John McLellan was awarded the NZSAR Gold Award at function at Parliament last night.
The annual award is for the most significant contribution to search and rescue in the New Zealand region.
An NZSAR spokesman said Mr McLellan became involved in search and rescue in early September 1953, after an incident off the Oamaru coast.
He funded his own marine radio station and he and his wife, Pauline, spent many hours every day monitoring both marine VHF and HF channels at their Moeraki home.
Mr McLellan was chairman of North Otago Search and Rescue for many years, and retired from that role less than two years ago.
All of his work for search and rescue is voluntary.
Speaking from Wellington, Mr McLellan said he was very grateful for the award, but all the attention was a little embarrassing.
"It's been a very enjoyable 56 years."
Police Senior Sergeant Brian Benn, of Dunedin, said it was always reassuring to hear Mr McLellan on the radio.
"We know we have the support we need when . . . John is the local incident controller."
Dunedin yachtsman Murray Double, whose yacht sank off Katiki Point in 2004, also praised Mr McLellan.
"It was . . . the utterly competent way that he addressed the physical and emotional state of a bedraggled shipwreck victim."
