‘It all but killed me’: Inside John Cameron’s battle before Cairns exit
As John Cameron prepares to take his final steps on the Cannon Park track after six years at Cairns Jockey Club, the outgoing general manager has one parting, deeply personal message.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AS John Cameron prepares to take his final steps on the Cannon Park track after six years at Cairns Jockey Club, the outgoing general manager has just one message he wants everyone to take seriously.
Get checked.
Cameron has been in the fight of his life this year after the discovery of a stage 4 melanoma, a battle that almost went the wrong way.
“It got away, finished up going right throughout my body, and in particular my liver, it was growing at a very fast rate and all but killed me,” Cameron said.
That months-long fight, and all of the realisations that come with it, are what led directly to Cameron calling it a day after more than six years at Cannon Park.
During that time, he’s seen the club grow courtesy of a strong committee, support from Racing Queensland and heavyweight investors like current CJC president Tom Hedley and John Piccone, and navigated and guided the club through the challenges of Covid.
He will sign off with, weather permitting, a record crowd at the Cairns Cup.
And as great as all of that success is, Cameron’s fight with melanoma has totally changed his outlook.
“I finished up going to Melbourne to get treatment through immunotherapy, and I was one of the lucky ones immunotherapy worked on,” Cameron said.
“It fixed me, over a period of three months.
“But I’m moving away to get closer to Melbourne to get more treatment for another two years.
“I’ve gone from heading out the exit door to someone who is supposedly completely fixed from melanoma.
“The day I got my clearance to say I was supposedly cured I decided that I wanted to do something different.
“We (he and Hedley) negotiated that I’d still until Cup day was over, then there were a few other things on my priority list I wanted to do.
“One of those is seeing my mother in New Zealand and mother in law, neither are well, then find a job closer to Melbourne, which I’ve been able to do in the last little while.”
It’s why Cameron’s parting public message from the club isn’t so much about the its outstanding growth over the past few years.
It’s not about how the 2022 Cairns Cup is well-placed to smash records in attendance, prizemoney, bar and canteen turnovers.
It’s not about watching the Cairns Cup explode from an even which attracted about 1000 patrons when they raced on Sundays at the start of his tenure to a Super Saturday event with more than 6000 revellers.
And it’s not about how there’s another $3-4 million in exciting racetrack improvements to come in the next 18 months which will ensure Cannon Park remains north Queensland’s premier racing destination.
Cameron’s message is more personal: get checked, get checked regularly, and look after your health.
“It just goes to show you that when you’re in places where there’s lots of beautiful sunshine, as beautiful is Cairns is, you’ve got to cover up,” he said.
“You have to look at it regularly, get regular checks, and thankfully I was doing that but it still managed to get under the guard of everyone.
“Cover up, slip slop slap, but more importantly, go and get tested on a regular basis.
“Covid probably prevented that to happen on a regular basis for a lot of people, but we need to get back in the habit of getting checked, making sure there’s nothing untoward, and know that cancers are sneaky.
“Mine was an aggressive one – had we not go onto it, I wouldn’t be here to talk about it.”
Cameron will move closer to Melbourne, where has a few more years of treatment to go to ensure he is fully healthy, and he already has a new gig lined up as he shifts into a new, more meaningful phase of his life.
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
More Coverage
Originally published as ‘It all but killed me’: Inside John Cameron’s battle before Cairns exit
Premier vows to open 10 new police beats despite 42 closing
Steven Miles will attempt to open 10 new police beats if elected, despite 42 beats closing since Labor has been in power, something the Premier says was a police service decision.
Your ultimate guide to every gun club in Queensland
A new public shooting gallery catering to unlicensed shooters as young as 11 has opened as firearm sports experience a surge in popularity. See our exclusive list of all gun clubs in Queensland.