The Dunedin woman’s efforts were recognised late last month when she was presented with a medal and certificate from the World Federation of Rose Society (WFRS) "for services to, and conservation of, heritage roses".
Only a handful of the international awards are given each year, and Mrs Rawling’s is one of just three for this year.
She is the sole recipient of a heritage roses medal.
As well as being the convener of Heritage Roses Otago, she is the New Zealand representative of the WFRS’s heritage group.
She also co-ordinates the New Zealand national register of roses, a project recognised around the world.
The register is important as it aimed to record all roses brought into New Zealand that had been lost to general cultivation, as they were no longer available to buy, Mrs Rawling said.
Those found are propagated so they will not die out.
"The Northern Cemetery project is an important part of that," she said.
