“What a special thing music is.”
So said the Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC, to Sale’s Dr Kevin Cameron when she presented him with his Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) at Government House.
The formal presentation of Dr Cameron’s OAM medal was followed by a second celebration closer to home at Gippsland Grammar’s Chapel of St Anne – which Dr Cameron described as his “favourite place in the school” – on May 7.
Dr Cameron was joined by family, colleagues, members of the Gippsland Grammar Board, and current and former students.
The evening included speeches and a special ‘show and tell’, in which Dr Cameron proudly displayed his medal, before many attendees headed to the opening night of the school’s production of Seussical.
Dr Cameron, who is Gippsland Grammar’s Director of Performing Arts, received the honour in this year’s Australia Day Honours List for service to music and education. He said that while his interaction with the Governor was brief, it was incredibly meaningful.
“When the Governor spoke about music being special, I thought, here’s someone who understands the work we do, because music is a special thing,” Dr Cameron said.
“And it is an essential thing for the young. It’s easy to get wound up in lots of distractions and then music gets put aside, but that’s to the detriment of a wider, wholesome education in my view.”
Dr Cameron studied at the Sydney Conservatorium and began his professional life as Director of Orchestras at the University of Newcastle and Assistant Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra before moving into education in his late 20s. Since then, he has flourished in dual careers as both a professional conductor and music educator.
Having worked in six schools, Dr Cameron joined Gippsland Grammar in 2020. Since then, he has overseen the school’s entire performing arts and music programme, contributed to 13 school productions, undertaken the role of music director for seven productions, and in 2023 led 43 students on a Music and Languages ANZAC tour of France and Belgium, where students performed at the Menin Gate.
Last year, Dr Cameron also released his book Fifty Flecks of Gold, which shares lessons about life and leadership gathered throughout his long and successful career in music, education and leadership.
Reflecting on his time at Gippsland Grammar, Dr Cameron said he had been continually impressed by both the students and his colleagues.
“The students have always impressed me as being very straight-up and honest country people,” Dr Cameron said.
“And my music team at this school has been the best I’ve worked with.
“My colleagues and I do what we do for reasons that have actually nothing to do with music at all. We don’t make musicians here in our music centre, we make people. We try to give them the opportunity to grow safely and securely. To fail safely, to learn safely, and to go forward.”
Dr Cameron also paid tribute to the music department’s long-standing administration assistant, Sue Bryant, who he said “makes my life achievable, enjoyable, easier, and more fulfilling”.
Gippsland Grammar principal Dr Paul Walton spoke at the celebration and said Dr Cameron’s impact on the school community had been “powerful, meaningful, and profound”.
Dr Walton said Dr Cameron’s legacy would extend far beyond the knowledge, wisdom, and skills he had imparted, and would instead be remembered for the way he had made students feel.
Reflecting on what had elevated Dr Cameron to the highest level of achievement in his field, Dr Walton said: “It is many things. It is knowing what outstanding really looks like and knowing how exceptional performances are imagined, planned, and rehearsed. It is helping others experience the exhilarating joy of performing and it is creating a safe and inclusive approach that nurtures talent and gives people a purpose.”
“It is developing confidence and individuality and sharing an understanding that grit, determination, and sacrifice are needed to dedicate yourself towards commitment and having the staying power to see it through to fruition,” he said.
“(Dr Cameron has) inspired a wide range of students to want to do this, to have the resilience to learn, to embrace challenges, and to prevail as an individual and as a wider collective.
“Most importantly, thanks to Dr Cameron, students will never forget how music made them feel … and we hope this emotion is shared for many years to come.
“We are very fortunate that Dr Cameron works at Gippsland Grammar and appreciate the day-to-day impact he has on our community.”
Other speakers at the celebration included Teacher in Charge of Drama Christina Kyriakou and current Music Captain Evie Humphris.
Dr Cameron is now one of only two serving Gippsland Grammar staff members to have received an OAM, alongside the school’s legendary former St Anne’s headmistress Lorna Sparrow, who led the campus from 1944 to 1975.
