Family Name:
Beasley
Given Names:
Colin
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
Unknown, possibly 1951
Death-date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age Range:
Early 20s
Location:
QLD, Wavell Heights
Occupation:
Unknown
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister
Reason for Court Appearance:
Failure to register for national service
Court Name and Location:
Magistrates Court, Br-usbane
Court Hearing Date:
Court Outcome:
26 August 1971
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
Colin Beasley was from Wavell Heights in Queensland. He was opposed to the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). Accordingly, he refused to register as required under the Act. He was summoned to a court hearing at the Magistrates Court in Brisban on 26 August 1971. The magistrate convicted Colin of the offence and fined him $40 plus costs. Colin refused to plead in court as he said he did not recognise the NSA. In his written statement he spoke of the individual’s responsibility established by the Nuremburg trials for participating in the aggressive actions of the state. On 21 May 1971 he participated in a student’s demonstration against the NSA. He was summonsed to attend a hearing at the Court of Petty Sessions on 25 May 1971 on a charge of ‘obstruction’. Colin pleaded not guilty. He was remanded to appear at a court in August or September 1971 and was granted bail of $50. The charges were dropped by WH Johnston, Deputy Crown Solicitor on 27 August 1971. It is unlikely Colin was prosecuted further 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:
Peacemaker, March/ April 1971, p.11.
Canberra Times, 28 August 1971, p.8; 1 September 1971, p.12; 26 May 1971, p.10.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 