Family Name:
Sprod
Given Names:
Timothy James
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
Unknown, possibly 1951
Death-date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age Range:
Early 20s
Location:
TAS, Sandy Bay
Occupation:
Unknown
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister
Reason for Court Appearance:
Failure to register for national service
Court Name and Location:
Court of Petty Sessions, Hobart
Court Hearing Date:
24 September 1971
Court Outcome:
Convicted and fined
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
Timothy Sprod was from Sandy Bay, a suburb of Hobart. He opposed the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He refused to register for a 1971 intake of conscripts. He wrote to the Minister on 28 June 1971 to inform him of his non-compliance and the reasons for adopting that stance. He was summonsed to the Court of Petty sessions at Hobart on 24 September 1971. He was convicted and fined by Magistrate Morris. It was unlikely that Timothy 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, p.11; August/ September 1971, p.4.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 