Cameron Arnold was awarded the Order of Australia this week on the King Charles Birthday honours list for his service to tourism, and conservation.

Cameron Arnold OAM was not expecting it, he has no idea who nominated him, but Cameron has been in the tourism industry for over 35 years. He says, “I've had a really hard time talking about any one aspect because I have been involved in multiple areas.”

The Order of Australia recognises Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement. The Governor General's office sent out a notification of the nomination about 6 weeks ago. “They asked if I would accept it or not. I was pretty thrilled, but I thought it could have been a scam at the time,” laughs Cameron.

Two weeks ago, he was told that it was official and the nominations would be announced on the King's Birthday holiday.

“There’s been a lot of people reach out with congratulations. From all parts of my career, friends and family - even some long lost aunts and uncles!”

The actual medal will be given in a ceremony some time around September. There will be a couple of recipients from the area. Cameron speaks of Diana Roberts, who has also been awarded an OAM.

“I know Diana Roberts. She is a wonderful lady. I did a bit of work with her when she was trying for funding for some tourism products. She really deserves her medal as well as she has done some amazing stuff.”

I asked Cameron about another 2024 OAM recipient, Hamish Blake. Cameron is aware of the award, he is a fan. "Our paths have crossed in the tourism space when he was working with Tourism Australia." Literally. Cameron said of Hamish, "He has done some great work in the "Fatherhood" space amongst many other areas. Using his following to promote open conversations with men is so well deserved."

There are a string of facets of tourism that Cameron has worked in, but there has been some highlights.

At one point, Cameron, “ended up working with the regional tourism body for a couple of years. Regional tourism merged with the mid north coast creating an area that ran from the Tweed North Coast, right down to just above Port Stephen.  

“It became the third largest overnight visitation destination in Australia behind Sydney and Melbourne.”

Later, Cameron said, “I got invited to join the Cape Byron Trust, which is a joint venture between the Arakwal people and the national parks. 

“That was about conservation of the Cape, and traditional owners are really pleased by what happened in that recognition. I developed a great relationship with both of those parties. And just giving them advice on how to better perform commercially. It was really interesting to be a part of.”

The next “big” thing was joining the board of the Big Banana at Coffs Harbour, “Which is another iconic tourism product on the North Coast. Again, that's really interesting working with them. They're really successful; it's not just the banana that’s the icon, it's a really successful business.”

More recently, Cameron has been involved with the development of the Rail Trail since its inception.

“That was 2012 when we started lobbying for the creation of the Rail Trail. The organisation was a volunteer organisation called Rail Trailing Incorporated. 

“We've got about 30 or 40 people involved in that, but there is a really core group of about eight of us. We've been driving the development, lobbying for funding with all the different councils and putting ourselves out there to be really heavily criticised at times to try to create something of a public asset.”

Cameron could foresee the popularity and success of the rail trail, “We needed to create a project that took people away from the ocean and to draw people to the villages and reinvigorate that space. The number of people using it has outweighed our expectations.”

The Rail Trail, which is still under development, has not seen Cameron's involvement wane. The planned legs of the Rail Trail are only part of it. Places like Ballina and Kyogle, which are off the iron track, are planning to connect to the Rail Trail to widen their communities' access and usage.

On reflection of the people he has been working with, Cameron says, “Pat Greir and the rest of the team at the Rail Trail have been amazing. The Arakwal people have been awesome working with them, the Kelly family and others on those committees and the National Parks as well.”

Cameron is still involved with the Big Banana, Cape Byron and Rail Trail boards, “but I've actually just taken a corporate role - the first time in my life. Working for Australia's largest short-term holiday accommodation company.”

Asking Cameron if he could describe a typical day in his life. He just laughed and said, “Nup!

“My wife was saying, I don’t know how you do it; you just keep switching hats!” 

When it comes to deciding how long he should be involved with a board or on a project, he offers some sage wisdom. “There have been core projects that I can’t let go of; there is still a lot for me to do. But I have stepped back from boards when there has been too much reliance on me. 

“And at times, you just know, if you get too entrenched in it, you don’t get fresh eyes on things. At times I have had to step away as my tenure was up. It was disappointing, but it is good to hand it over to someone new and fresh and see what they can add to it.  

“It also frees you up to go onto something new and different and grow in another direction.”

Cameron laughs when he thinks about the current new direction - his first corporate job - at this end of his career. He is happy about the place where he is, an empty nester after bringing up four children who have gone their own ways. Cameron thinks he has some time to apply himself to his new career before he takes on the role of grandfather!