I always wonder about why Australians have such low regard for academics, despite the incredible science and tools that have been researched for them. Academics themselves care for their profession and give their labours to the greater good of the world, and usually don't defend themselves from criticism in the public eye.

You walk out into a city street, and it is a scene made possible only by scientists and other academics. No politician, artist, economist, priest or common profession has contributed to collective human wellbeing and quality of life. Be it a painter or farmer, where the bloody hell do they think their new tools or paints come from? Or private automobiles they use to get around? Or economist, whose markets would not exist without tools provided by mathemeticians and cities built by science.

We could well ask whether academia fails to teach us true intellect, which is insight. Could speak as one with personal experience having to leave school very early in the Great Depression to help on the farm, but during WW2 was very surprised to find oneself beating college lads when picked for specialisation schools.

Many years later in retirement, got the learning bug again so was given a try at a university, the only course left at the time happened to be American history and politics. It was in the early 1970s, and as a usual battler with not much confidence at first among some confident looking younger students, was surprised when told by the American teacher that I had a natural insight As were a couple of other oldies told the same.

We might well ask what really is natural insight? Well, on the farm when we were young, we were told about plain natural commonsense, how to fix things temporarily, just to see the day out, but never to come home before sundown, even when driving a horse-team.

Working by yourself, there was a way of looking at world situations also, as we read the piece of newspaper bound around our lunches. Also by yourself with the little bit of intellect you had, you did look at things objectively, even feeling a thrill as you read about pincer movements, as tne Nazi panzer tanks raced over France, even at the same time you knew it was wrong to think like that.

There is an ancient saying that from deserts the prophets come, and it might be what some of the richer squatters meant when they said that before sending their sons to college they had to learn a bit of sense working as rouseabouts in station shearing sheds. Certainly can pull some cheeky kid down to size. But can make certain types ever more resentful also. So commonsense could be fashioned in other ways, some say from an understanding mother more than a father -but doubtless better from both sides.

George C - Bushbred