Between the bushfires, floods and Covid, the St John Ambulance volunteers have had their hands full, with Ms Benham one of 46 to be awarded The Order of St John in recognition of going above and beyond to help others.

"I've been at St Johns for nearly 13 years and I also do Cancer Council. I've been doing Daffodil Day for 25 years now," Ms Benham said.

"It's nice to help out the community and give back, just being able to help people when they need it most."

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NSW Governor Margaret Beazley hosted the investiture ceremony at Government House in Sydney on May 14.

With membership within The Order of St John being an honour sanctioned by the Governor-General on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, Ms Benham was extremely moved to be acknowledged.

"I was overwhelmed ... that's probably the best word for it," Ms Benham said.

A former preschool teacher and now a full-time carer for her mum, Ms Benham still finds time to provide her volunteering services to the community.

Between attending sporting events, helping during a crises and providing schools with a free program teaching students the basics of first aid and CPR, Ms Benham continues to put others before herself.

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They are all reasons she received her recent honour and why she was named one of Bathurst's Living Legends in 2017.

In 2020, over 3000 volunteers spent more than 150,000 hours of their time supporting the local communities across NSW.

St John Ambulance NSW chief executive officer Sarah Lance said that volunteers were an essential part of the organisation and help make communities a better place for all.

She congratulated the volunteers for their awards.

"We are proud to honour and recognise these volunteers who have made significant contributions to their communities through their dedication to St John NSW," Ms Lance said.

"The past year has been particularly significant. Our volunteers have provided critical support through the NSW Bushfire Emergency and throughout the COVID pandemic, helping at quarantine hotels and testing clinics across the state."

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