The Peacemaker was a pacifist newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It was published from 1939 to 1971.

History

In 1939 Frank Coaldrake (1912–70) was a community worker with the Brotherhood of St Laurence in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy.^[1] In 1938-39 he had been the travelling secretary of the Australian Student Christian Movement, and during this time he had become a convinced pacifist.^[2] Three weeks after the declaration of war in 1939, he founded The Peacemaker, a monthly paper to inform and assist those who conscientiously objected to military service.^[3] Although The Peacemaker was notionally a monthly publication, the actual publication history was more erratic than that suggests.

Coaldrake was president of the Federal Pacifist Council of Australia from 1943 to 1946.^[4] He offered to serve as a missionary in Japan, initially in 1943 at the height of the war to Dr H. V. Evatt, the Minister for External Affairs and which was declined,^[5] but which was accepted by Bishop George Cranswick, Chairman of the Australian Board of Missions in 1946.^[6] He left Melbourne at the end of 1946 to spend 15 months studying Japanese at the University of Sydney.^[7] At this point the Federal Pacifist Council (which was the Australian section of War Resisters' International)^[8] took over responsibility for publication of The Peacemaker.^[9]

During this time The Peacemaker was a strong campaigner for those who objected to performing national service.^[10] The last issue featured a cover photo of the anti-war activist and conscientious objector Michael Matteson whilst on the run from police.^[11]

The Peacemaker ceased publication in 1971.

Editors

• The Rev Frank Coaldrake, 1939–46.^[12]
• GA (Tony) Bishop, 1946–53.^[13]
• Vivienne Abraham, 1953–55.^[14]
• WJ Latona, 1955–57.^[15]
• The Rev Dr Ernest Edgar Vyvyan Collocott, 1957–60.^[16][17]
• An editorial committee convened by A Hodge, 1960–63.^[18]
• Vivienne Abraham and Shirley Abraham, 1964–68.^[19]
• Vivienne Abraham, 1968–71.^[20]

References