Decades of helping others earns Olga McKerras Queen's Service Medal

Olga McKerras has spent more than four decades volunteering. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui resident Olga McKerras has been awarded the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community for her 33-year tenure as a budget advisor with the Whanganui Budget Advisory Service.

That's on top of 40 years of volunteer work in the city with Plunket, Meals on Wheels, and the Whanganui Opera House.

McKerras retired last year, and said she had a lot of success during her time as a budget advisor.

"I had a solo mum from Auckland with two children who came to see me and seven years later she had cleared $55,000 worth of debt," McKerras said.

For a number of years McKerras provided Christmas gifts at her own cost for families using the budget service, averaging around $300 a year.

"I miss doing this now, but the icing on the cake was at Christmas time last year, when Age Concern needed people to donate.

"I gave them quite a donation and that made me happy."

She was made a life member of the Whanganui Budget Advisory Service in 2015.

"My three essential words are 'non-judgemental, communication and love'," McKerras said.

McKerras began volunteering at Meals on Wheels 42 years ago, when her youngest son was 6 months old.

"I never judge people by their cover, as the saying goes."

McKerras was the supreme winner at the Whanganui Volunteer (Kaituao) Awards in 2014
and won the "Volunteer of the Year" award from the Royal Whanganui Opera House in 2005, where she has worked for 25 years.

"I'm still an usher there downstairs, but upstairs requires a bit more energy."

McKerras said a special thanks had to go to her late husband Kevin, who had always encouraged her love of volunteering, and to her four sons.

"My sons always asked about the bench full of lovely baking when they went to bed, but they soon found out that it wouldn't be there in the morning.

"I'm very proud and honoured to accept this award.

"You don't do volunteering to get things like this, but you learn to accept it when it's given to you.

"It's called volunteering because it's priceless."