Family Name:
Hocking
Given Names:
Ross
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
Unknown, possibly 1950
Death-date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age Range:
Early 20s
Location:
VIC, Ormond
Occupation:
Unknown
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister, anti-conscription
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:
Ross Hocking was from Ormond, a suburb of Melbourne, He opposed the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). Accordingly, he refused to register for the July 1970 intake of conscripts. It is unlikely that Ross 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:
Peacemaker, August/ September 1970, p.7; May/ June/ July/ August 1971, p11.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 