PCT 2001: Looking back at Down Under
By Robert Hadden Mole
Vol. 5, Issue 2 (Fall 2001)

Tell people you are traveling to Australia, and undoubtedly the first thing they will warn you of is the imminent danger at the hands of Australia’s unruly wildlife.

“Watch out for the Sydney Funnel Web Spider, one dose of its poison will kill a grown adult in a half an hour” one friend cautioned.

“Don’t swim in the ocean during Portuguese Man-o-war season, those things will drag you out to sea and slowly digest you over a four week period”, another says.

I notice on one of those nature channels an interesting factoid; most of the world’s species of poisonous snakes live in Australia.

And then there are the Australians themselves.  Remember that this is the land that spawned the rock group AC/DC, that nutty Steve Irwin—the Crocodile Hunter, as well as Aussie Footballers, and even worse, Aussie Rules Football.

The truth is, Australians and their country are both quite hospitable, and in some instances, even quite charming.  Each day of the conference, I marveled at the green, leafy trees, unique vegetation, birds singing, and sunny, bright skies.  Taking all this in, I would have to pinch myself from to time to remember that this was their WINTER!

A number of us North American conference-goers were keen to explore this bountiful place further, and several found themselves continuing their trip into the northern, tropical part of Australia around Cairns (in Queensland).  My own experiences were nothing short of amazing, and included some time diving on the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea, a brief experience on the edge of the outback, and a couple of days just staying close to the beach.  On one of these days we found ourselves practically the only ones on a massive white sand shore-line full of abundant surf, sea shells, and, of course, plenty of sun.

Without getting too carried away over Australia’s natural beauty, there was something to be said for the conference itself.  Some Australians I had talked to were delighted to say that it was the biggest international draw they had seen.  This is especially something in “Oz”, as distance not only from each other, but from other countries has always been something formidable to overcome.  Perhaps thanks to electronic communication, we all feel we know the Australians a little better these days, and are more inclined to visit them on the strength of our informal acquaintance, than simply through their scientific writings.  As one attendee put it” “It was my first opportunity to connect with Australian PCP colleagues on their home turf and to meet some new ones.  I am energized by their energy and enthusiasm.  Since there are relatively few of us scattered around the globe, I like the vivid images I now have of PCP in Australia to encourage me when I feel lonely in the middle of Indiana!”

Some noted, however that the international turn-out, while maybe bigger than before, still could have been greater: “I would say the attendance was small…and although we North Americans were a very small contingent there, we more than carried our weight during the week, including winning the first international wine tasting competition!!!!”

Whatever one made of the quantity of participants, the quality of presentations and papers was never in doubt. “I applaud the participants in the congress for the searching, extending, exploring, expanding qualities of their research and theoretical work.  From the seasoned professionals to the students, the papers and conversations were stimulating.”  And also “…everyone who did not go missed a great conference.  It is the first time I have ever been to any conference of any type in which I got something out of every paper I attended.  The creativity and energy of the people giving the papers was fantastic.”

Alas, one disappointment.  The individual who claimed an interest in seeing the “water swirl in the toilet in a different direction” in last issue’s “Top 10 Reasons for Attending PCT 2001” was hard-pressed to find any evidence of this.  The Australians have cleverly invented the dual-flush toilet, a device that must save untold liters of water for a city of any size.  With this design however, there is no swirl, only a straight-on rush from the water closet.