Anne McCracken has been almost bursting at the seams, trying to keep her big news a secret from family and friends until today.
"It’s a bit overwhelming.
"I’ve been finding it hard to keep under wraps."
The 84-year-old retired Invercargill volunteer worker said she felt "very humble" to receive a King’s Service Medal (KSM), for services to the community, following a lifetime of involvement in community organisations, outdoor recreation and local government.
Mrs McCracken has supported community projects, including the Southern Scenic Route, the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track, McCracken’s Rest tourist lookout, the Southland Locator Beacon Charitable Trust, Tuatapere Promotions; and is a life member and former secretary and vice-president of the Borland Lodge Adventure and Education Trust.
She was a Waiau Health Trust director from 2000 to 2012, campaigning for improved rural health support for the Tuatapere area; and was on the Southland Medical Foundation executive committee for more than 20 years.
She has been president of the Southland Women’s Club, chaired its policy and planning committee, and became a life member after 21 years’ involvement.
She was also president of the Southland Girls’ High School Old Girls Association.
In 1995, Mrs McCracken shared her expertise to the wider community after being elected to the Tuatapere Community Board, and then to the Southland District Council in 1998.
She also served on the Southland Conservation Board, the Southland Art Society, and the Southland Foundation for the Blind where she used to read to the blind.
She has been an Invercargill Citizen’s Advice Bureau volunteer, and spent eight years on the Citizen’s Advice Bureau New Zealand national board.
More recently, she has co-ordinated the Dictionaries in Schools project for Invercargill North Rotary Club, and become a programme maker for Radio Southland, which involves interviewing people for a Southland Oral History project.
"If I could help people, I did it — it’s as simple as that.
"And obviously, I got a lot of reward out of doing this work. Absolutely."
