It was a couple of years in the making, but Marj Higgs was "absolutely thrilled" when a plaque acknowledging her 29 years' service to the Otago High School Old Boys Society was unveiled this month.
She retired in 2006 as secretary of the committee after a long stretch of accounting, editing and organising.
A crowd of former presidents and members turned out to see Mrs Higgs and the unveiling of the plaque at Otago Boys High School.
"I thought it was just so great. It was a lovely way to do it," Mrs Higgs said.
The ability to meet a wide range of interesting people was what she had enjoyed most about the job.
She recalled being in Egypt when an old boy recognised her.
After a chat and a photo, she convinced him to write a piece for the newsletter she edited.
She regularly "collared" people to write for it, she said.
Being the only woman on the committee was never a problem, although she sometimes felt like mother or grandmother to the men.
"I had to boss them around to get them to do anything," she said, laughing.
During her time with the society, she noticed a decline in membership, from about 1000 when she started to about 750 when she left.
This was due to people not having as much spare time to attend functions, and a general "lack of interest" in the traditions held by Otago Boys High School, she said.
Mrs Higgs had kept busy since her retirement by being involved in Probus, the Dunedin Hospital chaplaincy and the Caversham Baptist Church.
"I like organising," she said.
President Norcombe Barker said it was nice to finally give her recognition for her years of service.
The plaque was originally meant to be a surprise, but no-one could remember exactly how long she had been secretary, so in the end they had to ask her.
"She was the sort of secretary everyone liked . . . she was the one that got everyone going," Mr Barker said.
