The Alexandra Rotary Club bestowed Paul Harris fellowships on John and Valmai Breen - a doubly unusual event because the couple received the awards on the same night and both are non-Rotarians.
They attended a Rotary meeting last week, each thinking they were supporting their spouse, who had been kept in the dark about receiving an award.
''It was a well-kept secret. They came and saw me and said they were going to give Valmai an award and could I come along that night and give them a talk about the Alpine Reef water wheel; that was the cover story,'' Mr Breen said.
''Meanwhile, she'd been told that I was getting an award, but it turned out to be the double deal and neither of us knew what was going on.
''On the night, they did the job on Valmai and read out her citation, and then I gave my talk about the water wheel.
''Then the next thing, they'd started on me and read out my citation. They caught us out completely, so we were sandbagged, but it was really a lovely occasion and our family were all there, too.''
Alexandra Rotarian Robyn Bowman read out Mrs Breen's citation, which described heras ''an outstanding person in this community and through-out Central Otago''.
The 66-year-old's involvement in sport spanned 43 years and she had made an enormous commitment to softball in particular, as a coach, selector and organiser, he said.
''Without her enthusiasm and dedication, softball would have struggled to survive.''
As well as her involvement in softball, she had also been active in athletics coaching. Mrs Breen ran her first marathon at 40 and completed a half-marathon two years ago, Mr Bowman said.
The Breens had four children and 11 grandchildren and Mrs Breen was also ''a superb, caring and loving wife, mother and grandmother''.
Rotarian John Taylor read the citation for Mr Breen (70), saying he was a humble man who had a substantial influence in Alexandra and throughout Central Otago.
Mr Breen became manager of the family firm, Breen Construction, in 1978 and still took an active role in the company.
The family and business had demonstrated hard work and integrity through difficult times and served the region with perseverance and pride, Mr Taylor said.
''Many of the staff, which total over 70, have been with the company for in excess of 20 years. This surely says that loyalty has been a huge factor in the firm's history and will continue into the future.''
Mr Bowman said the Alexandra Rotary club had been in existence for 70 years and it was the first time a husband and wife had received Paul Harris fellowships at the same meeting. The fact the Breens were non-Rotarians made it doubly unusual.
The club had bestowed 25 Paul Harris fellowships and of that number, seven were given to non-Rotarians, including the Breens.
''It's certainly not an award given lightly and it recognises the enormous contribution made by both John and Valmai in the community, even though they wouldn't go looking for recognition or reward,'' Mr Bowman said.
Mr Breen said the award capped off ''a big couple of weeks'', which included a party for his 70th birthday.
