A Samoan high chief and a voluntary ambulance driver of 13 years, both of Havelock North, have been recognised for their efforts serving the Hastings district.
Dennis John Oliver and Charles Herbert (Herb) Petterson were among six recipients of Civic Honour Awards for their services to welfare in the community.
Mr Petterson has brought hours of listening pleasure each Sunday evening for the last 12 years, voluntarily presenting a two-hour music programme on Radio Kidnappers.
The first broadcast of At Close of Day was in April 1995 and the show has run continuously since then as Mr Peterson devotes up to five hours behind the scenes each week preparing the content. The programme is now sponsored by The Salvation Army, but in its first three years the volunteer announcer met all costs from his own resources.
The show includes contemporary and alternative artists as well as Christian music and comment, with styles ranging from bright and breezy to meditative and devotional.
For more than 40 years he has also been a volunteer for The Order of St John, including 13 years as a voluntary ambulance driver from the late 1960s to mid 1980s.
Mr Peterson admitted his work as an ambulance driver exposed him to many situations others would rather not be witness to.
"But for some reason I had no problem with that, it was just a situation I seemed to handle well," he said. In the 1990s Mr Peterson was made an Officer of the Order of St John and while he retired from active service in 2002, he continues to participate in St John events.
The Havelock North man also contributed voluntarily to Age Concern in Havelock North, serving as a committee member for four years, with a two-year stint as president.
Dennis Oliver has served as executive director in four YMCAs in New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa.
In Suva and Apia, he was the inspiration for starting YMCA clubs in rural areas helping villagers form industries such as carpentry, woodcarving and taro exporting.
He became a mentor to many young unemployed Pacific Islanders and also developed many programmes for unemployed Hastings youth when he returned to New Zealand in the 1980s. Mr Oliver also contributed business acumen to the YMCA movement, helping to turn the Hastings YMCA into a thriving enterprise.
In addition Mr Oliver has given many hours of his time to the job of making Hawke's Bay a safer place to live.
He was a foundation member of the Hastings District Safer Community Council, is an active member of the Safer Community Advisory Committee and chairs the Havelock North Community Patrol.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Hawkes Bay Today
‘Bloody crucified’: Parents of toddler lost in Cyclone Gabrielle angry at flawed warning system
'Someone just had to push a button once and we would still have our baby girl'