1964
March – CND march Dandenong to Melbourne against French nuclear tests
April 5 – CICD launches national petition against French nuclear tests in Pacific and underground nuclear tests
June 6 – Defence Minister Paltridge announces doubling (30 to 60) of Australian military ‘advisors’ in South Vietnam
July 6 – Warrant Officer Kevin Conway from Brisbane becomes first Australian serviceman to be killed in South Vietnam fighting
August 5 – ‘Gulf of Tonkin incident’. U.S forces strike at North Vietnam for first time after deceitful report of clash between torpedo boats of North Vietnam and units of U.S Seventh Fleet
August 6 – 2000 demonstrators at U.S Consulate in Prahran condemn U.S air attacks on North Vietnam and call for re-convening of Geneva Conference
August 8-9 – CICD Hiroshima Day March starts Frankston
October – Defence Minister Senator Paltridge introduces amended Defence Act enabling citizen military forces to be sent overseas
October 25 – 7000 people attend opening Sydney rally of Peace Congress addressed by Professor Linus Pauling and Mayor of Hiroshima
November 10 – Prime Minister Menzies announces plan to conscript 20-year-old men for overseas service
Download the full timeline here, or click through below for a year-by-year timeline (with pictures) of this momentous period.
‘Taking to the Streets against the Vietnam War’: A Timeline History of Australian Protest 1962-1972
©Ken Mansell