BISSET, David Keir

Family Name:

Bisset

Given Names:

David Keir

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

1948

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age:

20 years old

Location:

ACT, Ainslie

Occupation:

Unknown

Primary Motivation:

Draft Resister, Anti-Conscription, Anti-Vietnam war

Reason for Court Appearance:

[1] Refusal to register for National Service

[2] Non-Attendance at court

[2] Arrested

Court Name and Location:

[1] Court of Petty Sessions. Canberra

[2] Court of Petty Sessions, Canberra

[3] Court of Petty Sessions , Canberra

Court Hearing Date:

[1] 30 May 1970

[2] 30 April 1971

[3] 1971

Court Outcome:

[1] Bail Forfeited after no court appearance

[2] Fine $60 and summons for non-court attendance

[3] Unknown

[Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

David Bisset from Ainslie a suburb of Canberra for his failure to register for national service for the July 1968 intake. He was 20 years old. He refused to attend the Court of Petty Sessions in Canberra on 30 April 1971. He with two others were convicted and fined in their absence by Magistrate Pearson. David received a fine of $60. Affidavits to effect that summons had been served were produced in each case. K Sienkowski of the Deputy Crown Solicitors Office appeared for the Department of Labour and National Service.

David in a September 1970 letter to the Canberra Times explained why he was taking a stand of non-compliance with the National Service Act (NSA). He said, The letter is prompted by a statement made by the Premier of Queensland, Mr Bjelke Petersen…anyone who supported the Vietnam Moratorium, and hence the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam, was not a loyal Australian. Surely Australian troops are in Vietnam only as a result of the political policy of the governing parties. They are told to risk their lives, and incidentally take the lives of others, by the Liberal Party coalition…What would you think of someone who merely remained silent, while knowing that Australian troops were dying needlessly? I submit that people who have realized that it was a mistake for Australia to follow the US into Vietnam can only be loyal to Australian troops by calling for their immediate withdrawal so that no more have to die.

A letter to the Canberra Times dated 4 May 1971 written by David’s mother Hazel reveals more about David and his motivation for his non-compliance with the NSA. She said, David did not take this course lightly, two and a half years ago. He worried over it for months, talked to people, went to meetings and studied South-East Asian history. My present husband and I, like most parents who hate to see their children heading for trouble, suggested that he register and hope that he would win the roulette game. He decided that was not the right way, he felt that not only had he to protest as strongly as he could about our involvement in the Vietnam war (undeclared), but that he could not co-operate in any way with the National Service Act, the sole purpose of which is the raising of an army which is killing innocent civilians, So he did not register for he would take no part in the killing.

In a second letter to the Canberra Times dated 9 May 1971, Hazel Bisset informed the readers that she and her husband had paid the $60 fine as a way of sharing in a small way David’s punishment under the NSA. It is unknown if the authorities had future dealings with David.

Confirmatory Sources:

Canberra Times, 12 September 1970, p.2; 26 November 1970, p.16; 1 May 1971, p.32; 4 May 1971, p.2; 9 June 1971, p.1427 April 1972.ay 1972, p.1.

Peacemaker, November/ December 1969, p.8; May/ June/ July/ August 1971, p.12