My son turned 21 yesterday. Twenty one! April 1^st 1988, Australia’s Bicentennial year, the same year the world’s first non-chemical, biological pesticide is invented at the University of Adelaide, the World Expo 88 opens in Brisbane, (I was there), and New Parliament House opens in Canberra. On the other side of the planet the Soviets leave Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq war ends, Long Island beaches close due to medical waste coming ashore, Jimmy Swaggart admits to being with prostitutes, Prozac is introduced as an anti-depressant and Bobby McFerrin tells everyone "Don’t worry, be happy". My, how the world has changed in the last 21 years!

1988 also saw the commencement of the Human Genome project. A genome is an organism’s complete set of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a chemical compound that contains the genetic instructions needed to develop and direct the activities of every organism. The human genome contains approximately 3 billion of these base pairs, which reside in the 23 pairs of chromosomes within the nucleus of all our cells. Conclusion - plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong.

Our synthetic lives festooned with chemicals, a diet of prescription and recreational drugs, and mass media desensitising us from the horrors of the world all point to a future not unlike that described by Aldous Huxley in his novel A Brave New World. Huxley’s masterpiece, first published in 1932, anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. In this world, the vast majority of the population is unified under The World State, an eternally peaceful, stable global society, in which goods are plentiful and everyone is happy. All members of society are conditioned in childhood to hold the values that The World State idealises. Constant consumption is the bedrock of stability for The World State. Everyone is encouraged to consume the ubiquitous drug, soma. Soma is a hallucinogen that takes users on enjoyable, hangover-free "vacations".

Spending time alone is considered an outrageous waste of time. Admitting to wanting to be an individual in the social group is shocking, horrifying, and embarrassing. Conditioning trains people to consume and never to enjoy being alone. The conditioning system eliminates the need for professional competitiveness; people are literally bred to do their jobs and cannot desire another. There is no competition within social classes or castes; each caste member receives the same food, housing, and soma rationing as every other member of that caste. There is no desire to change one’s caste.

Wandering the streets of Glenelg on the weekend, I was struck by the number of homes adorned with synthetic turf, which, apart from being an oxymoron, was quite disturbing in a "brave new world" kind of way. In one street, on the northern side alone, I counted 9 of the 13 homes with "inside out" lawn blanketing their front yards and, as I passed each of these homes I tried to look through the front window, not so much with voyeuristic intent but in the expectation of seeing meat trays on display.

On 14^th April 2003, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium announced the successful completion of the Human Genome Project.

Cliff hanger moments such as these, a narrative with an abrupt ending, come about as a result of decisions we make now that will have undeniable consequences in the future. Is the discovery of the "soma" gene the holy grail of the genome project? And is the inevitability of a world currency the panacea for our economic woes? And will we look back in 21 years time and reflect upon the continuous meetings of the G-20 group of Nations in 2009, as the birth of The World State?

Oh, and I spent last Sunday, alone, watching a pair of Mallard Ducks paddling in the sea 100 metres off shore near Brighton Jetty. I know that sounds crazy but at least they weren’t synthetic!

Happy Birthday Jason, welcome to your inheritance.

Gary Hatwell Executive Chairman