Decades of bringing music to the Bay honoured

Queen's Service Medal recipient and country music lover Shirley May at home near Pakaraka. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Shirley May's name is synonymous with two Northland music festivals.

The Pakaraka beef farmer has organised the Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival for the past 28 years and is about to stage her 25th Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival, all without pay despite the huge hours required.

She has been awarded the Queen's Service Medal for services to music and the community.

The festivals provide an off-season tourism boost by attracting more than 2000 people to the Bay each winter with 300 musicians playing at up to nine venues over a three-day period.

Mrs May said she was "dumbfounded" by the award.

"There's so many people who've done more than me, but I was quite tickled that they read my nomination and took it seriously."

She had managed to keep the news even from her family but planned to let the secret out last night on the pretext of a birthday dinner. Now 66, she has no plans to quit. "I'll just keep going until I can't go any more," she said.

Mrs May said music ran in her blood with musicians on both sides of her family. She got involved in the Country Rock Festival when Jazz Festival founder Mike Nettmann called her to ask if she knew any good country musicians.

"I told him to give me a yell if he wanted a hand to organise it. Two hours later he called back and said he needed a hand."

The event started with a dozen bands from Kaitaia and Whangarei. This year's festival had 55 bands from all over Australasia.

Mrs May has also organised Bay of Islands Vintage Railway fundraising concerts for the past eight years and has chaired the Little Tennessee Country Music Club for 38 years.

She has been a Pakaraka School committee member, helped organise the school's 75th and 100th anniversary celebrations, chaired the Pakaraka Hall committee, and is a sexton at Holy Trinity Church. She has organised the annual Hupara Rd neighbourhood watch get-together since 2011.

Last year she was named an unsung hero in the New Zealander of the Year awards and in 2012 she received a scroll of honour in the Variety Artists' Club Awards.