Alex Buzo and Norfs : with thanks and in appreciation

On Melbourne Cup Day 2007, the reading room of Australia's premier research library, the Mitchell Library in Sydney, contained one of Australia's leading public intellectuals, Germaine Greer. Apparently engaged in family history research and with obvious constraints on her time, Dr Greer was one of the few readers (or librarians) who did not venture across to the other wing of the State Reference Library to watch the race in the Metcalfe Auditorium. Absorbed by her research, she kept reading at 3.00 pm as the Cup field formed in the barriers at Flemington. Three minutes and twenty three seconds later Greer remained oblivious when the New Zealand horse, Efficient, crossed the line to collect $3,100,000 in prize money. The 'race that stops a nation' had failed to make an impact on the celebrated author. Without wishing to continue the inglorious tradition of demonising Germaine Greer, such 'un-Australian' behaviour evokes a central tenet of Australian intellectual life. Members of the Australia intelligentsia have rarely deigned to recognise, let alone revere, sporting activity. For their part, well known Australian sportsmen have been famously indifferent to intellectual activity. There are, of course, partial exceptions to this lack of engagement between sporting and intellectual achievement in Australia. South of the Barassi line, as Alex Buzo would have said, Australian Rules has engaged some fine minds.