2023
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age/ Age Range:
20 years old
Location:
NSW, Wollongong
Occupation:
Salesman or Painter and Docker
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister
Reason for Court Appearance:
[1] Refusal to register for National Service
[2] Refusal to pay fine
[3] Refusal to attend medical examination
Court Name and Location:
[1] Unknown, Wollongong
[2] Unknown, Unknown (probably Wollongong)
[3] Unknown, Unknown (probably Wollongong)
Court Hearing Date:
[1] 30 September 1969
[2] 1969
[3] 11 November 1969
Court Outcome:
[1] Fined $40 plus $62 costs or 51 days jail costs for refusal to register for National Service
[2] Jailed 29 May 1969 for 7 weeks for refusal to pay a fine for refusal to register.
[3] Jailed 7 days for refusal to attend the medical examination.
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
Louis Christofides (Louie) was born in Cyprus in 1949. He migrated to Australia with his family. After settling in Sydney, the family moved to Illawara. Louie believed the Vietnam War was unjust and refused to register for National Service. He informed the Minister of this. It was a response that could result in two years jail.
Louie decided to go ‘underground’ as a result of the threat of arrest and imprisonment and spent some time in Tasmania. He returned to Wollongong and was arrested. On 30 September the court in Wollongong sentenced him to a fine of $40 with $62 costs or upon failure to pay a fine or 51 days jail.
Upon his release from prison, he was arrested on the charge of his refusal to undertake the mandatory medical examination. He was convicted and jailed for 7 days on 11 November 1969. Again, upon his release he was threatened with more jail time, and he went underground a second time. With the assistance of the Seamon’s Union of Australia he was spirited north to Newcastle, New South Wales. He was provided with a new alias and a job. He refused to obey a call-up notice and offence that attracted 18 months jail.
Louie returned to Wollongong at the election of the Whitlam Labor Government in December 1972. One of their government’s first acts was to suspend the National Service Act. With this came amnesty to Louie along with other Draft Resisters
Confirmatory Sources:
Peacemaker, January/ February 1969, p.6; March/ April 1969 p.6; November/ December 1969, p.8; May/ June 1970 p.4; August/ September 1970 p.7; September/ December 1971 p.4; Canberra Times, 12 June 1970, p.1.; Rowan Cahill, Trainspotting, 17 December 2023, https://rowancahill.net/blog/f/trainstopping accessed 17 December 2023.
Tharunka, 18 October 1972, p,6,
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 