Three Southlanders received the Queen's Service Medal in the 2024 New Years Honours, announced today (30th Dec).

They were:

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Lyall Ashley Bailey of Winton receives a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community and local government

Mr Lyall Bailey is a former Southland District Councillor who has chaired several council and community boards for many years. 

Mr Bailey is a former farmer who ran a rural mail service with his wife in Southland. A member of the Rotary club in Winton for 50 years, he was Chair of the Winton Community Board from 1989 to 2001. As Chair, he led a major infrastructure project to redevelop Winton’s main street. In 2001 he was elected as a Councillor to Southland District Council, serving until 2016. He chaired several of the Council’s committees and was involved in several community initiatives, which included upgrades to many of Winton’s amenities including the town’s memorial hall, swimming pool and skate park. Under his leadership, Southland District Council won an excellence award for best practice in Infrastructure Management in 2016. He was Chair of the Central Southland Hospital Charitable Trust from 2013 to 2020. Under his leadership, he improved the Trust’s fiscal position, securing funding for Winton’s maternity hospital and medical centre which provide vital services to Winton’s rural farming community. Mr Bailey was a Justice of the Peace from 2005 until retiring in 2023.

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BURNETT, Mr David Alan (Ginge) of Invercargill receives a Queen's Service Medal for services to multisport.

Mr Ginge Burnett was a member of the Southland Triathlon and Multisport Club Committee for 24 years and President of the Club from 2005 to 2019.

Mr Burnett frequently organises races for the Club, including independently scouting locations for various adventure races through challenging terrain. Long-standing events that he has organised include the Southland Summer Challenge, the Southland Schools’ Triathlon Championships, the Ascot Park Triathlon, the Riverton to Zookeepers Race, and the Total Life Kids’ TRYathlon. He was made a Life Member of the Club in 2012. He was a member of the committee, as well as coach, of the Woodlands Schoolboy Rugby Club from 2005 to 2016, and again in 2021, and was President of the Southland BMX Club from 2009 to 2018. He was a Trustee on the Sport Southland Board of Trustees from 2008 to 2013 and on the Southland Indoor Leisure Pursuit Centre Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2018. Mr Burnett helped fundraise for the sensory playground at Waihopai School’s Park Unit by cycling 3,3015 kilometres of the Te Araroa Trail.

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MCCANDLESS, Mr Brian Campbell CB, CBE, of Te Anau receives a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.

Mr Brian McCandless has been involved with a range of community organisations in Te Anau since the mid-2000s and has helped deliver a range of significant projects.

As Chairman of the Fiordland Retirement Housing Trust from 2017, Mr McCandless guided the Trust through challenges to establish the Murchison Villas retirement village in Te Anau, succeeding after previous attempts to establish a retirement village had fallen through. He is a member and current President of Te Anau Bowling Club and led the fundraising of hundreds of thousands of dollars and planning efforts to complete a rebuild of the club. He approached Te Anau Boating Club to install a personal hoist for disabled sailors to access their boats, and single-handedly raised the funds for completion of this project. He was on the Marakura Yacht Club Committee for four years and coached the children’s learn to sail programme for three years. He was a founding committee member of the Fiordland Probus Club in 2006 and was President in 2013. He helped guide the club through a name changing process to Frenz Fiordland in 2016, affiliated with New Zealand Friendship Inc. Mr McCandless was President of the local Bridge Club and guided the club through the transition from manual to computer-based systems.

HONOURS

Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) as Air-Vice Marshall, Royal Air Force, UK Queen's Birthday 1999

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) as Group Captain, Royal Air Force, UK New Year 1990

People who have had an association with Southland who have received 2024 New Years Honours

ONZM

Ms Jodi Wright of Christchurch, becomes an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her significant contribution to Christchurch’s literary and performing arts scene for more than 30 years. She who directed the Southland Buskers Festival.

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Ms Philippa Laufiso, becomes a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to arts and the community. Dunedin based, she has been an Education Adviser for Priority Learners with the Ministry of Education for Southland/Otago since 2015.

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CLEMENTS, Mr Paul of Waitati receives a Queen's Service Medal for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community. For more than 30 years he has been involved in community initiatives in the coastal Otago and Southland regions, including historical conservation work at Port Craig and leading heritage restoration work on Quarantine Island / Kamau Taurua. 

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KERR, Mr Allan John of Fairlie receives a Queen's Service Medal for services to music. Mr Kerr trained as a teacher in Dunedin in 1961 before establishing a number of school choirs in Otago and Southland.

CLICK HERE to view the full list of 2024 New Years Honours.