Queen's Birthday Honours: Northland recipients taken by surprise

Jan Scahill of Whangarei has not seen the letter telling her she has received a Queen's Service Order for community service in the Queen's Birthday honours this year.

She had to have the news relayed to her by her husband and chief mail-reader Graham.

Mrs Scahill has no sight and has gradually lost most of her hearing.

"Without my hearing aids on I don't hear a damn thing," she said.

Yet despite her difficulties she has played an integral role in advocating for communication and services for the estimated 1500 deafblind people in New Zealand since 1985.

From 1989 to 1995 she was national president of Deafblind New Zealand, and served on the national executive for 18 years.

Mrs Scahill was the Southeast Asia-Pacific region representative on the World Blind Union for four years and chaired the organising committee of the first International Deafblind Conference in the South Pacific in May 1993.

Despite not being able to read her own mail or hear very well on the telephone she was the major organiser of the first Helen Keller World Conference in the South Pacific in October 2001, which attracted 350 people from 45 countries.

"Now with computers there's a lot you can do.

"With suitable communication there is very little that can stand in your way, apart from the attitudes of others."

Meanwhile, there was a double celebration in Ahipara, in the Far North, today for two long-time residents and neighbours awarded Queen's Service Medals.

Meremere Petricevich, JP, was awarded her QSM for public service, while her neighbour, Kate Phillips, got one for community service.

The pair, both in their 80s, got their recognition for their lifetime of working with and for Maori.

Doreen Alexander, of Whangarei, said she was surprised and humbled at her nomination for a QSM for community service.

Mrs Alexander has helped the Whangarei community for many years through her involvement with at least five community organisations.

Another self-confessed "community junkie", Joyce Armstrong has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order Of Merit for her services to the community.

Mrs Armstrong has amassed a total of 80 years of volunteer positions for community organisations in Whangarei during the past 50 years.

"I jokingly say to my friends, 'I'm a community junkie', because I've been involved in different things all my life, and when I finish up with something, there always something else," Mrs Armstrong said.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)