Former Fairfax journalist and ABC Sydney broadcaster Deborah Cameron has died three years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 59.
A highly accomplished journalist with a warm and sunny personality, Cameron began her career at the Warrnambool Standard – after a stint in advertising – and then jumped to the Canberra Times in 1985.
In 2004, she became the first woman to be the Sydney Morning Herald’s Tokyo correspondent, and made the transition to full-time radio after impressing ABC management with her easy manner and natural talent as a guest commentator.
Cameron’s husband and fellow journalist, Greg Earl, said her favourite memories from her time as ABC Sydney’s mornings presenter from 2008 to 2011 were outside broadcasts such as Anzac Day in Hyde Park and the knit-ins where she got to meet the listeners.
She famously said “hooroo” when she signed off from her morning shift, in a throw-back to her country upbringing in Warrnambool.
The director of ABC local radio, Michael Mason, said: “Deb’s many friends at ABC radio are saddened to hear of her passing. Deb made a significant contribution to ABC Radio Sydney over many years as both a guest commentator and as a presenter. Our thoughts are with her family at this time.”
Cameron died suddenly on Saturday, 11 months after her breast cancer returned and serial chemotherapy, radiography and surgery failed to stop the cancer spreading, Earl told Guardian Australia.
Earl said Cameron had been courageous in her struggle with the disease and had gone out of her way to discuss her circumstances with any student nurses and doctors that she came across.
“She made a practice to pick the quietest one out of the groups that increasingly came to visit her at hospital and at home and made sure they got to ask a question about the most personal things,” Earl said.
“She told me that she couldn’t bear the thought of writing about her circumstances, despite being asked to do so at times, but loved talking to the young practitioners.”
When she left the ABC she joined communications firm KJA where she enjoyed using her journalistic skills for community engagement projects.
The executive chair of KJA, Kathy Jones, described her as an amazingly talented woman.
“When she joined KJA some seven years ago after leaving the ABC as their morning broadcaster, I remember saying that her arrival had instantly doubled the intellectual capital of the organisation. And this remained the case whilst ever she was with us. I know we will all miss her intelligence, inventiveness and innovative approach to her work but we will also miss her warm spirit, love of life, and the guidance, wisdom and mentoring she provided to us all.”
Cameron is survived by Earl and their two children, Nat and Eleanor.
I was very saddened to learn on the weekend that former 702 presenter Deb Cameron had died after an illness. Every encounter I had with her, I walked away from thinking, "What a lovely, warm woman."
— Leigh Sales (@leighsales) June 11, 2018
Oh, no. Deb was one of those people in the newsroom who showed you that great success and great kindness could be kept inside the same journalist.
— Erik Jensen (@ErikOJensen) June 11, 2018
No! Shocked and very sad with that news. She was a lovely woman.
— Monica Attard (@AttardMon) June 11, 2018
