USP Award of Honorary Doctorate To Marjorie Crocombe, OBE

The University of the South Pacific Council at its 70th meeting in Honiara, 12 - 13 May 2010 has approved the award of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) to Marjorie Tuainekore Crocombe. Mrs Crocombe is a Cook Island citizen. She has received numerous awards for long-standing and outstanding service to the communities in the Pacific, particularly the Cook Islands, and to the Arts community of the Pacific. These include: Visiting Academic, Ministry for Culture, People’s Republic of China (1985), one of the 10 Pacific Islands Women of the Year, Island Business Magazine (1990), Visiting Fellow, Australian National University (1991), Fellow, Pacific Writers Forum, East West Centre, Honolulu Hawaii (1994), Woman of the Year in Education, Business and Professional Women’s Association, Rarotonga (2000). These culminated in June 25th 2009 when she received the Queen’s Award of the Order of the British Empire, OBE.
Mrs Crocombe played an active role in the founding and development of the South Pacific Creative Arts Society based at the USP serving as its President from 1977 to 2000. She also was the Editor of the Society’s Journal for the period. Marjorie Crocombe has published seven books and numerous published articles and papers related to her interest, to her work and her engagement with the communities she serves. In her writing she brought to the fore the place of oral poetry and literature in Pacific Island societies. Marjorie Crocombe partnered with her husband Professor Ronald Crocombe and encouraged Pacific writers to examine aspects of contemporary life through their poetry and stories. Subjects covered include cultural identity, ethnicity, religion, history, place of women in Pacific societies, the ocean, land issues, environment issues, governance, corruption, tourism, population growth. Their combined effort and dedication impacted many.
- Rod Dixon

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