Four Fellows Announced to Celebrate Hocken Centenary

Four new honorary Fellows of the Hocken Library have been announced to help mark the centenary of the Hocken Collections.

Three University of Otago historians, Dr Dorothy Page, Emeritus Professor Erik Olssen and Dr Roger Collins – and Dunedin businessman Ian Farquhar have been named as the four Fellows to mark the centenary year.

It was 100 years ago in September that Dr Thomas Morland Hocken signed the Deed of Trust, which gave his collection of historical book, manuscripts and paintings to the University of Otago in trust for the people of New Zealand.

Hocken Librarian Stuart Strachan says announcing the four Fellows simultaneously is a means of recognising the great development of the Hocken Collections and its resources over the last 100 years.

Mr Strachan says the Fellowships are a rare honour, with the latest induction taking the total number of Hocken Fellows to just nine. "The new Fellows have contributed to the Hocken in many ways," he says.

Mr Farquhar is one of New Zealand's leading maritime historians, and a long-term user and supporter of the Hocken Collection.

Mr Strachan says Mr Farquhar was the founding and long-serving President of the Friends of the Hocken Collections from 1991, and is still involved as its Secretary.

"Ian is the donor of the Hocken Collections' major and very comprehensive holding of shipping photography. He is also being recognised for his work in preparing a series of excellent Friend's bulletins on the Hocken Collections' business archives

"Most recently he was the author of the very well-reviewed The Tyser Legacy: a history of the Port Line and associated companies (2006)."

Mr Strachan says the three Otago academics have done much to raise the profile of the institution within the University and externally.

Dr Collins has extensively researched the depiction of New Zealand and the South Pacific by French artists. His life of Charles Meryon (1999) is definitive. He has also researched the broader field of New Zealand art history from the 18th to the 20th century. From 1989 to 2001 he edited the Bulletin of Art History published by the Collections.

"Roger has energetically promoted the use of the pictorial collection by University art history students and has assisted with many important acquisitions."

Mr Strachan says Professor Olssen has been recognised for his distinguished use of the Collections.

He says Professor Olssen was a prolific author who made the study of New Zealand history central to the University's History Department and nurtured an exceptional honours programme, renowned for the quality of the research produced by students.

"The Hocken Collections, and the archives in particular, are central to the History Honours programme and, through Erik's encouragement, scores of undergraduates and many graduate students have used the archives to produce new insights into New Zealand's past.

"He has also drawn extensively on the Hocken Collections' resources in developing the historical Caversham Project database, the largest of its kind in Australasia."

Mr Strachan says Dr Page's association with the Hocken Collections has been through her supervision of students who have made considerable use of its rich holdings and, more recently with her own project, the history of the University of Otago Medical School.

"In her careful and judicious supervision, Dorothy ensured that students made excellent use of the resources of the Collections," Mr Strachan says.

Of special importance is her work in the field of women's history for The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography and, in particular, her introductory essay for The Suffragists (1993). Also of great importance is her work on the centennial history of the National Council of Women (1996).

The four Fellows will be inducted at a special ceremony at the Hocken Library at 1pm on Tuesday 9 October. Media welcome.