Get in behind a Dagg statue
More than two years since the death of Manawatu¯ -born comedian John Clarke, there are renewed calls to create a permanent reminder of the comedic genius who brought the character of Fred Dagg to life.
Massey University academic Dr Nick Holm, who has researched Clarke’s unique type of comedy, says it’s important that the life of the famous Kiwi is celebrated by the community in which he was raised and a sculpture would be fitting.
Clarke died in Australia in 2017 from natural causes while hiking with his wife. He was 68.
Holm said Clarke had a deep affection for Palmerston North and the wider Manawatu¯ region.
‘‘Palmerston North is a place that would benefit from having someone who was as charismatic as someone like John Clarke. In Australia, he is celebrated as the country’s top satirist. You’d think we’d claim that.’’
Palmerston North comedian Nick Gibb, who won the Billy T Award in 2011, agreed a statue of the humble comedian would be fitting because Clarke was one of the most iconic and influential people to come out of the city.
‘‘He was the first person who figured out how to really lean into a Kiwi accent and make it funny at a time when most people on TV here were still trying to do a version of a BBC English accent,’’ he said.
‘‘They recognise him as a satirical comedy icon in Australia. It’d be a shame if we didn’t do the same in his home town.’’
Born in Palmerston North, Clarke studied at Wellington’s Victoria University before heading overseas and returning home in 1973 to star in New Zealand’s first sitcom, the student-flat comedy Buck House.
He rose to further fame as the gumboot-and-singlet-wearing farmer Fred Dagg and also voiced Wal the Kiwi farmer in the film adaptation of Murray Ball’s Footrot Flats.
Although he lived in Australia for many years, New Zealand remained his home.
Palmerston North City Council community development manager Joann Ransom said the council had not had any approaches about a sculpture representing Clarke as Fred Dagg, but it would be a great idea if there was support from the community for it.
‘‘We would be happy to talk with anyone interested in managing this project. We can help with suggestions for possible funding sources and potential artists,’’ she said.
‘‘We’re always interested in artworks that make our city a more vibrant space that celebrates locals who have contributed to the city and to the nation.’’
Ransom said if a sculpture were to be placed in The Square it would require consultation with Rangita¯ne. She suggested a possible alternative outside the old Mckenzie’s Store site on Coleman Mall, which Clarke’s father, Ted, managed.
Comedy Hub Palmerston North Inc chairman Nathan Cross said he was ‘‘really supportive’’ of a sculpture of Clarke.
‘‘It would recognise the importance comedy places as a cultural lens,’’ he said.
Cross, who is helping organise the first Palmy Comedy Fest in November, said the festival could prove to be an excellent tie-in to see more support of the sculpture idea. ‘‘The way we see him, the guy’s a national icon. He stands up to the test of time.’’
Holm said it would be ‘‘super
‘‘The way we see him, the guy’s a national icon. He stands up to the test of time.’’ Nathan Cross Comedy Hub chairman
easy’’ for the council to dedicate resources to a sculpture of Clarke as Dagg and that drawing a local connection to such an icon was important, much like the bronze statue of Wal from Footroot Flats in Gisborne. ‘‘What I would like is for when students stumble through The Square at night, to see that statue and think: ‘That’s that guy. He was from here.’’’