QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS BOARD

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Dr Philip Thomas Norman, for services to music and musical theatre.

Norman is a freelance composer, author and musician, who has been successful in opera, ballet, musical theatre, and choral, orchestral and chamber music. He has had work commissioned by many performing arts organisations, including the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and the Christchurch Arts Festival. Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Donna Neill, for services to victim support.

Neill was Victim Support’s Canterbury/Tasman district manager from 2004 to 2010 and the South Island regional manager from 2010

until her retirement last year.

She contributed significant amounts of time to co-ordinating support for those affected by Canterbury’s earthquakes and the Pike River mine disaster. Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit

James Stewart Ryburn, for services to the New Zealand Fire Service and the community.

Ryburn has served with the New Zealand Fire Service for 35 years as a career firefighter and became a station officer in 2001.

He took on the role of welfare liaison officer for Christchurch after the February 2011 earthquake, ensuring volunteer and career firefighters had access to appropriate welfare support.

Keith Albert Stanton, for services to business and philanthropy.

Stanton has been a business mentor for his community and contributed to humanitarian projects overseas for more than 35 years.

He has had a long career with Stanton Bros Ltd, a commercial printers and stationers firm in Dunedin, and established the New Zealand-wide distribution company SIFCO Distributors Limited.

His humanitarian work included donating more than $2.24 million of personal and family trust funds to more than 450 development projects in 15 countries.

Neil Wilkinson, for services to education.

Wilkinson introduced a range of innovative initiatives at Amuri Area School during his 10 years as principal of the North Canterbury school.He retired this year after setting up a senior academy pro- gramme, providing outdoor education, carpentry, hospitality and rural skills to year 12 and 13 pupils looking for employment.

Wilkinson became the chairman of the Canterbury Westland Secondary Principals Association in 2011, and played a pivotal part in the region’s response to education renewal following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

Murray Philip Lamb, for services for the New Zealand Fire Service.

Lamb has been a member of the Woodend Volunteer Fire Brigade since 1977 and became chief fire officer when it became independent from the Rangiora Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1995.

He has fundraised to improve the brigade’s facilities and equipment, and led two successful emergency rescue services showcases in 2013 and 2014 to open the services up to the public and provide networking opportunities for their members.

He oversaw training for firefighters with other emergency agencies, particularly St John, ensuring the Woodend Brigade could respond first to emergency medical situations if needed.

Terry Farrell cut his teeth with the New Zealand Forest Service and when the Department of Conservation was set up, in 1987, moved to Hokitika to become the West Coast’s wild animal control manager. A key part of his success was implementing monitoring programmes, so that he could show the benefits being gained through pest management and secure more support and funding.

Recently retired, Farrell went out on a last hurrah, managing the department’s Battle for our Birds campaign. It meant organising over 20 aerial 1080 operations across some 700,000 hectares of the South Island. He said while anti1080 sentiment was strong on the West Coast, some early detractors had come back in later years to say they had seen the benefits from long-term pest control. New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration

Staff Sergeant Robert Victor Keith McGee, of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

Burnham-based McGee served as a patrol commander with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan’s Bamyan province in 2012 as the only patrol commander who was not an officer.

On August 4, 2012, he commanded a patrol tasked with clear- ing insurgents from the side of a valley as part of the Battle of Baghak, showing excellent leadership under fire, suppressing a number of enemy positions and successfully extracting two of his men who had been injured in the firefight.

One of his men was killed fighting from the patrol vehicles on the road and another was wounded.

His patrol was attacked by insurgents at their Forward Patrol Base the night after the battle.

He exhibited excellent control of his patrol.

On August 19, a large improvised explosive device detonated under the rear vehicle of McGee’s patrol, instantly killing the three occupants.

He secured the scene and ensured the remaining members of the patrol remained focused.