As a linguist I pay particular attention to the things people say. One thing that I regularly hear Western Australians say is that we live in the most isolated city in the world.
This is self-limiting and untrue. Untrue, because the most isolated city in the world is not Perth, but Honolulu. Perth is 2104km from the next nearest big city, Adelaide. Honolulu is 3841km from San Francisco, its closest big city.
Self-limiting, because this “isolated” mindset fails to recognise that we live in perhaps one of the most geographically blessed locations in the world, at the centre of the Indo-Pacific region. Our neighbours to the north, largely in the same time zone as us, and our neighbours to the west, are among the fastest growing developing economies in the world. This makes us ideally placed to contribute to their sustainable success and development, and to collaborate and prosper together.
In an increasingly competitive world, where skills, knowledge and innovation are the currency of choice, we are flush with these vital resources. To make the most of these advantages, we must be bold and innovative in our thinking. We must be open to opportunities and willing to seize them. We must raise our voice and influence the world and the direction it takes into the future.
I am a relatively new, but still proud, Western Australian. I was born and raised in Finland, in a far northern city called Oulu, just south of the Arctic Circle.
My journey as a global citizen has brought me to Perth, where I am the Vice Chancellor of Murdoch University — founded as the State’s second university nearly 50 years ago.
One of the things I have observed and admire most about WA is its can-do attitude. WA has grown, matured and embraced its place as a globally focused trading jurisdiction with a flair for discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. We now need to cement this reputation and our role in building the future.
In true WA pioneering fashion, Murdoch University is being bold by leading the establishment and development of the Australian National Phenome Centre.
A person’s phenome is a biochemical snapshot of their unique biology that results from complex interactions between their genes and their environment, (what we get from our parents and how we live our lives) and the environmental influences include diet, lifestyle and exposure to pollutants.
Analysing these biological “fingerprints” helps researchers better understand the underlying causes of disease and ultimately to develop personalised therapies, as well as promote better lifestyle choices, for optimal individual disease prevention, treatment and management.
Phenomic research is set to revolutionise the diagnosis, prevention and precision treatment of a multitude of medical conditions including obesity, autism, type 2 diabetes and the many health issues related to population ageing.
You may remember Harry Butler, a WA environmentalist known around the world as the David Bellamy or David Attenborough of Australia.
In 2017, Murdoch University honoured his legacy by establishing the Harry Butler Institute for Sustainable Development and Environment, with the mission to educate the next 1000 Harry Butlers. We are well on the way.
In his Foundation Day (now WA Day) speech in 2001, Butler said: “WA is built on independent thinkers — those who don’t think in the box. The early farmers, miners, foresters set the standard of living which is envied by the rest of the world. The early colonists put economy and development as their number one priority. Artists, poets, writers and singers created the quality of life, making WA what it is.”
It is now up to us, today’s Western Australians, to honour that legacy and to bring our courage and innovation to the world.
This article was first published in The West Australian.