A gospel radio personality and the chairwoman of the Bermuda 2009 Committee have been awarded an MBE and OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Calvert Alfred 'Kelly' Zuill, who hosts The Gospel Train morning radio show on ZBM, was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE), and Conchita Ming, was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for her contributions to the Island's 400th anniversary celebrations.

Mr. Zuill, 66, the Island's premier gospel DJ since 1963, is fondly referred to by his listeners as 'Mr. Gospel'.

He is also well known for hosting an annual Mother's Day gospel show in Bernard's Park, in Hamilton.

Yesterday Mr. Zuill said: "I am very excited about receiving the award.

"When the Governor called in the middle part of May, I was very excited. I didn't believe it until he asked me would I accept the honour and I said 'yes'."

Mr Zuill added: "I do not only accept it on behalf of myself but I feel like I would like to share the honour with the listeners of my programme as well, especially the ones that have been with me as constant listeners for the 48 years I have been on the radio."

Mr. Zuill has watched as the popularity of gospel music on the Island has grown and he has seen the emergence of new local artists.

He first decided to become a radio host in 1960, as a graduate of Sandys Secondary, and went on to study radio announcing and studio operation at RCA Institute in New York.

Since then he has presented numerous gospel concerts on the Island and produced shows with some of Bermuda's top artists including The Warrenairs, The Apex Four and The Southampton SDA Inspirational Choir.

And he has also earned several awards for his service to the Christian community, including in 1989, when he was honoured at the 6th Annual National and International Gospel DJ's Conference in Memphis, Tennessee.

Honouree Mrs. Ming, who coordinated dozens of events and activities to mark the Island's 400th anniversary celebrations, was yesterday off the Island and unavailable for comment.

But she is well known in the community for the "tremendous" amount of energy and enthusiasm she put into making the anniversary celebration a success, said a Government spokesperson.

Mrs. Ming, considered an icon in the Bermuda dance community, is a co-founder of the National Dance Theatre of Bermuda (NDTB).

She has earned acclaim for dances like A Woman Named Prince; Church Cave, and Tubular Images, which was performed before the Queen in 1994.

Mrs. Ming also has degrees in education and counselling and has a certification in Early Childhood Education.

She was a key figure in setting up the Child Development Programme and used approaches which respected diverse cultures on the Island. She educated staff about cultural differences in the community and translated materials into Portuguese to make it easier for Portuguese-speaking families to access child development services.

Additionally, Mrs. Ming encouraged staff to learn basic Portuguese to help them converse with Portuguese families in Bermuda. The programme is now run by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health and its services are available to all families with preschoolers in Bermuda.