02/06/2026
Congratulations to the recipients of the King's Service Medal in this years King's Birthday Honours - Noel and Sue Walker - For services to Scouts and the community. BRAVO!!
Read their citation below:
Mr Noel Walker and Mrs Sue Walker have been involved with Scouts for 50 years in Otago and Te Anau.
Mr and Mrs Walker have been co-directors of the Otago Gang Show since 1980, reviving the event from near closure and maintaining the biennial show’s reputation as a vibrant, professional community production until the present. The show involves more than 70 youth performers and more than 100 volunteers from the Otago and Southland regions. Noel has been Group Leader of Te Anau Scout Group since 1989 and Western Southland Scouts Zone Administrator since 2003. Sue has been Assistant Group Leader and Cub Leader of Te Anau Scout Group since 1989, and was Western Southland Scouts Zone Training Leader from 2003 to 2024. They both led the drive to build a $350,000 modern, fit-for-purpose Scout Facility for Te Anau, opened in 2016. Noel joined the New Zealand Scouts National Board in 2007 and was Chair from 2011 to 2015, leading implementation of a modern programme that continues to benefit Scouts across the country. Noel and Sue were involved with the Te Anau Kepler Challenge Mountain Run for 28 years, as founding committee members instrumental to organising the event from 1989 to 2000, and as race commentators from 1991 to 2015. Mr and Mrs Walker wrote the book ‘Calling them Home’ for the 25th anniversary of the event, which supports the local economy and supports distribution of around $20,000 to local charitable organisations annually.
