Mrs McCaw, who is in her 70s, was involved with numerous organisations and groups in two communities in which she spent a large portion of her life - the rural Hakataramea Valley and surrounding Upper Waitaki area, where she lived for more than 40 years, and Oamaru, where she was born and later moved back to.
She and her husband have now moved to Christchurch.
In a message read to a special morning tea in her honour, Otago Adverse Support Trust chairman David Shepherd thanked Mrs McCaw for the commitment and effort she had given to the trust as a trustee and co-ordinator since the early days of its establishment.
She had watched the trust grow from a small North Otago rural community support group into a regional organisation that had recently developed further to become part of a Government nationwide support network.
The formation of the trust was initially brought about through the effort of the North Otago Presbytery, which was concerned about the effect of the 1988 drought and general economic downturn at the time.
The North Otago Adverse Support Trust, as it was then known, was formed with seven trustees, including Mrs McCaw.
Mrs McCaw said she had enjoyed the role and being able to give something back to the community.
