Family Name:
Bottrell
Given Names:
Paul
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
Unknown, possibly 1952
Death-date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age Range:
Early 20s
Location:
NSW, Sydney
Occupation:
University Student
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister
Reason for Court Appearance:
NA
Court Name and Location:
NA
Court Hearing Date:
NA
Court Outcome:
NA
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
Paul Bottrell was from Sydney in New South Wales. He was a student at the University of New South Wales. He stood for election to the Student Representative Council for the Faculty of Engineering during 1972. He publicly refused to comply with the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He refused to undertake the mandatory medical examination under the NSA. It is unlikely that Paul 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:
Tharunka, 18 October 1972, p.6.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 