A tireless charity fund-raiser, a stalwart supporter of the Southern 100 races and the founder of Beach Buddies have all been named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.
Talented actress and theatre director Olga Gray is to receive an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to the Manx community as does S100 course clerk Phil Taubman, for his services to motor racing.
Beach Buddies founder Bill Dale is to be awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the Manx marine environment.
Olga has a record of being involved in voluntary community service in the island for more than 50 years and she has been involved with amateur theatre all of her life.
She has twice been chair of the Manx Drama Federation and was instrumental in securing the Isle of Man as a venue for the British All Winners Festival of Plays. Olga helped create the Manx Gateway Drama Group and is still involved. She has been a volunteer recorded news reader for the Manx Blind Welfare Society for 30 years.
And since 2002 she has been fundraising for Breakthrough Breast Cancer Isle of Man, helping to raise in excess of £1.5m. She won the Lifetime Achievement Award at Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence in 2011.
She told the Examiner from her home in Ballaughton Close, Douglas: ‘I was in the kitchen four to five weeks ago and took this call from Sir Richard Gozney. I thought someone was having me on! He said he had been asked by the Queen to see if I would accept an MBE. I could not believe it. It’s absolutely amazing. I’m humbled.
‘It has to be one of the biggest surprises and shocks anyone could have - it certainly was for me!’
Olga said she had not been allowed to tell anyone the good news, except her husband Michael, until 10pm last night (Friday). Even her daughter Stephanie had to be kept in the dark. Olga lost her other daughter Michelle to breast cancer 12 years ago. She has five granchildren.
Olga added: ‘I love giving. I was born and bred in the island and I was always taught to do things for others and do what you can for the community - I don’t do it for any other reason.’
Phil Taubman is well known throughout the island and in his home town of Castletown as chairman of the Southern 100 Motorcycle Club and clerk of the course.
He was 12 when got involved with the first S100 races in 1955 and is the only surviving member of original organising committee.
Phil has also been clerk of the course for MGP races and deputy for the TT races.
He is involved in Castletown activities including as commentator at the annual Tin Bath Races. As part of an exhibition at Casltetown Civic Centre showing the impact of the Great War on the town’s social development, he built a replica First World War trench.
Phil said of his honour: ‘I’m thrilled – very, very pleased. I knew two months ago when I got a call for the Governor. The hardest part has been keeping it secret when you want to scream it from the rooftops!’
Bill Dale, who started beach cleaning 10 years ago with only two volunteers and went on to set up Beach Buddies, said his BEM was the ‘icing on the cake’ after an extraordinary year for the charity.
There are now some 6,000 volunteers who regularly turn-out to clear debris and rubbish from our beaches. And that doesn’t take into account the hundreds who are quietly getting involved by using the charity’s bright orange Big Beach Bins which are sponsored by local companies.
Bill, who received an Isle of Man Newspapers Pride in Mann award for environmental awareness in 2015 and was named volunteer of the year at this year’s Awards for Excellence, gives regular talks to groups and organisations to highlight the ongoing problem of marine rubbish.
He said: ‘This has been an extraordinary year for Beach Buddies and this is the icing on the cake for our organisation, and I look on this as an award which all our volunteers can share, and it gives further credibility to our charity and our past achievements and future aims.’