Queen’s Award for Ulster New Zealand Trust volunteers at the Ballance House, Glenavy.
Thursday 20 June 2019 was an evening of celebration when the Ulster New Zealand Trust (UNZT) received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service from Her Majesty’s representative,Mrs Joan Christie, CVO OBE, Lord Lieutenant for Co Antrim.
To start the celebration, the Dilworth School students from Auckland performed a very lively Haka to our guests and volunteers. After a drinks reception, Mrs Christie, LCCC Mayor Cllr Alan Givan and VIPs were piped into the Ceremony. The programme included conversations with Mrs Hilary Bracefield and Mr David Twigg about their time as volunteers. The Crystal award was presented to Mr Freddie Hall, Executive Director and the Citation was presented to Miss Betty Wilson, long-serving volunteer and Ballance relative. Mrs Margaret Lee, former NZ Consul, read a very kind congratulatory message sent by Sir Jerry Mataparae, NZ High Commissioner in the UK, Mrs Helen McClenaghan, in thanking the Lord Lieutenant, also gave a most entertaining account of her time as a volunteer.
A multi-media presentation then focussed on the work and achievements of the volunteers over the past 30 years and the restoration of the Ballance House in the late 1980s. The evening concluded with a meal and Mrs Pat Elliott, a long serving volunteer, cut a cake to celebrate the past 30 years and the future of UNZT. Each volunteer was given a QAVS scroll and pin badge.
Paul Hewitt, Chairman of the UNZT Board of Trustees congratulated volunteers on this achievement and said “Having gone through a testing assessment to demonstrate that UNZT provides a worthy service in the local community, is supported, recognised and respected by our community and is run by local volunteers, it is a great honour to have been selected for this 2019 Queen’s Award. Although 12,000 miles apart, the work of UNZT to maintain and foster what brings our two countries together is incredibly important for this and future generations. The Red Hand of Ulster rightly embraces the Silver Fern of New Zealand in many historic, cultural and sporting ways, of which both lands can be very proud”.
