Vale Deb Cameron
IAP2 Australasia was saddened to hear of the passing of Deborah Cameron on Saturday 9 June after a long illness.
Well known as a former presenter on ABC 702 Sydney and Fairfax correspondent, Deb came to the community engagement profession seven years ago.
“She was passionate and committed to community engagement from the time that she learned that it was something that one could do as a fulltime job” shares IAP2 Australasia Director, Margie Harvie.
Deborah completed the IAP2 Australasia Certificate in Engagement, and joined KJA as an engagement professional where KJA Executive Chair, Kathy Jones remembers saying at the time that Deb’s arrival “had instantly doubled the intellectual capital of the organisation”.
Natalie Boyd, who worked closely with Deb throughout her time at KJA recalls “Deb joined KJA in 2012 and worked on a broad range of exciting projects over the years, facilitating and engaging with communities across Sydney and NSW and in Victoria working with our Melbourne office. Deb excelled at facilitating difficult conversations and brought a particular sparkle to her work. Everyone left feeling that they had been heard, valued and engaged. Even those people who may have disagreed with the content, couldn’t argue the process, which was always fair and even handed, and always grounded in respect.”
Deb was involved across most of Sydney’s major projects including: the Botanic Gardens, the Sydney Opera House Master Plan, Barangaroo, Parramatta Road renewal and the Bays Precinct Summit. She was also instrumental in many smaller, but no less impactful projects including the Shellharbour Hub, Willoughby Council’s CSP and the Ratch windfarm.
Deb was passionate about engagement and about communities. Our community of practice was something she contributed to with a passion and loved to draw on. KJA has lost a true friend and innovator in community and stakeholder engagement but her huge contribution and legacy remains.”
Deb also facilitated at a past IAP2 Australasia conference, and IAP2A Ambassador, Lucy Cole-Edelstein remembers her as “warm, funny, smart and generous. Her wicked humour, often pre-empted by a twinkle in her eye, will be sorely missed by her many colleagues and friends. Tributes cannot express enough the loss we all feel, and the sincere love we would all like to blanket her beloved family in.
Vale Deb – and thank you so much for sharing yourself with us and the many communities you tirelessly sought to give voice to through a life dedicated to learning, justice and love.”
14 June 2018