Former Myall Lakes MP John Turner is on the 2023 King's Birthday Honours List

Mr Turner, who served as an MP for 23 years, was recognised for his service to the community and to the Parliament of NSW.

"I was very humbled. It is an award for our family. When I was in parliament I had a rural electorate, I had young kids at the time and everybody pulled together," he said.

Mr Turner is the chairman of Regional Development Australia (RDA) Hunter.

He is a former shadow minister and deputy leader of the NSW Nationals, and has been involved in a range of committees.

He was a Cessnock councillor for seven years and served as deputy mayor in 1987.

Mr Turner grew up in Cessnock and was involved in local government before he stood as the NSW National Party candidate for the seat of Myall Lakes.

He moved the family to Foster - a more central location in the electorate - after he was elected.

"I was asked by the National Party to consider standing and six elections later I was still there," he said.

"The electorate was 14,500 square kilometres when I started and now it's down to about 2,500.

The boundary was 15 kilometres away from where I lived at Rothbury."

Mr Turner, who now calls Salamander Bay home, is still doing what he can to help the community.

"I've wanted to keep active. I've cut down now [on my commitments], I only do a few things now but it keeps me active and it keeps me involved," he said.

"Serving your community is really the most rewarding, you're helping people with problems and you're helping them to overcome it."

Mr Turner is part of an expert state government panel that is looking at royalties for rejuvenation.

He said it was a worthwhile stint that would help shape the future of coal mining towns.

"We're looking at what funding can go in to rejuvenate those areas to keep the workers in their towns. That has been going on for 12 months and I've got another couple of years in that," he said.