SHANLEY, Christopher

Family Name:

Shanley

Given Names:

Christopher

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown, possibly 1952

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age Range:

20 years old

Location:

NSW, Enmore

Occupation:

University Student

Primary Motivation:

Draft Resister, anti-conscription

Reason for Court Appearance:

[1] Incitement under 7A Crimes Act, young men to not register for National Service

[2] Second incitement under &A Crimes Act

[3] Original charge under &A of the Crimes Act

Court Name and Location:

[1] Special Federal Court, Sydney

[2] Circular Quay Police Station, Sydney

Court Hearing Date:

[1] 17 July 1972

[2] 3 August 1972

[3] 28—30 August 1972

Court Outcome:

[1] Remanded until 28 August 1972

[2] Bailed at $200 and at court 4 August 1972 case was adjourned

[3] Fined $25 plus $5 costs

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

Christopher Shanley was a 20-year-old University Student from Enmore, a suburb of Sydney. He was Catholic by religion. He was opposed to conscription, and he adopted non-compliance with the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He refused to register for the January 1972 intake of conscripts. Later he refused to attend the mandatory medical examination. He made it publicly known he would not comply with the NSA. Chris was handed a summonses in the Sydney Petty Sessions Office concerning this offence on 17 July 1972. It is unknown if he was ever prosecuted. Chris was at the Special Federal Court in support of another draft resister, Ian Davis, on that date. He was involved with many protests and demonstrations against the NSA. He was Assistant Secretary of the Sydney Draft Resisters Union. On 18 May Chris entered Parliament House Canberra. He informed the attendants he had a statement which he wanted to be given to Senator Greenwood the Attorney General. The statement was signed by another draft resister, William Wood who explained why he was a non-complier and challenging Greenwood to arrest him. Confusion ensured and Chris was arrested mistakenly for Wood. He was ‘bustled’ into a police car and driven away shouting he was not the man the police wanted. Eventually William Wood was arrested.

At a conference of Catholic priests in Sydney on 19 May 1972, 25 of the 110 in attendance, declared their support for draft resisters. Thet sent a letter to the Federal Government and church leaders which read in part, We have been confronted with the problem of conscience faced by Catholic young men as a result of the present National Service Act which imposes conscription… A number of these young men, including Robert Wood, Michael Parsons, Peter Galvin, John Woolin and Chris Shanley, have been led by their conscience to take a public stand as draft resisters…We wish to state our support for these young men and for all draft resisters. We admire the moral courage with which they risk jail in order to oppose a law they believe is unjust. The letter continued, that the young men’s objection to conscription and refusal to obey an unjust law were based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and have the support of Catholic tradition.

On 15 July 1972, Chris with other members of the Sydney Draft Resisters Union and supporters were distributing anti-conscription “Don’t Register for National Service’ leaflets outside the Sydney Town Hall. Christopher was among the protestors. He with the others were arrested. They appeared at a Special Federal Court hearing in Sydney on 17 July 1972 before Magistrate A Anable. All pleaded not guilty, but the magistrate remanded them until 28 August at the Central Court of Pety Sessions. The magistrate set the bail at $200 each except for a Melbourne Student, it was set at $400. The total bail money was paid by the New South Wales Secretary of the Builder Labourers Federation. On 3 August eight draft resisters came out of hiding and shackled themselves together with locks and a long chain and proceeded from Sydney University to the Sydney Town Hall. The police came armed with bolt cutters. Ultimately, five people were arrested including Christopher. The charge was for incitement under section 7A of the Crimes Act. They were taken to Circular Quay police station where those arrested were bailed at $200 each except for Peter Galvin $500. At court on 4 August Christopher and the others, except for Galvin, had their cases adjourned.

On the 28, 29 and 30 August the ‘inciters’ appeared before his Worship Judge Brennan at the Central Court of Petty Sessions in Sydney. Christopher was reported as using the court as a political venue, as it was said the charges were politically motivated. Whilst the resisters found the trial farcical the Judge nevertheless convicted all defendants and ordered them to each pay a fine of $25 plus $5 costs. Christopher along with the others told the Judge they would not pay the fine and invited the Judge to send them to jail immediately. The Judge declined and gave them a month to pay. It was anticipated on 20 September that draft resister Chris Brooks would be sentenced to 7 days jail for refusing to enter a recoginizance to attend a medical examination. Other resisters, including Christopher, were to participate in a protest and offer themselves up to be arrested and similarly dealt with. It is unknown what happened after this date. If Christopher was issued with a call-up notice and he refused to obey it he could be arrested and jailed for 18 months. It appears he was never jailed for that offence. Anu outstanding prosecutions against him would have been dropped in early December 1972 after the election of the Whitlam Labor Government.

Confirmatory Sources:

Canberra Times, 19 May 1972, p.1; 20 May 1972, p.1 and p.8; 24 May 1972, p.2.

Tribune, 23 May 1972, p.12; 18 July 1972, p.12; 5 September 1972, p.12.

Tharunka, 23 May 1972, p.12; 29 August 1972, p.7; 5 September 1972, p.15; 12 September 1972, p.11; 18 October 1972, p.6.