Kenneth McIntyre
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Gordon McIntyre OBE (22 August 191020 May 2004) was an Australia
n lawyer
, historian
and mathematician
who is perhaps best known for his controversial book The Secret Discovery of Australia - Portuguese ventures 200 years before Captain Cook.
and on graduation taught at the University from 1931 to 1945. In 1945 he left his teaching position and took on a legal practice in Box Hill
, Melbourne
and stood for mayor. He won the election and took a special interest in housing cooperative
s. For his work as Mayor of Box Hill he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
in the 1962 New Year's Day Honours.
On retiring from public office in 1956, McIntyre returned to a passion for Portuguese history and undertook his main work on early Portuguese exploration of Australia. The Secret Discovery of Australia was published in 1977 and became a well known and contentious book in Australia. The Portuguese Government awarded McIntyre the Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1983 for his work on promoting Portuguese exploration.
Following his death in 2004, McIntyre's family gave to the manuscript collection at the National Library of Australia
papers and documents relating to the Portuguese voyages and the early mapping of the western Pacific.
McIntyre's interest in mathematics led him to developed a mathematical system for managing the playoff
in what was then known as the Victorian Football League
. The algorithm
developed by McIntyre determines which teams would complete in the Grand Final. Known as the McIntyre System
, it was first implemented in 1931 for the VFL and a version of this system was used by the AFL until 2000. The McIntyre Final Eight System
is still used by the Australian National Rugby League
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who is perhaps best known for his controversial book The Secret Discovery of Australia - Portuguese ventures 200 years before Captain Cook.
Career
McIntyre was born in Geelong in 1910 and graduated from Geelong College as Dux of the School in 1926. He went on to study Arts and Law at the University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and on graduation taught at the University from 1931 to 1945. In 1945 he left his teaching position and took on a legal practice in Box Hill
Box Hill, Victoria
Box Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Box Hill had a population of 8,616....
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and stood for mayor. He won the election and took a special interest in housing cooperative
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
s. For his work as Mayor of Box Hill he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the 1962 New Year's Day Honours.
On retiring from public office in 1956, McIntyre returned to a passion for Portuguese history and undertook his main work on early Portuguese exploration of Australia. The Secret Discovery of Australia was published in 1977 and became a well known and contentious book in Australia. The Portuguese Government awarded McIntyre the Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1983 for his work on promoting Portuguese exploration.
Following his death in 2004, McIntyre's family gave to the manuscript collection at the National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
papers and documents relating to the Portuguese voyages and the early mapping of the western Pacific.
McIntyre's interest in mathematics led him to developed a mathematical system for managing the playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
in what was then known as the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. The algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
developed by McIntyre determines which teams would complete in the Grand Final. Known as the McIntyre System
McIntyre System
The McIntyre System, or systems because there have been five of them, is a playoff system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher...
, it was first implemented in 1931 for the VFL and a version of this system was used by the AFL until 2000. The McIntyre Final Eight System
McIntyre Final Eight System
The McIntyre Final Eight System was devised by Ken McIntyre in addition to the McIntyre Four, Five and Six systems. It is a playoff system of the top 8 finishers in a competition to determine which two teams will play in the Grand Final. The teams play each other over three weeks, with two teams...
is still used by the Australian National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
.