Famed sea dog has day of glory with Queen's Birthday honours

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX and STAFF REPORTERS

David Lewis has been many things during his 83 years: a medical doctor, a yachtsman, scientist, mountaineer and author.

But right now this celebrated sea dog is something else - homesick.

Being made a distinguished companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's Birthday Honours today was "incredible, just out of this world," Dr Lewis said from his home in Sydney.

"To be given such recognition by your own country, well, it certainly gives you a lift."

Dr Lewis is one of New Zealand's most intrepid travellers. He made the first catamaran voyage around the world in the 1960s, sailed solo to Antarctica in the 1970s, circumnavigated the Pacific using the stars as his guide and studied the navigational theories behind the wanderings of Australian Aborigines.

Before he took to sailing he enjoyed mountain climbing, and was able to name an Otago peak after his mother, Carinna, as the prize for conquering it.

He earned his medical qualification at Otago and practised in England.

His sense of adventure was evident as a teenager when he canoed home from Wanganui Collegiate to Auckland's Milford Beach one summer - just because he could. The 692km journey took five weeks.

Dr Lewis' adventures and studies have filled 11 books, including his autobiography. He has one more significant journey on the horizon - his return to New Zealand permanently next year, not surprisingly travelling by yacht, a 45-year-old wooden "beauty" called Leander.

It will not be a solo voyage - he gave that up years ago - but it will be "a trip I've been looking forward to making for a good long time."

Almost 200 New Zealanders are honoured today, including golfer Michael Campbell, veteran broadcasters Peter Sinclair and Catherine Saunders, former chief social worker Mike Doolan, Fisher & Paykel head Gary Paykel and former pop singer Suzanne Lynch.

Senior Rotorua policeman Detective Inspector Graham Bell, who was diving for crayfish in the Mercury Islands yesterday, was delighted with his Queen's Service Medal for services to police.

The 54-year-old, who retires in December, said it was gratifying that police officers occasionally received such awards. "It's largely a pretty thankless task being a cop."

Mr Bell, who joined the force in 1968, has been involved in many high-profile investigations, including the Schlaepfer mass shootings in 1992, the 1998 Beverly Bouma killing, and the murder of Constable Murray Stretch in Mangakino in May 1999.

Peter Sinclair, who was made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting, believes his award was for his role in telethons that raised millions of dollars for charities.

"You don't get awards for doing pop music shows, do you?" said the broadcaster of 42 years, who compered the 1960s pop show C'mon.

It is the second national honour in as many weeks for Mr Sinclair, who in March revealed he had leukaemia. As the Herald's internet columnist, he was a winner in the Qantas Awards for information technology writing.

One of the highest honours went to a man who, in another time, would have refused it.

Outspoken Maori academic Dr Ranginui Walker sounded genuinely thrilled with his distinguished companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit - a knighthood under the old system.

"There are people who have done nothing but make money and provide patronage to politicians, when there's no evidence they've done any good works with their money, and I didn't want to be associated with that sort of honour."

But he did accept, particularly because "having our own honours system is more worthwhile."

Full honours lists: