Family Name:
Jedryka
Given Names:
John
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
Unknown, possibly 1949
Death-date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age Range:
Early 20s
Location:
TAS, West Moonah
Occupation:
Unknown
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister, pacifism-religious
Reason for Court Appearance:
Failure to register for national service
Court Name and Location:
Court of Petty Sessions, Hobart
Court Hearing Date:
12 March 1970
Court Outcome:
Convicted and fined $40
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
John Jedryka was from West Moonah, a suburb of Hobart. He opposed the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He refused to register for the July 1969 intake of conscripts. He sent a letter to Minister Bury during August 1969 as to why he adopted a stance of non-compliance with the NSA. It read in part, my individual action is to stand out against all forms of aggression to the point of refusing to register for military service. How many people have died in war to end wars?…For me I start with the army and refuse to register. I do not want war. There will be no war when there is nobody to carry on that war. There is also the economic side to growth. Why do our pensioners receive so little money? Why is our social service so inadequate? It too, needs money, but unfortunately it is channeled into acts of sheer waste .As soon as we reach a peak in our civilization our effort in their achievement is destroyed by some war…Then there is the Christian view-point that we must stop because of a respect for life and a love of God’s creation even when it comes to aggression.. Not only am I not registered for these reasons but also because I have a basic disrespect for the army…The most personal of reasons that I have is a nauseating horror at the thought of killing, and to me the highest ideal that I can reach is that I would prefer to die than kill.
John was convicted and fined $40 by Magistrate Solomon in the Hobart Court of Petty Sessions on 12 March 1970. His non-compliance continued and he refused to attend the mandatory medical examination under the NSA. It is unknown what happened after that. It is likely he was a government referral under reg.32A of the NSA and he was granted exemption from combatant military duties as a conscientious objector.
Confirmatory Sources:
Peacemaker, March/ April 1970, p.6; May/ June 1970, p.4; May/ June/ July/ August 1971, p.11.
Bobbie Oliver, Hell No! We Won’t Go! Resistance to Conscription in Post War Australia, Interventions, Melbourne, 2022, p.253.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 