DUCRAY, Robert

Family Name:

Ducray

Given Names:

Robert

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown, possibly 1950

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age Range:

Early 20s

Location:

VIC, Forrest Hill

Occupation:

Unknown

Primary Motivation:

Draft Resister

Reason for Court Appearance:

Refusal to register for national service

Court Name and Location:

Court of Petty Sessions, Melbourne

Court Hearing Date:

10 May 1971

Court Outcome:

Convicted and fined

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

Robert Ducray was from Forrest Hill, a suburb of Melbourne. He opposed the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He refused to register for the July 1970 intake of conscripts. At the Court of Petty Sessions in Melbourne, on 10 May 1971, Robert was convicted and fined $100 plus costs. This could have resulted from his failure to register or it may have resulted from a non-payment of fine from an earlier court case. It is likely he was never again be 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, August/ September 1970, p.7; May/ June/ July/ August 1971, p.11.