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Former TV sports producer and Mangawhai resident, Kevin Cameron, has set down on paper his recollections of nearly six decades in television, as well as his wife’s remarkable legacy in swimming.
Two Passions is an engaging and endearing account of a couple who fell in love not once, but twice, amid the demands of international sport and broadcasting.
Cameron started as a cadet with the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in 1965, eventually rising to become the director of sport for Sky New Zealand. He was a key player in launching the channel and oversaw its sports coverage until he retired in 2013. He later worked as a global consultant, collaborating on major events such as Rugby World Cup and Fijian Drua Super Rugby fixtures.
The Mangawhai Heads resident was married to the late Jan Cameron, an Olympic silver medallist and one of Australasia’s most successful swim coaches. Known as ‘the godmother of Australian and New Zealand swimming’, Jan’s influence on the sport was profound and enduring, and she guided many athletes to global success. Jan passed away in April 2018 in Australia, where they had lived since 2013.
Initially, Cameron says he planned to write the book to honour his wife’s career achievements. However, his family encouraged him to also include his professional success as well as the couple’s relationship, which sparked when they were teenagers. He says essentially, Two Passions is three stories in one book.
“I wanted to share Jan’s competing days and the way she transformed into a revered, elite international coach, building the number one swim club in Australia while she coached many of her swimmers to international status,” he says.
“Also, to share our pretty special love story, which began as 14-year-olds, to an engagement in our early 20s, being apart for 20 years as we pursued our careers, and reuniting in 1990. The book is a legacy of our lives for our family with potentially wider interest for those who follow sports and broadcasting.”
Cameron started jotting down notes for the book after Jan’s passing and on returning to NZ, started writing while simultaneously building his Mangawhai home during the covid era. He says the title is all about the passion that they shared for their professions.
“It was always a pleasure to work in sports and broadcasting, pretty crazy industries but a lot of fun.
“After 59 years, I’ve seen an incredible evolution of technology, some rapid changes and dealt with high-profile players and coaches, as well as television personalities. I have quite a lot of stories, I could actually write another book.”
Printed by Mangawhai business, Mary Egan Publishing, Two Passions was launched in Auckland’s AUT Millennium on April 16 with a local celebration at Mangawhai Club on April 29. Available now in bookstores nationwide or online at www.twopassions.co.nz.
