New Year Honours list: Clive Boyden

Woodville's Clive Boyden and his wife Shirley celebrate Mr Boyden's Queen's Service Medal award. Photo / Christine McKay

When Woodville's Clive Boyden first organised the Coast to Coast motorcycle ride and the Track and Tunnel walk through the Manawatu Gorge, he had no idea more than 20 years later his son would need the help of the two organisations he'd raised $460,000 for.

Mr Boyden, a member of the Woodville Lions for 36 years, has been awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community for his sterling efforts in organising events which have raised $460,000 for the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter service and the Arohanui Hospice.

"It's humbling and an honour to receive this award, but knowing what I do now, if some had asked me to organise these events now I'd run a mile," he said.

But before the Coast to Coast and the Track and Tunnel walk was a very successful national Lions raffle organised by Mr Boyden which raised $11,000 in 1991.

A year later in 1992, Mr Boyden began organising the annual Coast to Coast ride from Himatangi Beach to Woodville and on to Akitio Beach, with the event raising $160,000 for our rescue helicopter service. But Mr Boyden has only ridden in the event himself for the past 10 years.

"I didn't get a bike until I was 60," he said.

In 1994 Mr Boyden began organising the Manawatu Gorge Track and Tunnel event, which has raised $300,000 for the Arohanui Hospice in Palmerston North and other charities.

Mr Boyden said he never thought the Track and Tunnel walk would become such a huge event and admits the logistics of both fundraisers are "enormous".

So why does Mr Boyden continue?

"It's a challenge and a bit of pride too," he said. "I don't want to see either event fall to bits," he said.

Mr Boydon says he'll continue to organise both events for as long as he can. But while he believes it is the worthy causes which attract participants and wonderful sponsors to both events, he has a much more personal reason for wanting to carry on. "When our son Jason was battling cancer he was flown from Taupo to Palmerston North by the rescue helicopter service and spent time in Arohanui Hospice," he said. "We'd raised money for syringe drivers for the hospice, but I didn't know what they were until Jason was using them."

Jason passed away last year and while it would have been easy to hand over the organisation to someone else, Mr Boyden said the Coast to Coast and Track and Tunnel walk helped take his mind off what his son was going through.

"It's the one sad thing about this award, that Jason isn't here to share it with us."