At the Alexandra District Club yesterday Clyde and Districts Lions Club nominee Robyn Marshall was named 2024 Senior Queen and Alexandra Petanque representative Anne Dougherty was first runner-up.
Mrs Marshall said her first feeling on hearing her name announced as winner was disbelief.
"The other four contestants had lists and lists of things they were doing in the community and ... I haven’t got that many lists."
However, the judges — Senior Queen founder Liz Pratt, Contact Energy representative Michelle Bastiaansen and Tall Poppy Real Estate Central Otago owner Peter Hishon — disagreed.
Knitting and crocheting were top of her list of community activities.
"At the moment we are working on knitting for the [Central Otago] maternity home, jerseys for the babies. Everything we do is local."
A teacher at Roxburgh Area School for "many years", she continued to encourage young students in reading and writing at Dunstan High School during assessments and exams for students who were struggling with either skill or for whom English was a second language.
She was also involved in Grey Power, working to look after the interests of older people in the community.
For the first time this year there was people’s choice award and Alexandra Senior Citizens nominee Joanne Ireland took the inaugural title.
Since 1996 the Senior Queen competition has recognised the work women over 60 do in their communities. Each contestant was nominated by a group or individuals to acknowledge her contribution.
