Family Name:
Beel
Given Names:
Geoffrey John
Gender:
Male
Birth-Date:
Unknown, possibly 1935
Death-Date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age:
18 years old
Location:
VIC, Melbourne
Occupation:
Unknown
Primary Motivation:
Conscientious Objector, religious
Reason for Court Appearance:
[1] Application for total exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector
[2] Appeal against exemption from combatant military duties only
Court Name and Location:
[1] Magistrates Court, Melbourne
[2] County Court, Melbourne
Court Hearing Date:
[1] Early 1953
[2] 2 October 1953
Court Outcome:
[1] Granted exemption from combatant military duties only
[2] Appeal was upheld
Military Event:
National Service 1951-1959
Further Information:
Geoffrey Beel was from Melbourne in Victoria and was a member of the Methodist Church. He applied on religious grounds for total exemption from military duties as a conscientious objector under the National Service Act 1951 (NSA). The magistrate granted exemption from combatant duties only. Geoffrey appealed the decision and it was heard by Justice Read at the County Court in Melbourne on 2 October 1953. Justice Read reiterated that the issue was not whether an applicant held rational views but only whether their objection was sincerely held. This he believed of Geoffrey and accordingly upheld his appeal.
Confirmatory Sources:
Peacemaker, November 1953, p.2.
Bobbie Oliver, Hell No! We Won’t Go! Resistance to Conscription in Post War Australia, Interventions, Melbourne, 2022, p.31 and p.215.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 