COWLEY, John

Family Name:

Cowley

Given Names:

John

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown, possibly 1950

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age:

20 years old

Location:

VIC

Occupation:

Unknown

Primary Motivation:

Draft Resister

Reason for Court Appearance:

Failure to register for national service

Court Name and Location:

Court of Petty Sessions, Ringwood

Court Hearing Date:

17 May 1971

Court Outcome:

Convicted and fined $40 plus $22 costs

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

John Cowley was from Victoria and opposed the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He refused to register for the July 1970 intake of conscripts. He was summonsed to the Court of Pety Sessions at Ringwood on 17 May 1971. The magistrate convicted and fined him $40 plus $17 costs. It is unknown if John continued with his non-compliance, If he did so then it was likely he was not further 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:

Peacemaker, May/ June/ July/ August1971, p.11.