A journey through history: the academic path of a lifelong learner

History enthusiast Dr Delwyn Blondell has been immersed in her studies at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University for the past 13 years. Now, graduating with her PhD at age 57, she reflects on a path that began with a passion for history and evolved into a deep academic commitment.

Her studies began at Massey’s Manawatū campus, where she pursued her passion for history with the goal of completing her degree before her son, who was in primary school at the time, reached university age. Life didn’t quite pan out that way, and she found herself embarking on a much longer journey than initially planned, completing a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and now a PhD.

Dr Blondell has always been interested in uncovering the stories of ordinary people. For her PhD thesis, she explored the lives of those labelled "incorrigible" between 1870 and 1930 in Aotearoa New Zealand, using family history sources to investigate their struggles and contributions to society.

She says this research taught her a valuable real-world lesson.

"Increasing legislation aimed at enforcing conformity and raising standards while ignoring poverty is likely to lead to more legislation, rather than changing the underlying behaviour."

Dr Blondell says what drew her to these subjects the most were the complex and fascinating lives of the people she studied. She believes history helps to place individuals and families within the broader context of their time. Her love of social and family history goes beyond academia, as she had been researching her own family history for many years before she considered studying it.

Dr Blondell considers her PhD journey a ‘happy accident’.

Dr Blondell says she had other ideas, and it wasn’t until Professor Belgrave introduced the idea of a Thesis with Publications, which would allow her to continue exploring the topics she was passionate about, that she decided to apply for a doctoral scholarship. This proved successful, as she was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholarship.

Now, three years on, she’s delighted to have the chance to don graduation garb and cross the stage.

“Because I only went to university to learn, rather than to find a career, I didn't anticipate I would end up here. Obviously, it is a visible, tangible acknowledgement of the work I've done, but without it I would still have the skills and the knowledge I have gained along the way.

“My family is proud of this achievement. I'm not from a family with a tradition of university education, so they are very pleased for me. It definitely feels more momentous than opening the front door to a large envelope on the doormat that contains the certificate.”

Dr Blondell is married to Paul, who serves in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. They have a 20-year-old son who was just seven when she began her studies.

Since completing her PhD, Dr Blondell has continued to work closely with Professor Emeritus Michael Belgrave as a freelance researcher, focusing on histories for court cases that require a deep dive into Native Land Court records. She also does some teaching, marks history papers and coordinated a history paper last semester. She also remains connected to the online thesis writing group hosted by the Graduate Research School.