Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown wrapped up this year’s Community Honours Awards by presenting the Mayor’s Award for Public Service to Trevor Croy recently.

Mr Croy is well known for his philanthropy and leadership to the Ashburton district over the past 30 years and his professional skills in accountancy, his energy and compassion have resulted in educational schemes, healthcare projects and better living opportunities for people in our community now and in the future.

The Mayor’s Award for Public Service is given to people who have made a significant and sustained contribution to the district.

Five other community awards were presented earlier this year: Patricia McLaren also received the Mayor’s Award for Public Service, Mid Canterbury Rural Women received an Ashburton Medal and Neroli Cross, Jim Henderson and KidzMethven each received a Civic Award.

One of the many initiatives Mr Croy has been involved in is the Advance Ashburton Community Foundation, which he chaired for seven years. During this time he promoted the establishment of the BOOST learning programme, which helps children aged 7-8 years who are struggling with literacy.

What started as a pilot programme in three schools in 2015 is now in all but one of the district’s schools, and involves around 200 children and over 120 volunteers. Parents and teachers say the reading ability of these children improves measurably.

He was also a determined and strategic driver of the Rural Health Academic Centre, which is based at Ashburton Hospital and in its fifth year of rurally-focussed research and education for the medical and nursing professions.

He spent many hours meeting and talking with key people, including the Dean of the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Science, Otago University and senior staff at the Canterbury District Health Board, all with the aim of encouraging doctors and nurses to work in rural hospitals.

Mr Croy has also been involved in the Haven Housing trust to provide affordable housing, and a number of other groups that aim to help the community.

He and his wife Linda were guests of Council recently, when the mayor presented his award.

The couple moved to Ashburton in 1978 and were determined to get involved with their new community, as they raised a family.

Over the years Mr Croy has held positions on school boards, the Ashburton Silver Band, the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation, the Ashburton Benevolent Fund, the Ashburton Palliative Care Charitable Trust, the Lochhead Charitable Trust, the Trevor Wilson Charitable Trust and the Ashburton Learning Centre.

You can read about the other volunteers who received community honours at https://www.ashburtondc.govt.nz/news/2022-news/hardworking-volunteers-receive-civic-awards