There is nothing like a dame ... and now she is one

1st August 2009

Choosing to be Dame instead of "Distinguished companion" was a decision Masterton artist Robin White said she couldn't make on her own.

"I consulted with family and they said, 'Go for it,'" Dame Robin said when interviewed at her studio yesterday.

"My elders in my family said, 'Let's do it.'

"It was for my parents as well; I felt that it wasn't just mine; I don't feel any sort of possession of this - personal possession."

Just as well, because the fledgling dame is still getting used to the sound of her own name with such a distinguished prefix.

"Yes, it sounds silly, totally silly. I shouldn't really say that because it does come with all these protocols," Dame Robin said.

She was named a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2003, for services to art, and will now become a Dame of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Dame Robin said she is a supporter of the honours system and the Crown from which it stems.

"It's recognition of service that is detached from politics - or supposed to be," she said.

"I don't think you can have that without a monarchy."

At her 2003 award ceremony, Dame Robin said she felt part of something significant.

"Sitting there listening to the citations of so-called ordinary folks, who have all dedicated themselves to some consistent and selfless effort.

"So much of awards is about fame; this is the one system that seems to have that (selflessness) at its core.

"It's an honours system and it's honourable; in that sense I do feel honoured to have been wanted there."

Now Dame Robin is looking forward to another service on August 14, in which her title will be changed.

"I believe it might involve a sword this time, which it didn't last time," she said.

"I hope it's not a double-edged sword."

Dame Robin is also pleased that she will be honoured by new Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, a Fijian.

"I spent a lot of time in Fiji; it's a fantastic place," she said.