Cameron grew up on Mount Macedon in country Victoria. He spent his childhood walking the tall grassy open forests; training for athletics; teaching himself computer programming; composing music; studying the dictionary; writing poetry; and recording the birds that came to the bird table he built.
His final three years of school were at Geelong College where until an injury he was athletics captain. He represented Australia as a sprinter in America when he was 18. He graduated with straight ‘A’s. His first choice was a Bachelor of Forest Science from The University of Melbourne, where he received a scholarship to Ormond College. Upon graduation he got a job with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment as a Forest Mapper and later as a Forest Fire-fighter.
His commitment to conservation underpinned a choice to express his ecological worldview through political activism at the cost of his career as a forester. While he campaigned on forest issues, to pay the bills he developed a career as an Information Technology Consultant. He campaigned for over five years with Friends of the Earth, including two years as co-coordinator of the Friends of the Earth National Forest Campaign, with eight groups in five states. His campaigning lead to significant additions to the National Parks estate in NE Victoria. He facilitated strategy development and coordinated national communication.
Upon moving to the Hastings, Cameron established Forest Watch and waged a campaign for a forest near Queens Lake, which was ultimately protected. The campaign included a massive community outreach program, extensive use of the local mass media, organising non-violent direct action in the forest and numerous rounds of negotiation with State Forests. He is Chair of the Coast and Estuary Management Committee and is a member of the National Parks and Wildlife Service Mid North Coast Regional Advisory Committee.
While living in Comboyne, Cameron's interests broadened to encompass the full spectrum of community development. He was instrumental in securing a series of grants totalling over half a million dollars. He was part of the core group that worked continuously over three years to establish the Comboyne Community Centre, which was purchased and renovated, with facilities including a technology centre, a branch of the Hastings library, a visitor information centre, a Centrelink agency, a historical display and point of sale for local art and craft.
Another sphere of community involvement is the arts. Cameron was President of the Wauchope Community Arts Council for two years. As leader of this dynamic group, the Arts Council provided cultural experiences for the whole of the Hastings that would simply not otherwise be available. He wrote a submission on the Public Art Policy. Cameron currently Chairs the Hastings Arts and Cultural Development Committee and is a Board Member of Arts Mid North Coast.
Cameron convened the Comboyne Heritage Group and organised the launch of Heritage Week in the Hastings for 2003. Over 700 people came, which was the largest Heritage Week launch the Hastings has ever seen. Cameron created the Comboyne Heritage Photographic Collection of over 100 mounted enhanced reproductions.
Cameron is focused on sustainability, which includes the sustainability of the local economy. While on Council, he has put up a number of motions to facilitate economic development and was a member of the Hastings Economic Development Board.
Cameron has a strong commitment to good governance. He has advocated for improved openness and transparency. He has campaigned for full disclosure of election donations. He has championed improved community consultation. He initiated a review of the Community Consultation Policy, which lead to the development of a Public Participation Policy based on the standards set by the International Association of Public Participation.
Trading as Leadership NSW, Cameron Price offers a range of consultancy services to individuals and organisations:
Coaching: Ask Cameron to be your Life Coach so you can rid yourself of old self-defeating beliefs and patterns and realise your vision for even more fulfillment and joy than you currently permit yourself to feel.
Conflict Resolution: As your NSW Law Society accredited Mediator, allow Cameron to facilitate the resolution of any personal, organisational or commercial dispute and bring to a conclusion the stressful, time-consuming and costly conflict so you can then move on.
Community Consultation: Qualified by the International Association of Public Participation, as a professional public participation practitioner, engage Cameron to plan and run your organisation's community consultation process, which done really well does more for your reputation than any amount of advertising.
Conducting Forums: When you need a skilled and neutral person to Chair meetings, particularly when the issues are complex or controversial, engaging Cameron as your Independent Facilitator will result in outcomes of greater clarity and everybody walking away feeling heard.
Consultant to Community Groups: Engage Cameron to guide your Board or Management Committee to a better understanding of their responsibilities and liabilities to avoid embarrassing situations borne out of good intentions but a lack of understanding of how good governance is one of the fundamental elements of a highly functional, dynamic and effective community association.
Communications Strategist: As an experienced campaigner, engage Cameron to advise you on how best to convey your core messages to the community using the media and other conduits.
Cameron is currently studying an MBA, with subjects including: Processes of Management, Marketing Management, Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance for Managers, Organisational Behaviour, Local Government, Legal Studies, Managerial Thinking and Decision Making, Management of Change, Fundamentals of E-Business, Information Systems Analysis and Design, Strategic Management and Executive Leadership.
Personally, Cameron has diverse interests, including:
• Playing with his Huskies
• Chess and Poetry
• Politics and Leadership
• Martial Arts and Buddhism
• Spending time in Nature
• Playing Pan Pipes and Flute
• Music Composition
• Live Music and Theatre
• Enjoying a bottle of red with friends
• Rotary and Community Service
Cameron keeps a personal Blog at www.myspace.com/crcam