No convictions were recorded against Darwin agronomist Robert Wesley-Smith , 79 , when he appeared in court recently on two charges connected with allegedly failing to observe a stop sign at Alice Springs . However, he was ordered pay levies of $300.
The stop sign episode came near the end of a 12,000 kilometre outback trip by Wesley-Smith from Darwin, down through Western Australia , across to South Australia, up through Coober Pedy, on the way back to Darwin. During the safari Little Darwin ran some of his interesting photographs and stories picked up along the way .
Court was told that he was the co-founder and secretary of the Northern Territory Council for Civil Liberties, a known human rights advocate, had campaigned against the Vietnam War . As a result of him campaigning for East Timor he had been awarded that country's highest honour, the Ordem de Timor-Leste .
In addition, he had received the Fitzgerald Social Change Award from the NT Human Rights Council and the Australia Day Council Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to the Territory community .
