White Obeys Order

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31256, 31 December 1966, Page 11

White Obeys Order

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) SYDNEY, Dec. 30. The conscientious objector William White voluntarily obeyed his first Army order. After receiving an order from Major H. J. Moran he presented himself at the east era command personnel depot at Watson’s Bay, Sydney, to be formally discharged from Military service. After leaving the depot he said that while he was being discharged, the Army treatment “was very formal, very

siow, and very inefficient “I refused to sign the official discharge document but the officer said this was not necessary as I had not signed any document on entering the Army,” he said. Last Friday he was released from the Army by court order after a year’s defiance of a national service call-up. White said he would apply to be reinstated with the New South Wales Education Department as a teacher. White will marry his 21-year-old schoolteacher fiance, Miss Claire Seale, next Friday.

He said he hoped they

would get positions at the same school in a country town.

He had lost well over 2500 dollars in teaching wages, legal costs and Army fines during his battle. “But it has been worth It," he said. “The main usefulness of my case is that it has brought things into the open and showed people that they can object Many people didn't know this.” He accepted 40 dollars owing to him for his brief stay in the Army. “I have given this money to a fund to help other conscientious objectors who may be short of cash," he said.