Obiter dicta by Professor Gavin Brown AO

Road to truth

12 April 2002

A couple of weeks ago a visiting delegation from Lower Saxony presented me with a porcelain horse, symbol of their region. I remarked that this was especially propitious as this is the Year of the Horse and I, myself, am a Horse. With Chinese calendars remote from their minds, they stared in polite bewilderment at a madman – giving a simple reminder that Australia is closer to Asia than we routinely think.

I put that proposition to the most literal of tests last week by flying on Easter Monday to Seoul and getting back for a Wednesday morning meeting in Sydney. A superstitious man would have been relieved that it was not until Thursday that The Australian published a Times crossword with a down clue (which I remember as) "University executive failing to turn up after accident".

For those of you who enjoy cryptic crosswords I need scarcely remark that the solution is a word of 14 letters. For those who dislike these word games let me confirm your prejudice by indicating the construction of the clue. In a word entered vertically, 'turn up' can be 'llor', the preceding 'accident' is 'chance' and a failing may well be a vice.

While we are at it, let me share a favourite example from a genre of logical puzzles based on the communities of Truthtown and Lietown. The citizens of the first always tell the truth and those of the latter always lie. You come to an unmarked fork in the road, one branch leading to Truthtown and the other to Lietown. Someone from one of the cities is sitting there but you do not know which is their home town. Ask one question to find the way to Truthtown.

In fact you may simply point along either branch and ask, "Do you live down there?" You will not learn where your informant lives but can nevertheless rely on the response. A "Yes" means you have chosen the Truthtown branch and a "No" discloses that you have selected the Lietown route.

Why did I go to Korea and why did I come back?

The Association of Korean University Presidents asked me to be a keynote speaker at its 20th anniversary meeting, discussing developmental strategy for modern universities. Like the German visitors they are keen to understand governance and management in Australian higher education.

It is remarkable that the Korean group comprises 194 institutions, public and private, providing four-year programs. The home institution of the current Chair is Seoul National University, whose first ever agreement with an overseas university was signed with the University of Sydney.

I came back quickly in order to be present at the book launch of What Makes a Champion! Allan Snyder persuaded people, successful in many different arenas, to write about their concept of 'championship'. The result is an interesting mix of motivational and analytical material. As well as its intrinsic worth, the book brings publicity for the Centre for the Mind, which is tackling ambitious science and achieving remarkable results.


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