AARONS, Mark

Family Name:

Aarons

Given Names:

Mark

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown, possibly 1952

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age:

20 Years old

Location:

NSW

Occupation:

University Student

Primary Motivation:

Draft Resister

Reason for Court Appearance:

Court Name and Location:

Court Hearing Date:

Court Outcome:

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

Mark Aarons was from New South Wales He was a member of the Australian Communist party. He was also President of the Students Representative Council of Macquarie University. He was active in many protests and demonstrations, including against the National Service Act 19674 (NSA). On 25 July 1970 Mark was active in a campaign to force Vestry’s land monopoly to give back tribal land to the indigenous people. He was arrested and charged with offensive behaviour and released on $40 bail. During the Sydney Moratorium march he attempted to assist an elderly protestor who was man-handled by the police. Mark went to his assistance but was arrested and dragged away. On 24 December 1971 he was again arrested during a protest against the South African (Springbok) tour of Australia. He was charged with possession of an article capable of causing bodily harm, a smoke flare. The magistrate dismissed the case. During April 1972 Mark was among many who worked to convince young men they should not register for national service. He was charged with incitement and summonsed to the Special Federal Court in Sydney. He failed to attend and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Mark publicly refused to comply with the NSA. He refused to register for national service. He said, I join the other 11,000 (at least) who have refused to register for national slavery. Despite a number of arrests, it was unlikely that Mark was prosecuted under the NSA. The government during 1971, and especially 1972, were reluctant to prosecute when the result would be jailing a young man. This was particularly in regard to a refusal to obey a call-up notice. This attracted 18 months’ imprisonment. The government aimed to minimize its political risk of having large numbers of young men in prison. All pending prosecutions under the NSA were stopped by the newly elected Whitlam Labor government in early December 1972.

Confirmatory Sources:

Tribune, 29 July 1970, p.12; 23 September 1970, p3; 7 July 1971, p.121 September 1971, p.2; 11 January 1972, p129 May 1972, p.11; 21 July 1971, p.12; 18 August 1971, p10.

Tharunka, 18 October 1972, p.6.