“It hasn’t really sunk in, to be honest, I’ve been thinking ‘why me?’, I just carry on and do what I normally do but life is what you make it,” she said.
“I’m still blown away, I think it’s wonderful but I’m just not used to it.”
Cooper was the first woman to join the Bulls Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1988.
She said it was an enjoyable, but interesting, time.
“Some didn’t believe in women being in the fire service but the reason I got involved there was because one particular year, it was really hot,”
“Our guys were called out all of the time and I thought, surely there’s something I could do - so I did some training in Whanganui and I joined up.”
She recalled the time when she yelled at the group of male firefighters who weren’t including her.
“The fire chief at the time said ‘that’ll be enough of that language, I’ll see you back at the station’, so he gave me a bit of a roasting,” she said.
Cooper said it was lovely to see a lot of women in the service now.
She later went on to serve as the brigade’s secretary and treasurer from 1989 to 1992 and is now a life member.
Her other forms of volunteering in the community include in the Floral Art Committee, providing catering and flowers for funerals and local events; as an active member of Our Lady of Grace Church; and as chairwoman for the Rātā Marae.
She was also the Civil Defence coordinator for Bulls “way back”.
Cooper is the secretary of the Bulls and District Historical Society and Bulls Museum and has been with the organisation for more than 20 years.
In 2023, Cooper received the Rangitīkei District Council Volunteer Award.
Cooper said Bulls was a nice town to be a part of and she was proud to serve the community.
“I’ve always believed that if you live in a community, you support the community,” she said.
“Nobody does these things expecting to be rewarded; if you live here, you support it.
Cooper said she couldn’t have done it without the support of her family and patience on “the days that mum has disappeared”.
“I really am honoured.”
Cooper will receive her KSM in Wellington in May, with other recipients from across New Zealand.
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
