THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL

Family Name:

Rooney

Given Names:

Stephen

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown, possibly 1951

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Unknown, probably single

Age Range:

Early 20s

Location:

VIC

Occupation:

Unknown

Primary Motivation:

Draft Resister

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:

Stephen Rooney was from Victoria. He refused to register for a 1971 intake of conscripts under the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). It was unlikely that Stephen was 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, May/ June/ July/ August 1971, p11; September/ December 1971, p.15.