Family Name:
Kelly
Given Names:
Peter
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
Unknown, possibly 1949
Death-date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age Range:
Early 20s
Location:
NSW, Lakemba
Occupation:
Unknown
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister anti-conscription
Reason for Court Appearance:
Failure to register for national service
Court Name and Location:
Unknown, NSW
Court Hearing Date:
Early May 1971
Court Outcome:
Convicted and fined
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
Peter Kelly was from Lakemba a suburb of Sydney. He opposed the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He publicly declared he refusal to register for national service under the NSA, with many other non-compliers during May 1971. The Declaration of Conscientious Non-Compliers came from the May 1969 conference of non-compliers. It read in part, We , the undersigned , believe that the National Service Act is unjust and undemocratic…We declare that we cannot, in conscience , comply with any aspect of the Act. Peter refused to register for the July 1969 intake of conscripts. In early May 1971 he was prosecuted for this offence. He was convicted and fined. It is likely that Peter 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, July/August 1969, p.4; November/ December 1969, p.8; May/ June 1970, p.4; May/ June/ July/ August 1971, p.11.
Tharunka, 18 October 1972, p.6
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 