''I was highly embarrassed,'' the Green Island Lions Club member said.
Mr Pine, a driving instructor and former policeman, said he had been involved in Lions clubs around Dunedin for nearly 40 years, including a stint as district governor in 1996-97.
He had also been involved with the charitable trust, which administers grants and loans for projects, for six years.
He was the 202J district trustee and on the trust's grants and loans committee.
Being made a life member was a rare honour, and the surprise of the announcement at a recent dinner he organised for Dunedin beneficiaries of the trust, made him quite emotional, he said.
''There's a lot more deserving people out there than me.''
He said he ''supposed'' he had ''encouraged a lot of people to do a lot of things''.
''The thing is, I see it that we are trying to help [people] less fortunate than ourselves, and I love every minute of it.''
Fellow Green Island Lions Club member Christine Bone said Mr Pine did a ''tremendous'' amount of work for Lions both publicly and behind the scenes, by helping new members, ensuring events run smoothly, talking on local radio and more.
''He's got fingers in so many pies, it was time to thank him with a top honour.''
A life award is the trust's highest honour. It is generally awarded to people whose contribution to Lions deserves special recognition.
