ANDERSON, Ronald (Ron)

Family Name:

Anderson

Given Names:

Ronald (Ron)

Gender:

Male

Birth-Date:

Unknown, possibly 1936

Death-Date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age:

18 years old

Location:

South Australia

Occupation:

Unknown

Primary Motivation:

Conscientious Objector, religious

Reason for Court Appearance:

[1] Application for total exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector

[2] Breach of the National service Act 1951, probably refusal to obey a call-up notice

Court Name and Location:

[1] Magistrates Court, Adelaide

[2] Unknown, South Australia

Court Hearing Date:

[1] Early 1954

[2] Pre-June 1954

Court Outcome:

[1] Application was dismissed

[2] Committed to a prescribed authority and sent to Holsworthy Military Prison, and probably fined £10

Military Event:

National Service 1951-1959

Further Information:

Ronald Anderson was from South Australia and a Christian Israelite by religion. On the basis of his religious beliefs, he applied for total exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector under the National Service Act 1951. His hearing was at the Magistrates Court in Adelaide during early 1954. The magistrate dismissed the application. Ron did not appeal and probably adopted non-compliance with the NSA. Specifically, he refused to obey a call-up notice, He would have been summonsed to a court and fined £10 and given over to a prescribed authority under the NSA. He was incarcerated at Holsworthy Military Prison in June 1954 when Vivienne Abraham from the Federal Pacifist Council of Australia visited conscientious objectors held at Holsworthy. He would have been expected to serve 176 days which was equal to the military training time required under the NSA. If he did not voluntarily presented himself to the army, as it seems so, he may have been detained for a longer time. It was reported that conscientious objectors were well-treated whilst at Holsworthy.

Confirmatory Sources:

Bobbie Oliver, Hell No! We Won’t Go! Resistance to Conscription in Post War Australia, Interventions, Melbourne, 202, p.214.

Peacemaker, September/ October 1954, p.2.