KALKMAN, Robert John

Family Name:

Kalkman

Given Names:

Robert John

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown, possibly 1951

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age Range:

Early 20s

Location:

VIC, Frankston

Occupation:

Unknown

Primary Motivation:

Draft Resister, anti-conscription

Reason for Court Appearance:

Failure to register for national service

Court Name and Location:

Court of Petty Sessions, Frankston

Court Hearing Date:

4 August 1971

Court Outcome:

Convicted and fined

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

Robert Kalkman was from Frankston, a suburb of Melbourne. He opposed the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He refused to register for a 1971 intake of conscripts. On 4 August 1971 he was summonsed to the Court of Petty Sessions at Frankston. Magistrate EB Walsh convicted and fined him for his failure to register for national service under the NSA. It is likely that Robert 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, September/ December 1971, p.4; May/ June/ July/ August 1971, p.11.