TABLEAUS EDITION 456 AUSTRALIANANDINTERNATIONALMENSANEWS WWW.MENSA.ORG.AU NOV-DEC 2021
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TableAus
Australian and International Mensa News www.mensa.org.au
Edition
456
Since 1966
Nov–Dec 2021
Notices, Letters
In memorium
Murray Trickett
reminders Dear Editor, We have received sad news that the
Prompted by Debra former chairman of Mensa New
telling us there are Zealand, Murray Trickett, passed away
some 1,600 satellites on 11 September 2021.
in orbit—what Muzz, as he was known, had served
AMC 2021 in Perth happens to the as Chair for nine years over two separate
rockets that get them terms and only handed over the position
The Australian Mensa Conference there? in April this year, when he finally
2021 will be held at the Mercure Hotel, became too ill to continue.
Perth, 12–14 November 2021. Organise Keith Sayers, ACT
bookings, order AMC merchandise and
keep up to date by visiting our website. * * *
Dear Editor,
Australian Mensa Annual General I really enjoy being occasionally featured
Meeting 2021 in TableAus, however the last issue
published my photo in a less than
The AGM of Australian Mensa will be dignified pose. I would appreciate if
held at 9 am on Sunday 14 November in the future you could seek from the
at the Mercure Hotel, Perth. It will be Chairman more appropriate photos.
broadcast online on Zoom with Meeting
ID 345 175 6604. The AGM will occur Yours faithfully, Max Genesi, VIC Kymberley and Muzz, at the Auckland AMG.
during the Australian Mensa Conference
and exact location details will be advised I met Muzz several times at IBD
prior to that event. meetings and he was the perfect
gentleman. We also had a long talk
Keep up to date with NatCom during the AMG in Auckland over
two years ago. Even then, he was ill
Keep abreast of decisions of NatCom and needed to rest frequently but still
(Australian Mensa’s National managed to run the music for the Ice
Committee) that affect Mensa’s policies Breaker and other social events.
and actions. These are regularly updated Our sympathy to Chanel and family.
on our website at www.mensa.org.au/
resources/members-resources, where you Kymberley Wilson
will find ASIEs (Actions Still In Effect)
which cover the decisions and policies
that define how Australian Mensa is run,
as well as our Constitution and Standing
Orders.
Write to TableAus
Letters to the editor are always welcome.
The deadline for the next edition (the Jan–
Feb 2022 edition) is Sunday 5 December
2021. If any are received, the best letter
in each edition wins something from the
Mensa store. I will not post a prize to a
dog, so Keith wins this month’s gift.
2 TableAus
Nov–Dec 2021
TableAus Announcements, reports, state news and articles
TableAus is the magazine
of Australian Mensa Inc.
Announcements and reminders_______________________________________ Inside front cover
Chairtalk by Jean-Marc Genesi_____________________________________________________ 2
Proposed constitutional changes by Jean-Marc Genesi____________________________________ 3
Know your Australian Mensa team by Jean-Marc Genesi__________________________________ 4
The history of Mensa (Part 2) by Jean-Marc Genesi with Mark Dettinger______________________ 6
Mensa state events_____________________________________________________________ 11
Mensa’s 75th Birthday Anniversary Zoom by Liam Filson________________________________ 15
Australian Mensa Conference and Mensa Kids Conference in Perth by Kymberley Wilson________ 16
Teen Minecraft Server by Mitchell Payne_____________________________________________ 17
Claire Turton—singer, poet______________________________________________________ 18
Mettle & Flesh—Book review by Glenn Capelli_________________________________________ 19
Online games—lockdown and beyond by Claire Jensen_________________________________ 20
Don’t stop—keep going by John Brookes_____________________________________________ 21
Translating a novel by Elijah Pannozzo______________________________________________ 22
Sibling rivalry by Andrew Hall____________________________________________________ 24
Philosophy is awesome by Meredith Svoronos_________________________________________ 26
Differentiated instruction by Katrina Eddles-Hirsch____________________________________ 29
A lifetime workplace by Geoff Roach________________________________________________ 30
Spam, Spam,Spam—I don’t like Spam by Liam Filson__________________________________ 34
Our cover this month Gift ideas from the Mensa online store by Laura Parsons_________________________________ 35
Mensa Grants by Marian Anear___________________________________________________ 36
How to join Australian Mensa____________________________________________________ 37
Young Mensans
Articles, opinion, fiction, poetry by Young Mensans____________________________________ 38
Puzzles
WA Mensan Claire Turton Puzzles by Peter Eden, Richard Blake, Kymberley Wilson__________________________________ 49
is singer with the four-piece
retro-alternative group
Sonica. Read more about Mensa World Journal
Claire’s music and her
recently published book of Extracts from Mensa World Journal_________________________________________________ 52
poetry on pages 18–19.
Mensa merchandise
Latest Mensa merchandise by Laura Parsons__________________________________________ 57
Staying in touch
Mensa International directory____________________________________________________ 56
Australian Mensa Business Network________________________________________________ 60
Australian Mensa national directory_____________________________________inside back cover
When not whispering
magpies, Peter Gibson is the Australian Mensa state directory_____________________________________________back cover
editor of TableAus. Send him
your stuff at editor@mensa.
org.au. Deadline for the Jan–
Feb 2022 edition is Sunday 5
December 2021.
November — December 2021 1
Chairtalk by Jean-Marc Genesi
Chairman, Australian Mensa.
‘That’s not a bandage. THAT’s a teens. See the article about Discord and
bandage!’. This was Max paraphrasing more in this TableAus.
Crocodile Dundee when I went to show
my second COVID-19 vax wound. We need more of you
His visit to the vet was apparently We will be calling for nominations for
more eventful than my tiny injection elected and volunteer roles next year.
(he is fine). Anyway, I am hopeful that If you feel like contributing to our
high vaccination rates and the coming association and its members, it is a good
summer will see us released quickly from time to start thinking about roles which
our lockdowns and we will get back to would interest you and to which you
running tests and in-person events. could contribute.
On a related note, we often need
Our conference is happening— more Gifted Children Coordinators:
12–14 November 2021 some of our GCCs are involved through
One event which is definitely on is the their own children, and as they are
Australian Mensa Conference in Perth. getting older, our GCCs may want to
While members from QLD, NSW, ACT move to supporting different age groups.
and VIC are currently unable to enter Contact our National GCC Ronald Yu
Western Australia, members from South about our history. It was also a good (gcc@mensa.org.au) or any NatCom
Australia, Tasmania and the Northern opportunity to hear from our more member if you want to get involved.
Territory are allowed in. There is already recent members. Thank you to Lilia
strong local support with enough Bradley who highlighted that we care a Proposed changes to our
firm bookings to support a successful lot for children and adults, but that teens constitution
event. We recommend that you book have specific needs that could be much Our constitution was last updated
refundable travel tickets in case entry better addressed. We are taking seriously in 2014 and it needs to be refreshed.
conditions change. Hotel and conference her suggestions and will be working with NatCom is proposing to do this
fees are refundable if WA regulations NatCom and our volunteers to see how progressively. We are starting by
prevent you from attending. Kymberley we can deliver a better service. presenting to our members nomination
and her team are also looking at the requirements for elected roles. These
possibility of broadcasting some of the Our teens are organised requirements are not new, some are
conference on Zoom. Up-to-date details Teenagers do not want oldies like me required by law and they have been in
for the events are on our website at www. meddling with their activities; I have our ‘Actions Still In Effect’ for several
mensa.org.au/resources/amc-and-kids- a teenage son at home, I get that. years. But because they are missing from
conference-2021 But one thing we can do is make our our constitution, it is currently possible
teenage members aware that a group has for a member to nominate while being
Celebrating 75 years been slowly building up, with its own legally unable to take the role if elected.
We celebrated 75 years of Mensa on committee and a Discord server setup To fix that, and if the international
1 October with a live Zoom session. specifically for them. While TableAus, compliance committee agrees with
Thank you to all the members who emails and Facebook may not be their the proposed changes, we intend to
participated, including past Chairs, communication channels of choice, we run a constitutional ballot as soon as
board members and some of the can still spread the message through our convenient. Please read more about these
founding members of Australian Mensa. membership. Please do not hesitate to proposed changes on the following page
We had the opportunity to share tell your state secretary, GCC or me how in this TableAus and check your email
amusing anecdotes and learn a bit more we could make Mensa a great place for and spam folders!
2 TableAus
AGM—14 November 2021
This is a reminder that we will be Australian Mensa Inc
conducting the Annual General
Meeting of Australian Mensa during
the Australian Mensa Conference at
the Mercure Hotel, on the Sunday 14
Proposed
constitutional
November at 9 am local time. It will
also be broadcast online on Zoom
with Meeting ID 345 175 6604, and
with the meeting’s Zoom password
changes
provided closer to the date. It is a great
opportunity to meet the members of
NatCom, listen to the reports and ask
questions. All members are welcome to
attend. Again, please check your emails
(and spam folder) for the password.
Australian Mensa is an association Original text:
incorporated in South Australia. 2 (1) (c) […] The incumbent Chairman
The History of Mensa may choose to be styled ‘Chairman’,
The South Australian Associations
I received some great feedback from
Incorporation Act 1985 prevents an ‘Chairperson’ or ‘Chairwoman’.
members who read part 1 of ‘The
elected officer from being on our board if
History of Mensa’ in the last issue of
they are ‘insolvent under administration’ Proposed change:
TableAus. It was fun editing it, some
or if they have been convicted of offences 2 (1) (c) […] The incumbent Chairman
anecdotes are just so bizarre—only in
listed under the Act. Furthermore, state may choose to be styled ‘Chairman’,
Mensa! I especially appreciated messages
laws require our elected officers, who are ‘Chair’, ‘Chairperson’ or ‘Chairwoman’.
from long time members who said they
all expected to interact with children,
had never read some of these stories
to be authorised to work with children/ In Section 3 THE CONSTITUTION:
before. Please find in this issue of
vulnerable people (states have varying Reason: Requirements for nomination
TableAus the second part covering the
names for this authorisation). to an elected role are listed in the ASIEs
1971 to 1984 period. I am currently
Over the years, NatCom has introduced but not in the constitution, making
looking for more stories to see if we
requirements for nomination to a NatCom them potentially unconstitutional.
could report on the post-1984 period;
role and listed them in our Actions Still
if you have anything special in your
In Effect (ASIEs). One of our members Original text:
personal archives, please share it with
pointed out that these nomination There is no original text.
chair@mensa.org.au.
requirements are not referenced in our
Thank you for the support. If you
constitution, and our Legal Officer Proposed additions:
have any question, suggestion or
confirmed that it was likely to render 3 (4) (d) v. Nominations to an elected
comment, please do not hesitate to
them unconstitutional. As it stands, a role must be accompanied by an
contact me at chair@mensa.org.au or by
member can constitutionally nominate to authorisation to work with children or
phone 0419 900 254.
a NatCom role but be legally prevented to vulnerable people, issued by the state
take the role if they were elected. authorities where the nominee resides.
We are proposing to amend our
constitution to address this situation. We 3 (4) (d) vi. Nominations to an elected
are also taking this opportunity to present role must be accompanied by a record
a couple of additional constitutional of disclosable court outcomes against
changes: the Chairman should be allowed the nominee, issued by the relevant
to be called ‘Chair’, and we want to authorities or their appointee.
make it clear that NatCom members are
expected to be able to work online. 3 (4) (d) vii. Nominations to an elected
The current constitution of Australian role must be accompanied by a record
Mensa Incorporated is on our website of no undischarged bankruptcies against
at https://www.mensa.org.au/resources/ the nominee, issued by the relevant
constitution-and-standing-orders. authorities or their appointee.
What follows are our proposed changes.
We intend to call a constitutional 3 (4) (d) viii. Nominees to an elected
referendum at the appropriate time. role must accept that their role will
require them to work and interact
In Section 2 DEFINITIONS: with officers and other members using
Reason: ‘Chair’ has become a common electronic devices and online services.
title for the role.
November — December 2021 3
Know your Australian Mensa
team by Jean-Marc Genesi
Chairman, Australian Mensa.
We will be renewing our Mensa team position for a long time; they may be relationship with the schools
in 2022. Not only will we vote to keen to pass the baton to someone else. participating in our Australian Mensa
choose our State Secretaries and our You can contact the office holder directly School Associate network.
Returning Officer, it is also the period to learn more about the role, or you can
when all Non-Voting Officer roles except contact the NatCom member to whom Archivist
Ombudsman get appointed. We will the role reports. And of course, existing Reports to the Chairman.
have the official call for nominations in office holders wishing to continue in their Responsible for the storage and
the March–April 2022 issue of TableAus, role are most welcome to confirm without organisation of the historical documents
with closing date late April 2022—so submitting a full application. of the organisation. Also refer to
there is plenty of time! ‘Assistance needed with Mensa archives’
It will provide you with the opportunity in TableAus Jan-Feb 2020 page 31.
to join our team of volunteers and National Positions
contribute your energy and expertise to Bull Bequest and Gifted Students
our community. Please do not hesitate AMSA Coordinator Fund Coordinator
to express interest for any role, including Reports to the Recruiting Officer. Reports to the Chairman.
where an incumbent officer has held the Responsible for managing the Responsible for the evaluation of
4 TableAus
applications for grants and for making the government. The officer must be State Positions
recommendations to NatCom. Needs a resident of South Australia where State Secretaries manage their own
a ‘Working with Children’ (WWC) Australian Mensa is incorporated. While state committees. Some roles may have
certificate and a Police Check certificate. legally important, there is very little that several reporting lines—direct report or
is actually required from the position. operational report; please refer to the
Editor The last action was to submit our Organisational Chart and the back page
Reports to the Chairman. changed Constitution in 2014. of TableAus.
Responsible for the production of
TableAus. Strong and proven experience Richard Johns Research Grant Proctor
in editing and complete print Committee Reports to the Test Liaison Officer, with
production of a high quality magazine Reports to the Chairman. an operational line to the State Secretary.
required. A small committee with a chairman, Responsible for organising and
which publicises the grants, evaluates supervising testing sessions, including
IT Coordinator and IT Team submissions and makes recommendations booking venues and publicising
(Webmaster, etc.) to NatCom for the awarding of the grant. tests using the event system on our
Reports to the Chairman. Experience in grant evaluation and an website. Also may be responsible for
The positions are at times held by the academic background are desirable. the management of testing materials.
same person; they are jointly responsible Needs to be trained and run testing
for managing our website and addressing SIGHT Coordinator sessions under the supervision of an
other IT matters. The officers will need to Reports to the Membership Secretary. existing proctor. Needs a ‘Working with
learn the administration process for our The contact point for interstate Children’ (WWC) certificate.
website, email management and other and international visitors who are
systems. A background in website content seeking to meet with local Mensans, State Gifted Children Coordinators
management systems would be useful, as get information on local activities Report to the National GCC, with an
would a general background in IT. or find accommodation. Mensa operational line to the State Secretary.
members who wish to offer help and/ Responsible for organising events for child
Legal Officer or accommodation should also contact members and families, and interacting
Reports to the Chairman. the SIGHT officer. Needs a ‘Working directly with parents. Need a ‘Working
Advises NatCom on legal matters. Needs with Children’ (WWC) certificate and a with Children’ (WWC) certificate.
to have a legal background. Police Check certificate.
Other state volunteers and
Merchandise Coordinator SIGs Coordinator committees
Reports to the Membership Secretary. Reports to the Membership Secretary. Each State Secretary may also create
Manages all merchandise related Special Interest Groups (SIGs) can be other roles in their state committee.
activities: order new stock, manage set up by any group of two or more Some common roles include state
existing stock, fulfilment. members who have some interest in newsletter editor, events coordinators,
common. Official Australian Mensa new member welcome, or regional or
National Gifted Children SIGs must be approved by NatCom. The demographic contacts. Some of these
Coordinator SIGs Coordinator can help in the setting roles may require a ‘Working with
Reports to the Chairman. up and running of these groups. Children’ (WWC) certificate.
Liaise with parents, educators and other Please contact your State Secretary
interested parties on Gifted Children in Social Media Officer and see how you can make a difference
general and child members in particular. Reports to the Membership Secretary. locally.
Has co-responsibility for State GCCs with Responsible for managing the various
the State Secretaries. Needs a ‘Working social media groups officially approved
with Children’ (WWC) certificate. by Mensa and is an administrator on
such groups. Advises NatCom on
Networking Coordinator matters related to social media.
Reports to the Recruiting Officer.
Responsible for facilitating contacts Test Liaison Officer
between members. Produces and Reports to the Recruiting Officer.
manages the online Members Mapping Responsible for recruiting, training
tools. Also seeks and manages retail and supporting the state proctors, in
discount agreements for members. conjunction with State Secretaries, and
for other matters related to membership
Public Officer testing. Should be a proctor or have been
Reports to the Chairman. one in the past. Needs a ‘Working with
This is a position required by Children’ (WWC) certificate.
corporations law to act as a contact
between an incorporated body and
November — December 2021 5
The history of Mensa
by Jean-Marc Genesi with Mark Dettinger
Jean-Marc Genesi is Chairman of Australian Mensa and Mark Dettinger is a member of
Mensa Switzerland.
2021 is the 75th year anniversary of the three stated goals of Mensa is to
Mensa—our association was officially encourage research into the nature,
founded on 1 October 1946. characteristics and uses of intelligence.
We published the first instalment Mensa began pursuing this goal seriously
of ‘The History of Mensa’ in the that year with the creation of the Mensa
September–October 2021 issue Education and Research Foundation
of TableAus. Many members have (mensafoundation.org). The Foundation
commented that some of the early has grown over the years, and we are
anecdotes were not only very surprising celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021.
but at times hilarious. Did we really set
the entry criterion at the top 2% because
too many early members did not make
the top 1% cutoff once retested? Part 5: ‘No taxation without
I have been fascinated by Mensa’s representation’ (1971–1979) The Mensa Foundation is funded
history compiled by Mark Dettinger for by donations. Today, it gives away an
Mensa Switzerland. His main sources are: 1971: The Master returns average of US$175,000 every year
– The book Mensa: The society of the Under the interim leadership of Frank through a scholarship program run by
highly intelligent, written by our Weil, Mensa recovered from the crisis 400 volunteers. It presents national
former International Chairman Victor initiated in 1966 by the ‘Special Interest and international awards in recognition
Serebriakoff in 1985—which may Group for Reform In Mensa’. In the of research, education and practical
explain some slight bias. international elections of October achievement regarding giftedness,
– The History of American Mensa (video 1971, ‘the Builder of Mensa’ Victor intelligence and creativity. Some awards
made by American Mensa). Serebriakoff is returned to become are specifically for Mensa members who
– Victor Serebriakoff’s obituary in The International Chairman once again. contribute to the Foundation’s mission,
New York Times, 10 January 2000. With Mensa back on track, new but others recognise the advancement
Lancelot Ware’s obituary in The projects could be undertaken. One of of knowledge and education without
Economist, 31 August 2000.
– Various National Mensa websites and
individual Mensa members who told
Mark their stories.
With a big thank you to Mark Dettinger,
here is the second instalment of ‘The
History of Mensa’, covering the years
1971-1984.
Victor Serebriakoff (centre)
6 TableAus
membership requirements. The Mensa the concept of ‘mind maps’ in the in the English Channel that is famous
Foundation also publishes the Mensa 1970s and who later developed the for its low taxes, has today the densest
Research Journal. mind-mapping software iMindMap, concentration of Mensans in the world
On 1 October 1971, Mensa’s Silver became editor of the Mensa International with around 1,000 members per million
Anniversary was celebrated with a Journal. He was probably the best editor inhabitants (the population is 174,000).
reception in Lincoln’s Inn, London, Mensa had had until then. Suddenly Australian Mensa today has 102
where many old-timers were able to the magazine was lively, controversial, members per million.
meet each other again, amongst them intense and full of good authors. The second World President of Mensa
the founder Lance Ware who had not American Mensa’s membership was finally appointed. The choice fell on
been an active member for many years. shot up from 12,000 to 16,000 active Professor Richard Buckminster Fuller,
Lance Ware was given the honorary members. the futuristic architect and inventor of
position of ‘fons et origo’ (Latin for the geodesic dome. The C60 molecule
‘source and origin’). Lance arranged for 1972 with its football-like structure is named
the installation of the blue plaque on the The Arts Theatre Club in London, ‘Buckminster-Fullerene’ or ‘Buckyball’
wall of the house in Oxford, where it all which had been founded by a member, after him.
began 25 years earlier. becomes the new standard hangout of Buckminster Fuller was an inventor
On 10 October 1971, nine days British Mensa, the usual place where par excellence. He envisioned mile-
after the Silver Anniversary, the first meetings were held. high floating cities and held more than
World President of Mensa, Professor Sir 2,000 patents at the time of his death.
Cyril Burt, died at the age of 85. Burt’s 1973 He also held 39 honorary doctorates
help and influence had been a decisive In the international election, the Victor in fields ranging from the fine arts to
factor in Mensa’s progress towards Serebriakoff ticket won again with a good engineering and was the author of 25
respectability among psychologists in majority. In America, the number of books, including Operating Manual for
the early years. Mensa journals began members continued to rise, whereas in Spaceship Earth, in which he compared
to discuss the appointment of a new Britain membership declined. Although the Earth to a large mechanical device
president. The Mensa World President there were good publicity campaigns in that, like an automobile, periodically
is an honorary position, not to be Britain, they were ineffective because the needed to be tuned.
confused with the executive position administration could not cope with the
of International Chairman, which was flow of enquiries that were triggered by 1975
held by Victor Serebriakoff. There were these campaigns. Membership in America reached 22,000.
a few good candidates, such as Professor The regional gatherings (RGs), each one
Raymond Cattell, another famous 1974 having its own distinctive flavour, became
psychologist who had been a student In May, British Mensa suffered a bigger and more important in the USA.
of Burt and had been another faithful minor schism as the Channel Islands
supporter of Mensa through good and broke away and formed their own 1976
bad times. Mensa, having been dissatisfied with Victor Serebriakoff won the
Tony Buzan, an English author and the magazine service. As a side note, international elections for another term.
educational consultant who popularised the Channel Islands, an archipelago While American Mensa continued
to grow, British Mensa progressively
raised concerns: the British board was
constantly changing, there were endless
damaging quarrels, arguments, lawsuits,
and childish pamphleteering. Although
they gained many new members, many
more resigned or lapsed, resulting in a
drop in membership.
1977
The 1977 British Annual Gathering was
reported to be a disgrace to Mensa. ‘In
a long, noisy, confused and disorderly
meeting’, as reported by Serebriakoff,
‘both the chairman and the secretary
were unable to establish order and
resigned on the spot’. Besides these
problems, the number of members in
British Mensa kept decreasing. Only
1,350 members were left in 1977, down
from 4,000 members in 1962.
Mensans at The Arts Theatre Club, London. At the same time, American Mensa
November — December 2021 7
The second World President of Mensa, Professor Richard Buckminster Fuller,
had grown to 24,000 members and worldwide were American. Therefore, American Mensa and the rest of the
started a political move to regionalise. The American Mensa also paid 80% of the world. On the other hand, to fix the
American Mensa central committee was expenses of Mensa International. The problem for the long term, the rest of
expanded with 15 regional vice-chairs. International Committee, however, met the world needed to seriously increase
in Europe. The ‘one country, one vote’ their membership numbers to correct the
1978 rule in the international constitution transatlantic imbalance. British Mensa in
With 9,744 digits, Hans Eberstark, was still in effect, and since Mensa particular, which had shrunk from 4,000
Mensa Switzerland’s first president, set a was present in 17 countries, American to 1,350 members in the last years, had
new world record in memorising pi. Mensa had one out of 17 votes in the to find a way to reverse the downward
British Mensa saw another miserable International General Council (IGC). trend. Victor Serebriakoff looked around
year with another uninspiring and In the eyes of American Mensa, it for help and turned to two old friends:
quarrelsome AG. was English colonialism and taxation Clive Sinclair and Dr Madsen Pirie.
without representation all over again. Clive Sinclair belongs to the growing
1979 Threats of a new ‘Boston Tea Party’ group of people who became famous
Having run into a financial mess, Mensa appeared more and more. American after joining Mensa. One could argue
Germany was dissolved and founded Mensa wanted more say in the affairs that people who already are famous
again under the new name Mensa in of Mensa International, with threats of before joining Mensa usually don’t
Germany (Mensa in Deutschland e.V.), breaking off and forming their own club bother trying a Mensa test, because they
under which it is known today. if their aspirations were not addressed. are too busy and because they have a
Katia Chestopalov became Mensa A revision of the constitution became strong disincentive to risk failure. Clive
Switzerland’s first chairwoman. Hans necessary to avoid such a breakup. Sinclair joined Mensa in 1959 at the
Eberstark set another world record in age of 19. He had not been noticeably
memorising pi, this time with 11,944 Part 6: ‘The Miami Pact’ (1979–1984) successful in the following 20 years
digits. after joining, but Serebriakoff was
The increasing strength of American 1979 enormously impressed by his personality
Mensa and British Mensa’s decline Victor Serebriakoff approached the after having met him at various Mensa
created a new problem: a gradual problem from two sides. On the one events. Clive was working in 1979 on
accentuation of a transatlantic rift. In hand, the constitution would have to building a personal computer for the
1979, 80% of the 42,000 Mensans be changed to make it acceptable for hobby market with his little company
8 TableAusClive Sinclair’s company released the
ZX80, one of the world’s first home
computers. Clive’s rapidly growing
prestige subsequently helped British
Mensa to correct its negative image.
Victor Serebriakoff wrote in his book
that British Mensa had been publicly
seen as the ‘Brain Proud Quarrelsome
Underachievers Limited’, and a
membership campaign led by an obvious
overachiever like Sinclair was going to be
very helpful.
Clive Sinclair introduced the ‘Mensa
At Cambridge’ conference, an annual
event at the University of Cambridge
that lasted five days and featured lectures
at the cutting edge of science and
philosophy. It got a lot of press attention
and TV time. British Mensa began to
grow again.
At the British Annual Gathering at
Aston University, Sinclair was elected
Chairman of British Mensa.
1981: The Miami Pact
Sinclair Computers Ltd was renamed
Sinclair Research Ltd and released the
ZX81. American Mensa membership
reached 47,000.
International Mensa’s executive
committee, the International General
Council (IGC), met in Baltimore.
The meeting entered Mensa history as
the ‘Baltimore Disaccord’. American
Mensa insisted on introducing voting
rights that were strictly proportional
to membership numbers. The other
countries were not willing to accept that
Clive Sinclair was elected Chairman of British Mensa in 1980. one country should get the absolute
majority of voting rights and insisted
on finding a compromise. After a few
Science of Cambridge Ltd, which would International elections of November days of quarrelling, the delegates left in
later become Sinclair Computers Ltd. 1979. After they had won it, Madsen serious disagreement.
Although Clive was quite busy with Pirie became International General The National Mensas proceeded
this project, Serebriakoff managed to Secretary of Mensa International. on their own and created six different
persuade him to join him in a campaign Dr Abbie Salny was appointed as proposals for a new constitution.
to attract new members. International Supervisory Psychologist Serebriakoff became seriously afraid that
Madsen Pirie was president of the (ISP) of Mensa, a position she a breakup of Mensa International would
Adam Smith Institute (ASI), a libertarian subsequently held for 23 years. become unavoidable: either American
political think tank, which he had The role of the ISP is to approve Mensa would quit the federation if the
founded in 1978 and which advocated the appointments of the National ‘one country, one vote’ rule remained
the free market and classical liberal ideas. Supervisory Psychologists (NSPs) of the in effect, or several European Mensas
He had already become quite influential, individual countries and to approve the would quit if the current rules were
advised Margaret Thatcher, and later IQ tests the National Mensas want to abolished.
became the chief architect of her use. Abbie Salny created the practice Eventually, everything worked out for
privatisation policy. Amusingly, Roland test that is still used by many National the best. Hyman Brock, the chairman
Berrill’s dream had become a reality: Mensas today. of Mensa Canada at that time, brought
Mensa was now advising the government the IGC together again in Miami and
on policy. Victor persuaded Madsen to 1980 a compromise (‘The Miami Pact’) was
run for office with him in the Mensa American membership reached 43,000. spelt out on 31 October 1981. The
November — December 2021 9Lancelot Ware was appointed an Officer
of the Order of the British Empire (OBE),
Clive Sinclair a Knight Commander of the
British Empire (KBE).
1984
Victor Serebriakoff published his book
Mensa, which tells the history of Mensa
from 1946 to 1984 and from which most
of the facts in this retelling of the history
of Mensa come from. The book ends with
a table of the membership numbers at the
end of 1984. The biggest Mensa countries
back then were:
1. USA 47,404
2. Britain 13,139
3. Canada 2,088
4. Australia 712
5. New Zealand 502
6. Austria 466
7. France 425
8. Netherlands 389
Sinclair’s inventions included the Sinclair C5, a pedal assisted electric car.
9. Finland 380
10. South Africa 289
World total 68,068
vote in the IBD. National Mensas with
at least 1,000 members got two votes;
American Mensa was still dominant,
those with 5,000 got three votes. For
but they did not represent 80% of the
each additional 5,000 members, one
membership anymore. By 1984, their
more vote was allocated. This vote
share had fallen to 70%, mainly due to
allocation was proportional enough for
the rise of British Mensa. Impressively,
American Mensa to accept it, and it was
Australia and New Zealand had a strong
also acceptable for the other countries,
standing in these statistics relative to our
as, under these rules and the current
populations.
membership numbers, no country had
This concludes our ‘History of
an absolute majority.
Mensa’. I had a lot of fun editing and
updating Mark Dettinger’s work and
1982
learning a lot more about Mensa in the
Sinclair Research Ltd released the ZX
process. While we celebrate Mensa’s 75th
Spectrum.
anniversary, it is to be noted that 2021
The new constitution was put to a
is also a sad year, with the passing of
worldwide referendum and was accepted.
Dr Abbie Salny in August and Sir Clive
It is still in effect today.
Sinclair in September. They will not be
Hyman Brock, chairman of Mensa
forgotten by our Mensa community.
Canada and the person who organised
the 1981 IGC meeting in Miami,
was elected as the new International
The Sinclair ZX80 home computer (top) and the Chairman. Victor Serebriakoff was
ZX Spectrum home computer (above).
offered the honorary non-executive post
of International President of Mensa
subsequently approved constitutional International.
changes and elections created the IBD
(International Board of Directors), 1983
consisting of the International British Mensa membership reached the
Chairman, Director of Administration, 10,000 mark. Professor Buckminster Fuller,
Director of Development and Treasurer the second president of Mensa and now
(the four elected International Officers), President Emeritus, died on 1 July 1983.
and representatives (‘Nat Reps’) chosen Lance Ware and Clive Sinclair were
by each recognised Full National Mensa knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for their
(FNM). Each FNM got at least one services to British society and industry.
10 TableAusMensa state events
Tasmania
New first aid officer
My name is Jacob Dobson and at our
last get-together I volunteered to become
the new First Aid Officer for Mensa
Tasmania. It was all fine and dandy to
volunteer but there was one small hitch,
I was not qualified for the position.
‘Don’t worry about my nose Jacob, I can’t feel
my legs!’
I quickly signed up for a first aid
course and at the start of August I
participated in and completed my
training. Now certified, I can assume the
role of patching up paper cuts and the
like at upcoming Mensa events without
concern of doing it wrong.
I was actually surprised by the
comprehensive nature of the course. We
covered everything from sunburn all the
way up to the application of CPR and use Tasmania
of a defibrillator in the worst of situations.
I found the course thoroughly enjoyable Cheese report
and the knowledge I gained (however
much I hope I never have to use it) was Just an update on that cheese that was
well worth the two days of my life. on the cover of July TableAus. 22 August
So now equipped with a fully stocked was the due date for opening it. See the
first aid kit and armed with the training picture above.
on how to actually use it, I shall venture And it is a truly wonderful cheese.
forward to all Mensa gatherings and Amazing base flavour and the sage inparts
proudly flaunt that cross-bearing bag. I an amazing undertone throughout the
look forward to meeting you all again whole thing. Seriously satisfying.
and maybe even applying a Band-Aid to
Shane Ariel
one of you in the future!
Mensa Tasmania
Jacob Dobson
Mensa Tasmania
November — December 2021 11Mensa state events
Tasmania
Tasmanian Mensa
Midwinter Lunch
2021
Mensa Tasmania celebrated its annual
mid-winter lunch in the small Midlands
town of Ross in June. The occasion was
well attended by members, family and
guests, seventeen of us altogether, in our
regular hotel’s private function room.
Unfortunately the roaring log fire
which in past years created a toasty
(albeit somewhat smoky) ambience
was absent due to a dearth of firewood.
No matter. Being sensible Tasmanians
we had all arrived well wrapped up
with jackets, beanies and scarves. The
delightful staff scurried around and
unearthed a couple of small electric
heaters, and once we had worked out
Tasmania Mensans celebrate lunch at Ross in the Midlands.
which power points to use in order to
avoid blowing all the fuses, things began
to warm up. Victoria 134), ‘Sionnagh’ (Mick Todd with 134),
‘Thomas n 250707’ (Thomas Nethery
The traditional quiz produced its
usual quota of mutterings and anguished 2021 Mensa AFL with 134), ‘King Darby’ (Darby Nash
with 133) and ‘Gee Whiz’ (our Treasurer
groans but most of us managed to
get more than half of the questions footy tipping Nick Scott with 133).
correct—not bad going. All participants
were presented with a small prize, and
results See you all again in 2022.
Jean-Marc Genesi
since several had the same winning score Mensa Victoria
I am glad we were able to experience
(Hmm—brains trust?) tickets were
a relatively good AFL season in 2021,
drawn for the main prize which was a
considering what we had to put up with
bottle of wine and box of chocolates.
last year. And what a finale we had in
This was won by young William
Perth! Congratulations to the Demons,
Ringrose, who gallantly presented the
I really thought they had given up by
wine to mum Fiona.
half-time.
Jacob Dobson volunteered to be First
Our friendly Mensa tipping contest
Aid Officer, taking over from me, and it
is now complete. Congratulations to
was encouraging to see that his daughter
‘MEAA’, aka Marian Anear. With a
Rebecca also expressed an interest in
total score of 141, she knew going into
learning first aid.
the finals that she was this year’s Mensa
We all thoroughly enjoyed catching
champ.
up with old friends and making new
‘Dejy’ (Dejvid Aleksovski with 139)
ones. Our next event is the Christmas
came ahead of ‘JezzaF’ (our Legal Officer
lunch in Hobart which is always well
Jeremy Feiglin with 138), ‘Mr I.T.’
attended and enjoyable.
(Peter Sibbald with 137), and our very
Catherine Marshall talented Chairman in fifth place (me
Mensa Tasmania with 135).
The remaining members in the top
10 were ‘Snowboet’ (Ken Rylander with
12 TableAusMensa state events
New South Wales (our group size) the clear rate was just
33%. However, we managed to solve the
Mensa NSW room in about 55 minutes, the average
time. At the end, the staff showed us a
families’ trip to detailed evaluation of our run-through.
Canberra The room required teamwork, with side-
by-side puzzle chains forcing us to divide
and conquer. The teamwork forged new
What started as a suggestion to see the friendships and strengthened existing ones.
Botticelli to Van Gogh Exhibition (great Overall, the escape room was an excellent
idea Claire) became an amazing weekend activity that really challenged us. Some
for a dozen families. other great activities on the weekend were
Young Mensans Lottie, Stephen, the e-scooter riddle hunt and the Segway
Eva, Kayla, Jason, Cody, Mark, Warren, tour. I had a really great time on the trip
Grace, Claudia, Noah and some of and recommend it to everyone.’
their siblings, took their parents on an Mark Sukhovsky
adventurous weekend to meet and make
friends with Tobin, Kaitlyn and other ‘It was great being able to meet fellow
members from ACT Mensa. Mensa children and bond over common
With activities for pre-schoolers, interests and experiences. The event was
primary and secondary school age organised well with a vast variety of places
groups, conversations, quizzes and where people were from. I hope to meet
games, there was something for everyone more Mensans and make more friends in
and ongoing friendships formed. the future!’
A huge thank you to the amazing Thanks, Tobin
Ruth, events coordinator for the ACT,
for her energy is coordinating a special Belinda Manewell (Lottie’s Mum)
E-Scooter Challenge, Segway Ride,
Riddle Rooms, visits to Cockington
Green and the Dinosaur Museum,
dinner and games at Guild and a private
dinner at the Australian Croatian Club
(thanks Hal).
We also added Pod Playground,
Questacon and of course the National
Gallery for Masterpieces from the
National Gallery, London. Wow, sounds
like a busy weekend, but it was actually
really relaxing, easy going and fun.
Here’s what some of the young Mensans
thought:
‘The Canberra Mensa weekend was
an excellent trip. Every activity was
well thought out and well done. All
the activities had their merits, but my
favourite was the escape room. We went to
a place called Riddle Room and split into
two groups. My group was in an escape
room called the Dungeon, which was about
a group of citizens trapped by a mad king
and forced to complete his tests to escape. It
had very inventive puzzles and constantly
threw new things at us. We were given one
hour to escape the room. With five people
November — December 2021 13Mensa state events
South Australia
Sad news, and
some good news
SA members are still fortunate to be able
to go out to events. The CBD lunches
are attended by a regular core of people
and so are the pub trivia nights (pictured
below). We have mixed results at these,
but winning is not the sole purpose of A lavish spread of appetizers (pictured
the get-together. In October we will be above) was followed by the meat and
enjoying High Tea, then before we know discussion on a myriad topics always
it, Christmas will be upon us! in evidence at Mensa events. A tour
of the house revealed a comfortable
home theatre room, which may come in
handy for future events and the evening
activities included star gazing from the
first floor balcony. The westerly aspect
Stuart Hodson. revealed the Southern Cross as well as
a very prominent Venus with a much
fainter Mercury below it.
Congratulations Joe Taeni (shown below) was voted
On a much happier note, it is pleasing Best Dressed Mensan for the impressive
to share some good news. Two of our suit he wore for his motorcycle ride from
members, Richard Goddard and Christine Burpengary. Queensland State Secretary,
The South Australia Mensan trivia team. Baker are now engaged. We wish them Richard Klysz, also attended with a bottle
every happiness for their future together. of Hogshead Shiraz. Sympathies are
Some online events have proved popular directed to those jurisdictions in lockdown.
including Zoom Trivia, Tiny TED Talks Laura Parsons
SA Statesec Future Sunday afternoon BBQs will
and Codenames. These are suitable take place on October 10, November 14
for all ages and a great diversion for and December 12.
everyone. Let’s hope 2022 will be a
much better year for all our members to
Queensland
Vicki Herd
be able to stay in touch.
Gold Coast Sunday Mensa Queensland
Vale Stuart Hodson
It is with great sadness that I have
afternoon BBQ
to inform you of the passing of SA Mensa Queensland launched a new
member, Stuart Hodson. Stuart joined monthly event on Sunday, September
Mensa in 2000 and was an active 12. Vicki Herd, newly transferred from
member who attended most events. He Canada, hosted Mensa events in Calgary
also hosted some events including the and the Canadian Rockies for 30 years.
Australia Day BBQ. He was a popular She now will open her Gold Coast home
friend and very useful at trivia nights on the second Sunday of each month for
with a wide general knowledge and a a BBQ and discussion for any interested
very lively, inquiring mind. He was 65. Mensan.
He is survived by his wife, Sarah and The inaugural event attracted three
three children. He will be greatly missed Mensans from Brisbane and three from
by all who knew him. RIP Stuart. the Gold Coast and Vicki’s son Scott
(a lapsed Mensan) and daughter-in-law
Courtney and house dog Gypsy also
were present.
14 TableAusMensa’s 75th Birthday
Anniversary Zoom by Liam Filson
Liam is Australian Mensa’s Membership Secretary.
1 October 2021 marked 75 years since
Mensa was formed. Given much of the
membership was in lockdown and Zoom
has become a part of life these days, I
arranged a nationwide Zoom meeting
(hosted by our Chair Jean-Marc) to
allow the members to reminisce about
their time in Mensa.
We had members from far and wide
crossing five time zones, as some members
were overseas. This included current and
past Chairs and other officers. This was
meant to be a 30 minute Zoom call with
a few words by the Chair Jean-Marc, a
nice birthday screenshot as shown here
and a funny happy birthday Zoom video
which can be seen on the M in Aus
Facebook group.
However it ended up being well
over two hours of discussion and funny
stories from all walks of life. It also
started some interesting debates, the
most interesting was the need for better
connection of young members with
other young members (there is another
TableAus article on this topic).
It was amazing what a quick Zoom
birthday ended up evolving into.
Better connection of young members
is a core issue of mine—as you can see
from my past TableAus articles—as
well as running many millennial-aimed
events in Sydney. Getting the 13–18
year old and 18–45 year old members
more active across the country is
something I’m hoping to address as your
Membership Secretary, for the sake of
long-term growth and sustainability of
memberships.
For more stories on the history of
Mensa, the Chair Jean-Marc has written
some amazing articles on this, worth a
read. I’m sure there will be more stories
to come by 1 October next year.
November — December 2021 1512-14 November 2021
Australian Mensa Conference
and Mensa Kids’ Conference by Kymberley Wilson
Kymberley is a West Australian Mensan.
or h1754@accor.com. Quote the booking Sunday morning
code ‘AMC21’ to get the above rates. AGM, including morning tea.
We have managed to secure the No charge.
remaining two conference rooms at The plan is to broadcast this on Zoom
no charge, which will be used for for members who cannot travel to Perth.
registration/merchandise and breakout/
games rooms. Sunday afternoon
Ride the self-driving Intellibus in South
Events and costs Perth, as will be described in the RAC
Friday night presentation. Tickets are free and can be
Three-hour cocktail party with platters booked through a link on the website.
and two complimentary alcoholic drinks, Times are on the hour and half hour
The conference is (beer, wine, cider, spirits) followed by a from 12.00 noon to 3.30 pm.
still going ahead, cash bar. Soft drink available on demand.
unless Perth itself is Adults $50, Children $25. Monday
locked down. Day trip to Rottnest Island at own expense.
We realise most Saturday day Ferry tickets: from Perth approximately
interstate members Conferences including morning and $80, from Fremantle approximately $50.
will not be able afternoon tea and buffet lunch. Discounts might not be available due to
to travel here but The adult price is the same whether for low numbers.
we have enough locals to cover the the main AMC or the Kids’ Conference.
minimum costs for the conference venue Adults $95, Children $80. Speaker program
for the events on Saturday and the AGM We have managed to secure a great
and a testing session on Sunday. Saturday night range of speakers. Thanks to the other
The Mercure is a 4-star hotel Gala Dinner Buffet including a three- committee members and to former
located between Adelaide Terrace and hour drinks package. WA State Secretary, Tereen Hough, for
Hay Street, on Irwin Street opposite Buffet: Seafood—prawns, oysters, suggestions and contacts.
Government House. marinated octopus, mussel and squid salad. • Jeffery Williams—CEO of St John
Three salads, one roast, two hot dishes, of God Hospital in Bunbury, on
Accommodation four desserts, cheese platter. health services in the environment of
Even the standard rooms are quite Drinks: Red, white and sparkling wine, COVID-19.
spacious and we will be in the East beer and cider. Soft drinks. • Jacqueline Ronchi—Mensa member
wing, with a view of the Westin with its and RAC President, on RAC’s Purpose
artworks, and the cathedral. Theme: Stars and Starlets—either dress Vision and Mission, with David
• Discounted accommodation rate of for the red carpet or come as a movie Brodhag—Technical Lead of Mobility
$110 per room per night. or TV character. Or be creative and Projects on the RAC Intellibus.
• Breakfast $20 per person (normally come as your favourite constellation or • Cam Sinclair—Director Ammo
$32). polygram. Marketing and Startup WA, on Tech
• This rate is valid for all standard room Adults: $99. Startups.
types (available with queen or twin Kid’s Conference continues to 9.30 pm, • Mark Small—Safety Professional
bedding) for bookings from 8–18 with pizza/pasta and movie. and Director of Elect Training and
November. Adults and Children $15. Consulting, Fellow of the Australian
Please contact the Mercure Perth Institute for Health and Safety, Past
Reservations Department on 08 9326 7000 President and Life Member of the
16 TableAusTeen Minecraft
Energy Club of Western Australia, on
human and organisational factors.
• Dr Nicholas Mabbott—Sleep and
Fatigue Risk Management Specialist.
server
• Joshua Portlock—CTO of Electro.
Aero and Electro.Nautic, on electric
planes and hydrofoil watercraft.
• Alexandra Helens—Mensa member
and Chair of Neurodiversity working by Mitchell Payne
group at BHP. Mitchell is a teenage Mensan from WA.
• Diya Sanjay—Mensa child member
and winner of a number of public
speaking awards.
Testing session
A supervised testing session will be
run on Sunday after the AGM. This
is a chance for partners, parents and
older children to get tested. Our Kids’
Conference organiser, Amanda Rogers,
has offered to organise activities for
children of people taking the test.
Merchandise
We will have souvenir polo shirts for
this conference, with the ‘21 Swan’ logo
embroidered on them. These will be
available in Men’s, Ladies’ and Kids’ ranges.
These will be the same brand and style
of shirts that were available for the AMC
in Canberra, which are a cotton/polyester
blend. These provide a large size range
with a large choice of colours. Please note, The privately set up Mensa Teen Discord Not only this, as Hypixel is a server
not all colours are available in all sizes. channel has been running for quite with many minigames, and I own the
some time now, and a group of us in MVP++ rank, I’m also able to host
Ranges the gaming channel recently discussed private minigames including Skywars,
• Men: 2XS to 11XL, 30 colours. playing Minecraft together. While there Bedwars, and many more. This will allow
• Ladies: 6 to 30, 24 colours. is an existing official Mensa Minecraft us to have fun without sinking time into
• Kids: 2 to 14, 20 colours. Bedrock server, most of us teenagers prefer a survival world, or play casually without
Prices : Adults $25, Kids $22.50. Check to play Minecraft Java. The Java version having to grind for gear.
our website for details and to place offers much more variety in terms of user- So, I urge you, if you fit the bracket,
orders. Orders placed by interstate created content, and if there should be and own Hypixel, talk to Joerg or me,
members who are unable to attend will interest we can even try some Java coding. give us your IGN, and we can let you
be posted to them. On our Mensa Teen Server, we have in. Just a warning that the server is
discussed and come up with an idea. It first come first served, so get in quick!
COVID-19 isn’t perfect, however it will work in the However, any Mensan anytime is able
We had hoped lockdowns and travel short term before we can decide on a to ask for private games with others in
restrictions were behind us and hopefully, more permanent solution. Together with the society, and this is a good way to
with the vaccination program ramping Joerg Henrichs (the Victorian GCC), we mitigate the impact of the small amount
up in the next few months, this will again have decided I can host a SMP (Survival of server space.
be the case in November. Since travel multiplayer server) on the Hypixel
restrictions are imposed on certain states, Network.
conference and event registrations will be This will be an experiment, as it will Australian Mensa Teen Discord
refunded and rooms cancelled at no cost be capped at 20 members, and may not
to interstate members. work as well as anticipated. It will also be To access the main Discord, email your
If events are cancelled, due to lack limited to members of the Mensa Teen full name, age and Mensa membership
of numbers or COVID-19 lockdown, Discord server. Bear in mind that this is number to mensatc@gmail.com and let
us know you would like to join the Mensa
registration fees will be refunded. not an official Mensa-supported server, Teen Discord.
but it will be moderated by yours truly
and only Mensans will be allowed access.
November — December 2021 17Claire Turton—singer, poet
Western Australian Mensan Claire
Turton has been busy over the past
few years. She works in the financial
services industry, has a four-piece retro-
alternative rock band Sonica and has
just published Mettle & Flesh, a book of
poetry (reviewed on the following page).
She says ‘I feel I may be proof you can
teach an old dog new tricks!’
Born in Melbourne, Claire cut her
musical teeth while living in the UK on
90s stalwarts The Bluetones, Radiohead,
Garbage and the Prodigy. Claire was
privately taught by some of the WA
Opera’s sopranos before taking a break
from music. Over that time her vocal
influences evolved and extend from
Karen Carpenter to Amy Lee and Shirley
Manson, and Enya. Developing a taste
for writing, her lyrical and vocal style has Sonica live, at The Camfield, Perth, October 2020.
found a creative home with Sonica.
Sonica’s original retro-alternative alt-
rock vibe evokes the sounds of Siouxsie
and the Banshees, Joy Division and Lush,
with atmospheric melodies that blend
elegant female vocals, ethereal effects-
soaked guitars, and vibrant rhythms.
Other members of the group are Alan
Pettigrew on guitar, Roshan Weddikkara
on bass and Sylvain Ayrault on drums.
The band has just released ‘Wait for
Me’, the follow-up to their debut ‘Descent
into Blue’. Produced by Peter Renzullo
at Scudley, ‘Wait for Me’ demonstrates
Sonica’s musical versatility as they produce
melodic and accessible songs which You can listen to a track from There is a set of links to
traverse the boundaries of 80s post-punk, ‘Wait for Me’ on SoundCloud Sonica’s albums and tracks,
dreampop and shoegaze genres. at this link. YouTube videos, social media
The band’s unique sound has and website at https://
attracted interest from streaming linktr.ee/Sonicabandau or
playlisters and internet radio across use this QR code.
Australia and internationally.
18 TableAusYou can also read
