KEY POINTS:
New Zealand comedian John Clarke, best known for his typical Kiwi bloke Fred Dagg, is to receive an honorary doctorate from the university he dropped out of.
Clarke, 58, will receive the honorary Doctorate of Literature at a special conferment ceremony as a part of a university alumni reunion in Melbourne tomorrow night from Victoria University of Wellington.
Speaking to the Herald from Melbourne last night, Clarke said both he and the people of Taihape were "delighted and pleased" by his award.
"I know a great many of them [in Taihape] personally and they are also very delighted and probably a little bit cold," he said.
"My university days were always great memories and seeing that I'm relatively young, this is a great way for me to connect the dots."
Clarke's alter-ego Fred Dagg, the black-singleted gumboot-wearer from Taihape first appeared on New Zealand television in the mid 1970s. He became a national icon and was named New Zealand Television Personality of the Year in 1975 and 1976.
Clarke left New Zealand in 1979 for Australia where he has established himself as a scriptwriter and satirical media personality.
