It's not that Frank Penny is ungrateful about receiving an award for 75 years' service to the Masonic Lodge - the 96-year-old just refuses to believe he has done anything particularly special to deserve it.
"I'm only receiving it because I'm still here.
"It's not because of any deeds I've done. It's all because of longevity.''
During a monthly lodge meeting in Dunedin last night, Mr Penny was presented with a certificate which celebrates his 75 years of service to the Masonic Lodge organisation.
Lodge No. 46 master Brian Hastie, of Dunedin, said it was a rare achievement.
"I have never heard of this happening anywhere before now.''
Mr Penny has already received Masonic Lodge badges for 50, 60 and 70 years of service.
Yesterday, he recalled the moment he first became aware of the lodge.
"When I was a boy, I used to play outside with other children in the street in the evenings. I was probably about 7 to 9 years of age.
"My house was a few doors away from the old Oceanic Masonic Lodge in Prince Albert Rd, and well-dressed men used to pass by in the streets on their way to lodge meetings.
"I said to my mother, who are all these men going by who are all dressed nicely and carrying satchels with them?
"She said they were all masons and they were a fine lot of men and I decided there and then that I would become a mason.''
Mr Penny said he worked his entire life in retail at Paterson and Barr - from 1935 to 1980. For many years, he was a manager and director of the Dunedin business.
When he was 21, he was initiated into Lodge Oceanic.
"I remember it well because I was about to go overseas to World War 2. I was in the special armoured squadron.''
He has since been a member of the Musselburgh Lodge and is still a member of the Hiram Lodge.
Mr Penny said he no longer attended lodge meetings, but he still lived by the principles of the Masonic Lodge and continued to pay his membership fees.
"I keep paying the fees because, from a charity point of view, they create seats in the university for various research, and they help people out who might be finding themselves in a bit of a pinch.
"They do wonderful things for the community. It's a wonderful organisation.''
