What defines civilisation? A healed fracture and paying it forward.

PROF. RICHARD PAGE, CHAIR OF COUNCIL

The concept of civilisation within society has intrigued philosophers and thinkers throughout the ages. Margaret Mead, renowned American anthropologist, was a social commentator. Some of her areas of interest included women’s rights, nuclear proliferation, race relations, environmental pollution, and world hunger.

Margaret Mead was an engaging and popular identity on the public speaking circuit in North America during the 1960s and 70s. It was during an interview that she was asked: ‘When does a culture become a civilisation?’.

Many famous philosophers and thinkers had previously pondered the question, and come to the conclusion that the definition of civilisation was the attainment of high-level thinking and reasoning as contributions to social betterment. The evolution of the arts and literature, as well as the organisation of social structure, were felt to be core ingredients that eschewed civilisation or were representative of a civilised society.

However, Mead posed a simpler, more basic tenant to be the hallmark of the birth of civilisation: the care of others.

Mead drew this conclusion following an archaeological dig in which a 15,000-year-old skeleton was uncovered. The skeleton showed evidence of a healed fracture of the femur (the thigh bone), the largest bone in the body.

Mead explained – in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, you cannot drink or hunt for food. Wounded in this way, you are meat for your predators. No creature survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal. You are eaten first.

Instead, the discovery showed that the individual survived - at least long enough for the fracture to heal.

With a fractured femur, a person would be very much incapacitated - unable to obtain food and protect themselves from the elements. Therefore, they would have required the assistance of a fellow human to survive. In the absence of modern medical interventions, the individual would have required this assistance for anywhere from four to six months. To facilitate this would have required significant reorganisation of the clan in which the person lived, as survival priorities were to be met by other clan members.

Mead posed that was the first evidence of the care of others before self, behaviour that exhibited the essence of being civilised. Providing care, food and protection from the elements highlighted the emergence of an organised society, one that could be identified as being ‘civilised’.

It is not a stretch to suggest that the provision of any level of care for others unable to fend for themselves is symbolic of civilisation. Providing resources as a safety net or facilities you may not personally benefit from is a hallmark of living in a civilised society.

Paying forward for the benefit of others is an extension of this idea.

To plant a tree or construct something for the use of others takes our thinking beyond just oneself.

In recognition of this, we should acknowledge the enormous benefits our College community has received from the generosity of others – such as the Morrison family in funding some of the early College buildings, and more recently the generosity of Jill Humble in funding the Keith Humble Centre. The opportunity to contribute in this way again has been taken up by the College community in support of the Bellerin Campaign. We were overwhelmed at the generosity of our community on Giving Day.

Two wonderful fundraising dinners were also hosted by the Campaign Committee in the lead-up to Giving Day, focusing on the Medical and Business Sectors.

The Medical and Health Dinner was themed: ‘Lessons from COVID: Past, Present and Future’, with a panel of eminent medical professionals in a Q&A led by Dr Norman Swan. Guest panellists included Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, renowned Professor Patrick McGorry and Geelong’s Associate Professor Deborah Friedman. The calibre of the discussion was something you would expect to tune into nationally, and distilled the complexity of the last few years into concepts easier to grasp. This was followed by the equally captivating Business and Law Dinner on the theme of ‘Leadership Lessons From Sport, Business and the Law’, with guest panellists including sailing and sports administration legend John Bertrand, AFL Geelong Coach Chris Scott, joined by alumni, Supreme Court Justice Michelle Quigley and Vice President of the Geelong Football Club, lawyer Diana Taylor. All speakers provided rich insights into getting the best out of teams and a glimpse of what it is like at the top.

On behalf of The Geelong College Council, I would like to thank the organisers. I would also like to recognise the Community Relations and fundraising team led by Mr Mike Howell and Mr Peter Moran and the Chair of the Bellerin Campaign Committee Dr Hugh Seward, along with the committee members and support team.

The recent events were a wonderful example of how in a ‘civilised society’ we can organise and pay it forward for the benefit of the future of others.