New Year Honours: Keith Carter awarded Queen's Service Medal

Keith Carter has been given a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. Photo / George Novak

Greerton resident Keith Carter has been awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community, but says his wife deserved the award "as much as I did".

Carter had been contributing to keeping Greerton community safe as a volunteer patroller since 2005.

He and his wife Shirley Carter co-founded the Greerton Night Owls (now Tauranga South Community Patrol), liaising between police and the local community, patrolling night hours.

He would co-ordinate with police to establish local crime hot spots to then arrange patrollers for those areas.

The 87-year-old said it was a "privilege" and he was "so honoured" to receive the award.

But he also felt embarrassed because there were "so many people that have helped me to get where I've got".

He almost didn't accept it and felt like Shirley deserved it as much as he did, he said.

"But then I thought ... those people have put that information together and I'm letting them down if I did that."

Carter said Shirley had been by his side and they had worked "very closely together on the whole thing".

"I couldn't have done it without her being supportive. I just feel so humbled."

Keith Carter has been given a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. Photo / George Novak

Carter said the work has been "so interesting and important" for the community and it had helped "right from the word go".

The Carters had a business in Greerton and had seen an "emphasis on graffiti" in the area.

"That's why we became involved. The moment we got out there, the graffiti dropped away."

He and Shirley attended a community patrols national training seminar in 2007, securing the first marked patrol car.

"Once we got a vehicle that was identifiable, we had some interesting little finger gestures and comments from some of them.

"We were told we were too old one night [and] we should be home in bed."

When asked what the highlight of his work had been, he said: "Creating a safer community", particularly around the business area and in the wider residential community.

"I'm sure that just being seen out there has helped a lot of residents as well."

In 2013, Carter co-chaired the national training seminar for community patrols held in Tauranga, with more than 300 patrollers nationwide attending.

He has also been a member of the South City bowling club since 2008 and was president of the Greerton indoor bowling club between 2018 and 2020.

Other awards he received included community patrol New Zealand, outstanding service award, 2020 community patrol New Zealand and life membership.