Family Name:
Covich
Given Names:
Danilo
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
1945
Death-date:
Unknown:
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age/ Age Range: 21 years old
Location: WA, Beaconsfield
Occupation:
Trawl Net Maker and Business Partner (with father) in Cray Pot Manufacturing.
Primary Motivation:
Conscientious Objector, Pacifism Religious
Reason for Court Appearance:
[a] Application for deferment of 12 months from service, July 1965.
[b] Application for full exemption of military service.
[c] Appealed rejection of his application for exemption.
[d] Unknown
[e] Appeal against the decision to not grant an application for full exemption from military duties
[f] Appeal against the decision to not grant an application for full exemption from military duties
Court Name and Location:
[a] Police Court, Fremantle
[b] Police Court, Fremantle.
[c] Supreme Court of Western Australia, Perth
[d] Police Court, Fremantle.
[e] Supreme Court of Western Australia, Perth
[f] Magistrates Court Freemantle
Court Hearing Date:
[a] 19 July 1965.
[b] 8 August 1966
[c] 19 September 1966
[d] 13 March; 6 April 1967
[e] 24 September 1967
[f] 6 December 1967
Court Outcome:
[a] Application for one year’s deferment was granted
[b] Application dismissed
[c] Appeal rejected, a reserved judgement
[d] Second application for total exemption from military service was dismissed
[e] Appeal against a decision to not grant full exemption from military duties was dismissed
[f] Granted full exemption from military duties
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
Danilo Covich was born in 1945 and grew up At Beaconsfield in Fremantle, Western Australia. In 1965, he registered for National Service and applied for, and was granted, a one-year deferral, in order to train his younger brother in the family business of cray pot making. Before his deferral expired in 1966, he applied for full exemption from military duties based on his religious pacifism. He was a Roman Catholic and may have been the first Roman Catholic on record to apply for exemption from military service. The magistrate of the Fremantle Police Court dismissed his application on 8 August 1966. Danilo appealed against the decision to the Supreme Court of Western Australia during late July and was heard by the Chief Justice of Western Australia Sir Albert Wolf on 19 September 1967. Danilo had based his objection to serving in the military and war citing particularly the biblical commandment Thou shalt not kill. The Chief Justice sated that the commandment was directed at killing as murder and did not apply to killing which takes place during military operations. He added that this has been recognised from time immemorial. He dismissed Danilo’s appeal after a reserved judgement on 23 September 1966. Commenting on the decision Vatican experts reiterated the Roman Catholic Church’s belief that conscientious objectors seeking exemptions from fighting in wars should take on alternative non-military service. Danilo responded by stating that he intended to continue his objection to National Service training.
Danilo had previously made an application for a passport to leave Australia. This was refused. He was ordered to report for national service on 1 August 1967. He refused to comply. A warrant for his arrest was issued by the Department of Labour and National Service. Danilo stated that they will have to carry me away by force. In late November 1967 Danilo returned to the Police Court at Fremantle with a third application for full exemption from military duties. The court hearing was adjourned until 6 December 1967. Magistrate JF Syme in a reserved decision granted him full exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector based on his Christian pacifism against war and killing. The magistrate commented that he believed Danilo’s beliefs were much stronger than when he made his last appeal against the dismissal of his second application. He was supported by a Catholic priest who gave evidence in support of his application. He was also supported by his father who stated that he had strongly inculcated in his children his own abhorrence of war, soldiers and armies.
Confirmatory Sources:
Tribune 3 August 1966, p.12; 24 September 1966, p3; 2 August 1967, p.13; 9 August 1967, p.2; 13 December 1967, p4; 20 December 1967, p.4.; West Australian 26 September 1966, p.13; 30 September 1966, p.18.Daily News 19 September 1966, p.3.
Peacemaker October 1966, p.3.; Notes of court cases in file ‘Danilo Covich’, Vivienne Abraham Papers.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 