Selwyn Cardno was made a Member of the Order of St John by Governor-General Anand Satyanand, at an investiture in Wellington.
St John Honours are sanctioned by the Queen, and are an independent part of the New Zealand honours system.
Mr Cardno is a road-based upskilled paramedic, based at the St John station in Balclutha.
"I've never experienced that feeling when you wake up and don't want to go to work. I enjoy helping people and making a difference to their recovery, whether they require hospital care or can be made comfortable at home. You never know what you're going to be confronted with at any time, whether it's day or night."
A key part of the job was making good decisions and following good procedures, he said.
One of the major changes he saw across 40 years was a reduction in the level of road accident trauma and fewer calls to industrial accidents.
"The level of education inside and outside of the workplace has made a huge difference. I was also working when seat belts were made compulsory in the 1970s. Injuries were noticeably reduced and overnight our workload dropped."
He first joined St John as a volunteer in Milton in 1967, when he was a carpenter. He began as a full-time Dunedin-based ambulance officer in 1970, at the age of 21.
Mr Cardno has worked full-time at Dunedin, Taieri, and Balclutha stations, and as a volunteer in Wanaka, Dunedin, and Milton.
During his time as a volunteer, he held the roles of Cadet Superintendent of the Milton Cadet Division and chairman of the Upper Clutha (now Wanaka) Area Committee.
Mr Cardno was the station manager in Mosgiel for 12 years before retiring his position in 2004, and working in Dunedin for a "brief stint".
He rejoined the Balclutha station in 2009 when a position for a road-based upskilled paramedic came up.
"The job titles change all the time, so it's hard to keep up with," he laughed.
In his spare time, he helps wife Lyn with their small accommodation business in Kaka Point and enjoys recreationally diving for paua, and swimming.
"It's very important to keep fit when you're working in a sedentary job and growing older. Swimming is great, because you can fit it in anytime around your shifts.
"My father retired at 79. I think I might try to beat him."
Other Otago recipients of the 2010 St John Honours were: Karen Bradfield (Owaka), Glenis Crutchley (Ranfurly), Jan Duffy (Ranfurly), Donald Harbourne (Oamaru), Bevan Michie (Dunedin), Jeannie Paterson (Mosgiel), Glenys Riach (Mosgiel), and Rod Walker (Wanaka).
They have received their honours at the investiture service this month in Wellington or will receive them later this year, in Invercargill.
