The couple has been working at St John’s College and in the community as music teachers for the past five years and say they will continue to be just that in the future.

“Dubbo is a great community and when we have the support we have had, great things can happen,” Mr Dunn said.

“Dubbo has a huge amount of talent, but can sometimes sell itself short.”

The couple was originally from Sydney and when considering a ‘tree change’ found Dubbo to be the perfect stop.

Mr and Mrs Dunn felt “humble” to receive the public service award.

“There is always new talent coming through and the challenge is to develop it,” Mrs Dunn said.

“We are both strong advocates for music in the community.”

Mrs Dunn said there was much support from the school community, the Macquarie Conservatorium and the parents and students.

“It has been joyful getting to know the students and their families,” she said.

Community Service Award (CSA) selector Wally Flynn said the couple had no idea they were even nominated for the award.

“Maggie was here anyway for the school string ensemble and to get Paul here we told him Maggie would be receiving an award - they were both very surprised and emotional,” Mr Flynn said.

CSA committee member Michael Ferguson said the Dunns were very deserving people.

“It’s good to see people’s emotion, they were a bit teary and it was hard to get them to stand up,” he said.