Mensa Australia: The genius lives in low and middle income suburbs

THE average genius isn't a hot-housed inner city kid or even a brain surgeon. New data from Mensa Australia reveals something else instead.

Members of mensa ... Sarah Broadhead, 17, with her brothers Robert (Sarah's twin) and Rohan.

THE average genius isn't a hot-housed inner city kid or even a brain surgeon: from railway workers in the suburbs to a "mad woman with three cats" in the country, exceptionally clever Australians come from all walks of life.

New data from Mensa Australia reveals our 1300 genii are not the stereotypes we see on TV.

They are more likely to be found living in low or middle income suburbs than high income areas.

And they can be found in remote locations, including Broken Hill in New South Wales, Woomeland in Victoria, Charleville in Queensland, Cummins in South Australia, Port Hedland in Western Australia, Wilburville in Tasmania and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

Mensa conduct supervised tests four times a year in each state, with the next on November 30, to identify Australians with an IQ in the top two per cent of the national population.

INTERACTIVE MAP OF WHERE THE GENIUSES LIVE

David Guymer from Bendigo in Victoria has been a Mensa member for seven years. But friends of the former railway worker may not be aware of his exceptionally high IQ.

"Passing the Mensa test was a goal achieved for me, but it's personal," he said. "I don't tell people about it."

Software developer Trish Fraser, from Woomelang in Victoria, became a member of Mensa in 1981, the same year she got her first computer.

At her first Mensa meeting, Ms Fraser was expecting a room full of nuclear physicists who would catch her out for not being intelligent enough.

"They all have the same insecurities when they first join," she said. "They are all normal people."

For family and friends in her home town, Ms Fraser's IQ has not changed the way people see her.

"We don't wear signs and advertise our intelligence," she said. "I'm still that mad woman with three cats in a street full of dogs."

For new members, Mensa provides an opportunity to learn more about themselves and meet like-minded people.

Budi Handlko, born in Indonesia and now based in Sydney as the CEO of a company that provides payment systems for online games, joined Mensa in February.

"I wasn't quite convinced that I would pass, but here I am," he said.

"I have got to know more people, and now I have people posting something intelligent and interesting in my Facebook news stream, rather than just what they had for lunch."

Since the beginning of 2012, two-thirds of Australians who have sat the Mensa test have had their genius status confirmed.

"There are many who have led a relatively uninteresting life, career wise, or are from a disadvantaged economic background," said Kymberley Wilson, chair of Mensa Australia and a member for 12 years.

"The tests can help explain why they may have felt different."

The age of members varies from three to over 90, with ten members under the age of four.

And the ambitions of our youngest Mensa members vary as much as their backgrounds.

Claire Baker, 11, from Beecroft in New South Wales, has a love of all things French - the French language, French toast, French horn and even French cricket.

Her seven year old brother, Edmund, has recently concluded through a thorough scientific experiment that zombie plants are a real possibility.

Robert and Sarah Broadhead, 17-year-old twins from Mildura in Victoria, are the future of Australian athletics. Both starred at the recent South Australian State All-School Championships and have progressed to the Australian All-School Championships which will take place in December.

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Ben Sweeney, 7, from Leichardt in New South Wales, is a budding musician.

And one seven year old Mensa member, from Upper Beaconsfield in Victoria, may be the next Agatha Christie.

"She loves writing stories, especially mysteries," her mother said. "The Wiggles are out and Scooby Doo is in."

Robyn Bailey, the Queensland and National Gifted Children's Coordinator and mother herself to gifted children, said most child members do not have parents in Mensa.

"IQ tests can be very expensive, but Mensa creates a network of connections for both the children and parents" she said.

"Parents can then comfortably talk about the special needs of their child, because of their gifts."

Mensa has room for more members of all ages and from all walks of life, able to accept more than 460,000 Australian members, and everyone is welcome.

"The Dutch chairman of Mensa is a bus driver," Ms Wilson said.

And the common perception of Mensa members being introverts will be tested in Perth from November 22 when their annual conference is held, this year with the theme of Sustainability, consisting of a pool party, gala dinner and a wind up party at local member Caston's house