Cora Brooking, of Waiuku
Cora Brooking received the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. Mrs Brooking has worked tirelessly for the last 40 years in the rural area of Matakawau, near Waiuku, fundraising for a wide variety of organisations. She contributes large amounts of baking, knitting and upwards of 1,000 jars of jam a year for fundraising events, often for organisations to which she does not belong. Her efforts have raised thousands of dollars for the Waiuku and District Combined Churches, Awhitu Women’s Institute, Awhitu Rural Fire Force, Plunket, Matakawau Badminton Club, St John’s Matakawau Division and the Awhitu Garden Circle. Every Tuesday night for the last 40 years she has run the Matakawau Badminton Club in the Matakawau Hall and provided supper. Mrs Brooking is well known for arriving at community events with banana boxes full of baking and preserves to donate.