New Year Honours: Whanganui's Dick Mitchell awarded Queen's Service Medal for services to community and music

Dick Mitchell (third from right) with other Whanganui members of the New Zealand Male Choir that toured Canada in 2015.Photo / Supplied

The longest-serving member of the Wanganui Male Choir has been honoured for services to the community and music.

Dick Mitchell has been awarded the Queen's Service Medal in the New Year Honours 2019.

Mitchell joined the Wanganui Male Choir in 1961 and performed in more than 100 concerts. He has held various leadership roles and has also been involved with the New Zealand Male Choir where he is still active on the management committee.

Mitchell has a range of other community interests.

In 1980 he joined the Wanganui Rotary Club where he has held a number of roles, including president, and has been a member of the Rotary Youth Leadership committee. He is currently on the club's Seniors committee.

For the past 14 years, Mitchell has been part of the weekly remedial reading programme at Okoia School as part of the Rotary Reading in Schools programme.

Mitchell is a long-time member of the Wanganui Tramping Club and since 2006 has been a member of the transport committee responsible for maintaining and replacing the club's vehicles.

A member of the Whanganui branch of the Motor Trade Association (MTA) since 1972, Mitchell has held the positions of vice-president, president from 1991 to 1997 and Executive committee member from 1997 to 2003. He was a key organiser of the annual MTA Whanganui golf tournament for a number of years.