A truly Griffith Family

All members of the Bocquet family in Brisbane have graduated from Griffith University with either Bachelors or higher degrees, and two of us have been staff members. All of us have put our degrees to good use!

The story starts with Mum, Dr. Margaret Bocquet-Siek

Dr. Margaret Bocquet-Siek

Margaret joined Griffith University as a founding staff member of the School of Modern Asian Studies in 1975. She joined as a Senior Teaching Fellow and had a long career of 23 years at Griffith University until she retired as Senior Lecturer in 1998. She enrolled in a PhD program at Griffith obtaining her PhD in 1984. Her thesis was entitled “Modern education and Peranakan Chinese society in Java : some aspects of the relationship between modern education and social change among Paranakan Chinese elites in early twentieth century Java“ and should be in the Griffith repository. After retiring from Griffith, having gained NAATI accreditation as an Indonesian language translator, Margaret spent nearly 13 years working as a translator and part-time court interpreter until she finally retired completely in 2013 at age 80. Her translation services were in high demand. Here is an article featuring her at this time interpreting for young Indonesian victims of people smugglers. Margaret is now 91 and living peacefully in a retirement community in Rochedale.

Lillian Catherine Bocquet

Lillian is the daughter of Margaret and Michael Bocquet and was a student at Griffith University from 1982 to 1984. She graduated from the School of Industrial Administration, majoring in Accounting and Finance. In her first year, she had to cram in all her studies into just 6 months as the academic calendar was disrupted by the 1982 Commonwealth Games. After graduating, Lillian moved to Melbourne and worked for the Federal Government in the Australian Bureau of Statistics until 2002. She spent a large part of that time collating and analyzing Government Finance Statistics. Lillian relocated back to Brisbane in 2003 and joined the Queensland State Government. She is currently working in the Queensland Revenue Office.

Dr. Antoine (Tony) Edouard Bocquet

Tony Bocquet is the son of Margaret and Michael Bocquet. He entered Griffith University in the School of Science in 1984. In 1987 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Japanese Language and completed his First Class Honours in 1988. In 1987 he received the Sir Samuel Griffith Medal for the highest achieving student in the School of Science bachelor’s degree program, and in 1989 was awarded the 1988 University Medal for academic excellence. Tony went on to use his science and Japanese background to enroll in a doctorate program at the University of Tokyo under a Monbusho Fellowship, a first for a Griffith University Student. He completed his Doctorate in Science at the University of Tokyo in 1993 and emigrated permanently to Japan in 1994. Between 1994 and 1996, he was a post-doctoral Fellow funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) at the University of Tokyo working in Condensed Matter Physics. He entered the world of academic publishing in 1996 , finally joining Nature Publishing Group as Asia-Pacific Publisher in 2001. In the last 24 years Tony has become a leader in academic publishing in Japan, and is currently Managing Director of Springer Nature Japan and Vice President, Institutional Sales for the Japan, Southeast Asia and Oceania region. He returns regularly to Brisbane and is sometimes seen at the Griffith University Library in connection with his role.

Michael (Michel) Bocquet

Michael was husband to Margaret. In 1972, Michael and Margaret emigrated to Australia, with Margaret eventually joining Griffith University as a founding staff member in 1975, while Michael found a job teaching French at Brisbane Girls Grammar school. After a few job changes and attempts at further studies, Michael found himself unemployed and in a difficult situation suffering from depression and loneliness. In 1986, Margaret convinced Michael to re-enroll for a higher degree at Griffith University and for the next 2 years, he studied for a Master degree in Science and Society in the School of Science. In 1988, at the same ceremony as his son Tony was graduating with a Bachelor’s degree, Michael graduated with a Master of Science at the age of 57. He then went on to join the staff at Griffith University as a Teaching Fellow until his retirement in his early 60’s. After retirement Michael lived peacefully until he passed away in 2014 at the age of 82. He was a gifted jazz pianist and was most happy composing tunes in his retirement.  It is not too much to say that going back to school at Griffith as a mature aged student saved Michael and brought him back his dignity and purpose in life.

So all four members of the Bocquet family have had a deep and enduring relationship with Griffith University.

Tony Bocquet