Lachlan Arthur delivers 2024 Scholar Speech at the Tuckwell Academic Dinner

27 September 2024

Earlier this month, we celebrated our highly anticipated Annual Tuckwell Academic Dinner with 200 ANU academics, Tuckwell Scholars, staff, and guest speakers including 2015 Tuckwell Scholar, Lachlan Arthur, who delivered the following speech.

Good evening to our Vice Chancellor, special guests, academics, Scholars, and especially the incredible Scholars House team that has made this event possible. I was at the first ever Tuckwell academic dinner in 2015, which had an attendance about a third of this size and was held over in the Common Room at University House. I left Canberra during the pandemic, making this is my first full-scale Tuckwell event since 2019. So it is amazing to see the scale this event has risen to and an honour to speak to you tonight. 

For those of you who don’t know me, I am Lachie, a 2015 Tuckwell Scholar. This means I have the fortunate, and perhaps unenviable honour, of being the first 10th year Tuckwell Scholar. I was asked 10 years ago in my Tuckwell interview where I saw myself in 10 years. I can’t remember exactly what I answered, but I am pretty sure it wasn’t “still studying at ANU”. Graham and Louise might have had second thoughts if they knew I would still be on the books in 2024. 

Tonight, I have been asked to reflect on my academic journey over those 10 years. After an undergraduate degree in medical research, a doctorate in orthopaedics, and three quarters of a medical degree, my most important reflection is that my most transformative experiences at University haven’t been strictly academic at all. I have a very vague memory of the many thousands of lectures, learning objectives, and exams I have been subject to. But the memories and connections I have made with the people I studied alongside of, lived with, and played sport with will last me a lifetime. 

In particular, my sporting experiences have given me the strength to persist and confidence to succeed academically. I have been fortunate to study at two great universities, the ANU and Oxford, but like many of you, arrived at both institutions with the weight of expectations that comes with a prestigious scholarship, the dreaded imposter syndrome, and initially a feeling of just needing to survive before I could thrive. At both universities, it was sport that helped me find my feet and establish my network. At ANU it was Inward Bound and in Oxford it was college rowing. There are many similarities between the two sports. They are both the eminent inter-college sport at each university, they bring together people that had little experience in the sport prior, and they both offer a challenge with a bit of danger and uncertainty. These experiences gave me the confidence that if I could overcome the mammoth challenge of completing IB, or learning to row, then success in my degrees could surely be possible. 

I have found that rowing is an excellent metaphor for finding enjoyment and success in an academic journey. So if you will indulge me in a trip down memory lane, tonight I would like to share some of the lessons I learned from rowing that are transferable to academic life. 

The 1st lesson I learned is that even though you can’t always see the finish line, you are always moving towards it. In rowing, you can never see where you are going, you are always looking behind. You have to have faith that the effort you and your team around you are making progress towards the finish. Much like life in university, especially at the start, it is hard to envisage the end goal. When studying a degree that lasts 3, 4, 5 or more years it is easy to lose sight of your direction. This was especially true for me during my DPhil at Oxford, a degree with no timeline and completely self-directed. At the start I was lost and felt like I was making no progress. In those early months the constructive feedback I received from my rowing coach than my supervisors, and the feeling of improving as a rower, built my confidence and acted as a springboard for progress with my research. 

That’s why Lesson 2 is so crucial. You need to gather your team, know their importance, and find a good cox to navigate your path. The boats you see on the screen are known as 8s, because they have 8 rowers. Without every seat filled the boat can’t go out. If all eight aren’t working together and in time, the boat will lose speed. Your team at university can vary from the classmates you study with, friends and family that support you, and academics who teach you. Collaborating with them and being in sync will keep your study moving even if you can’t see the finish line. But these boats really should be called 9s to account for the most important crew member of all, the cox. They are the only person looking forward, steering the path, and motivating the crew to the finish. At university, you can think of the cox as your supervisors or mentors, the person who has the oversight to offer you advice and help you reach your goals, and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Through the Tuckwell Program I have been fortunate to have fellows and other Scholars who were there to help me navigate my academic path. I have also been fortunate to have great supervisors who have put my interests first and supported my goals both within and outside academia. 

Despite the best efforts of you and your team, academic life has many ups and downs and you may hit choppy water. Lesson 3 is to have a short memory for the hiccups that happen in university life. In rowing it is talked about the boat needing to have a 1 stroke memory. No matter how bad the last stroke was, you can make up for it on the next one. Even if on that stroke you catch a crab, which this poor guy on the screen has done – an unfortunate event where the rowing blade digs into the water and swings back to collect you with great velocity - your teammates will be there to pass you back your blade, and the cox will keep you on a straight path. In my university experience, despite having an overall great time, I have had my share of setbacks. One of the larger ones at the time was being rejected from the Rhodes scholarship the first time I applied. Had it not been for my Tuckwell fellow at the time, I don’t think I would have had the resilience or persistence to reapply, and it goes without saying that in hindsight I am incredibly glad I did. 

The 4th and final lesson is to celebrate the successes, and celebrate them with your team. When you do get to the finish, or reach your goal, of whatever academic journey you are on, think about who was in your boat along the way. Despite what you may be told about a university education being a path to becoming an independent learner, it takes a team to complete an academic journey. On the screen is a photo after my only external regatta win, and it meant so much to win alongside those who I’d learned to row with. Academically, some of you in the room have been a part of my 10-year adventure, some for a short time and some for many years. For me it is a win just as much to have had your support, for which I am forever grateful. 

So Scholars, embrace the discussions you have tonight and take the opportunity to meet a scholar or academic you never have before. You never know, they might be the newest member of your team. And to the academics who are attending tonight, Fiona has mentioned before that given our Program is so young, if we do something once it is automatically a tradition. I think the same goes for your involvement in the program, whether this is your first or 30th Tuckwell event, you are part of the Tuckwell team and on behalf of all Scholars, we appreciate you being here.  

I will end with that. Thank you and enjoy your evening.