Charles (Chas) Martin became involved in the campaign against the Vietnam War whilst studying at Adelaide University. Called up for National Service in 1969, he disobeyed the notice and was summoned to court. Chas was one of only a few South Australian men sentenced to a full two-year prison term, equivalent to the duration of National Service. Subsequent to his release in 1971, he has pursued a life of practical activism in the realms of environmental sustainability, renewable energy and permaculture.

It was an important political statement – that there was someone in jail for refusing to be involved in that kind of killing and in the war that was going on.