CLARKE, Renfrey Philip

Family Name:

Clarke

Given Names:

Renfrey Philip

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown, possibly 1951

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age:

20 Years old

Location:

ACT, Ainslie

Occupation:

University Student

Primary Motivation:

Draft Resister, ant conscription, anti-Vietnam War

Reason for Court Appearance:

Court Name and Location:

Court Hearing Date:

Court Outcome:

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

Renfrey Clarke was a 20-year-old from Ainslie, a suburb of Canberra. He was a student of the Australian National University ANU). He was opposed to the National Service Act 1964 (NSA) and worked for its repeal. He was also opposed to the Vietnam War and the tour of Australia of the South African Rugby team (Springboks). He was a member of the ANU Draft Resisters Union. He himself refused to register for the July 1970 intake of conscripts. It was reported that students, friends and well-wishers attended a party for draft resisters at the ANU Students Union on 13 June 1972. Renfrey was in attendance informed the attendees that police had taken out a warrant for his arrest. The same had occurred for Robert Brittain and Nichlas Richardson. They may have also previously refused to undertake a medical examination and refused to obey a call-up notice.

A letter from Renfrey was published in The Canberra Times 24 March 1971 opposing the forthcoming tour of the Springboks, an all-white team the result of Apartheid. He also drew attention to the, …disgraceful forms of discrimination against Aborigines. On 21 May 1971, Renfrey was an organizer and participated in the May Day of Rage against the Vietnam War. It was brutally put down by the police using the Public Order (Protection of Persons and Property) Act 1971. An Act recently passed just for an occasion like this. Hundreds demonstrated and dozens of arrests made. Renfrey was arrested for using indecent language. He with the other protesters were chanting, 1, 2, 3, 4. We don’t want you f.ing war. He originally pleaded No Guilty to the charge. On 20 July 1971 at the Court of Petty Sessions, Canberra, he changed his plea to Guilty. He was convicted and fined $10 by Magistrate Dobson. At the court hearing, Sargeant JW McIntyre said, that on May 21 a group of people taking part in the “Day of Rage” demonstration had stopped at the intersection of Northbourne and London Circuit. He had heard Mr Clark chant a slogan and then used indecent language.

Renfrey was also an author of a letter sent to the student newspaper Woroni, published 27 April 1972. It reads, As this goes to press 7 young Australians, are in gal throughout Australia for failing to obey a call up notice. We, the undersigned, abhor the selective unjust nature of the National Service Act, and consequently are forced to make our opposition to it public, thus tempting the same fate…We urge all young men eligible to register for National Service to refuse to comply in any way with the provisions of the National Service Act and join us in contributing to its immediate repeal. It is unlikely that Renfrey was not 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:

Woroni, 10 June 1971. p.4; 14 June 1972, p.15

Canberra Times, 27 May 1971, p.10; 14 June 1972.p.3; 21 July 1971, p.16.

Tharunka, 18 October 1972, p.6.