Exemplifying the notion that an advocacy group does not need to be around for long to have one of the largest impacts on law reform and lasting social changes is the Homosexual Law Reform (HLRS) ACT.
The society has been recognised again more than 50 years after leading one of the nation's most historic chapters on gay rights and equality.
It was recently named as one of six recipients of the 2020 ACT Honour Walk, postponed last year due to the coronavirus.
The award recognises individuals and groups who have made significant and sustained contributions to Canberra and the region.
Established in July 1969, the organisation was the first of its kind in the country that campaigned for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
The ACT government described the society's pioneering efforts as marking "the beginning of a profound transformation of Australian society and of Canberra's emergence as one of Australia's most LGBTIQ+ welcoming and inclusive cities".
The society was set up by about 50 people following The Canberra Times' coverage of two men being prosecuted after being caught by police at a quiet dirt road near Yowani Golf Course in February 1969.
One of the men was acquitted and the other was sentenced to two years jail after trial.
This newspaper's reporting of the case caught the attention of ANU philosophy professor Thomas Mautner, one of the founding members.
Mr Mautner said that despite the society becoming inactive after ACT laws were changed by Federal Parliament in 1976, since Canberra had no self-government at the time, it set "the ball rolling for various other people to build the momentum in other areas for gay rights".
"I personally felt very pleased for all members of the group when we were named as an Honour Walk recipient," Mr Mautner said.
"These sorts of changes should be remembered. History is important and this is a part of that."
In his role with the society, Mr Mautner mostly handled correspondences with people from across the country.
"There was a fairly strong general support in the community," he said.
"Even among many of the churches. The main opposition came from members of Parliament, who were afraid that supporting this might cost them votes."
Mr Mautner said the reform's effect led to societal changes in subsequent generations.
"We did our best to get things started and law reform was quite important. Today, most people are quite relaxed about homosexuality and they don't seem to lose any sleep over it anymore," he said.
Graham Willett, historian of LGBTI rights in Australia, had been working in this field since 1979 and researched the society during his PhD in the 90s.
Mr Willett said the laws at the time were archaic and that the society's legacy still inspire other people to build on its work and to form new campaigns.
"They really laid the foundations and made it possible for further impacts," he said.
"It led to gay liberation then the campaign against moral persecution (CAMP) emerged in 1971.
"CAMP was then established in Canberra as well as other states and territories, which moved beyond the idea of reform and decriminalisation to more about social and policy changes."
Mr Willet said HLRS' members in the ACT and across the country were brave and courageous because there were no one to "ally with" initially.
"They were out there, sticking their necks out," he said.
"Fortunately, they discovered mostly positive responses. Then the baton was passed to the campaign against moral persecution and liberation."
Other prominent members of the society included lawyer Michael Landale, who represented a client targeted by ACT Policing at the time for homosexual activity, and Elizabeth Reid who joined later on.
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Former Canberra Times journalist Peter Sekuless in 1969 took on the task of telling the story of the society's establishment, describing it as a momentous story given the prevailing social attitudes and values then.
During the society's 50th anniversary in 2019, he wrote that for law reform advocates such as Ms Reid and Mr Landale, the archaic law was "both shocking and abhorrent" that men were being locked up in Australia for conduct that was no longer a crime in the UK, which Australia still looked to as a point of reference
"The HLRS went from strength to strength and prevailed in the end," Mr Sekuless wrote.
"How will history judge the short-lived but vigorous activities of HLRS of the ACT? Did we actually make a difference or were we just a stop-gap voice for the voiceless?
"For my part it is enough that the now well-established LGBTIQ community can celebrate the singular beginnings of homosexual law reform in Australia 50 years ago when the people of Canberra and its daily paper were moved to cry out against injustice."
Mr Sekuless said other reasons that drove people to establish the society included efforts to produce a new criminal code in relation to homosexuals.
Other 2020 ACT Honour Walk recipients include Lyall Gillespie, Klaus Moje, Ross Gengos, Ethel McGuire and Tracey Whetnall.
