2BS/BRock owner Ron Camplin has been honoured with a major citizenship award today, celebrating his 60 years in the radio industry and his substantial contribution to the Bathurst region.
Camplin attended a civic reception to receive the award, renamed in his honour, with his wife Stephanie and sons Warwick and James. Radio people attending the celebration included Fairfax Radio’s Bill Barrington, Grant Broadcasters’ Alison O’Neill, Capital Radio’s Kevin Blighton, veteran voiceover artist Ken Sparks and staff from 2BS and BRock.
Today marks 60 years and one day since Camplin began his radio career.
Bathurst council recently investigated an appropriate way of recognising local residents who have made an extraordinary contribution to Bathurst and the region. The award Camplin received today is the highest honour the region can bestow on a citizen, and will in future carry his name.
Bathurst Lord Mayor Paul Toole gave a speech at today’s reception, recognising Camplin’s lifelong contribution. He said:
“We gather here this afternoon to honour a man who has made an extraordinary contribution to the Bathurst Region. Ron Camplin is a name, a voice and a personality familiar to many people here in Bathurst – but also across the region, the state and the country.
“He is respected not only as one of the nation’s premier and longest serving broadcasters but as a tireless worker for the community and supporter of a variety of charities, causes and organisations.
How does a community honour a man who has given so much?
Bathurst Regional Council recently created an award designed to bestow the highest honour upon a citizen that could be given by the city. The result is the Honorary Freeman Award. It was determined that the recipient of the Honorary Freeman Award would be a citizen known and respected for their passion and their commitment to the Bathurst community, someone who had contributed to and excelled in a number of different aspects of community life.
The recipient would need to possess an outstanding level of leadership and have sustained their leadership, passion and level of community service over a significant period. This contribution would need to have impacted upon the quality of life in our region.
It has become evident to Bathurst Regional Council and indeed our wider community that Ron Camplin is such a person. Ron Camplin has enjoyed a distinguished and celebrated career that has spanned six decades, making him Austrlalia’s most senior broadcaster.
In August 1948 Ron began his illustrious career on the airwaves at Sydney’s 2CH radio station. He continued to work at a variety of stations and clearly loved his work so much he decided to buy a radio station for himself, purchasing the station at Mudgee at the tender age of 25.
In 1969 Ron made another purchase, this one from Consolidated Press, known as the Bathurst Broadcasters, the company holds the license for a couple of radio stations we now know and love as 2BS Gold and B-Rock.
Bathurst Broadcasters also operates the tourist radio service and Tiny Tots Radio – a fantastic service that operates solely to appeal to children under 6 years of age. It is the only such service to operate in the world and its function is purely as a community service. This initiative offers somewhat of an insight into the sort of person Ron Camplin is.
Not just a talented broadcaster, not only an astute business man, Ron Camplin embodies what it is to serve with enthusiasm, passion, dignity and tireless commitment. What he has given to Bathurst and its people can not be adequately expressed by me here today.
Ron’s achievements and accomplishments could literally fill a book. He sits on various committees and boards, often as the founding member, chair or significant office holder.
He is one of this country’s last owner operators of commercial radio stations and has been deservedly honoured with a Commercial Radio Lifetime Achievement Award by his peers in the industry.
But it is his outstanding community service that sees him honoured here today by the people of Bathurst, the community he serves so well. There is simply no way to acknowledge all of the initiatives, programs and opportunities he has put in place.
Ron’s Bathurst Broadcasters donate air time to the value of more than $2 million every year and in addition makes cash donations and sponsorships to various community bodies and organisations.
Ron is renowned for his desire to help others and is famous for his radio appeals. Recent examples include the Kelso High School appeal following the devastating fire – an exercise that netted $70,000 and the tremendous effort to raise $100,000 in just one week for the late Bessie Fitzpatrick-Orringe a beautiful little girl who lost her brave fight against cancer.
Sport is another passion of Ron’s and our local sporting community has received immeasurable support and untold benefits as a result of Ron’s unwavering championing of our local talent through his Junior Sports Award.
Ron values personal excellence and rewards it through initiatives such as the 2BS Citizen of the Month, the House of the Day and the Recycler of the Month – a recent initiative between 2BS/B-Rock and Council.
All of this and more is the reason why Ron Camplin has been deemed to be the worthy inaugural recipient of Bathurst Regional Council’s Honourary Freeman Award.
I asked earlier – how does a community honour a man who has given so much?
Council has deemed that in addition to presenting Ron with the inaugural Honorary Freeman Award, the Award itself will now be renamed in his honour and from this day forward will be known as the Ron Camplin Award.
It goes without saying that any possible future recipients of the Ron Camplin Award will have a very high standard to meet. Ron certainly sets the benchmark of excellence for what is expected if you are to be recognised with the highest honour this city can bestow on a citizen.
As the Mayor of Bathurst Region it gives me great pride to know that an award honouring extraordinary contribution and excellence in our community will bear the name of someone who personifies such traits.”
Highlights of Ron Camplin’s career:
Born in Sydney on December 18, 1932.
Began his career at 2CH Sydney, August 1948. Announcer at 2XL Cooma, then moved to Mudgee at age 21 working firstly as announcer/journalist, then as Manager.
Purchased 2MG at age 25. In 1969 he purchased Bathurst Broadcasters Pty Limited from Consolidated Press.
From 1990 he served on the commercial broadcasting industry board, the then Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters, as its Deputy Chairman until retiring in 2002. He served as Founding Chairman of Independent Regional Broadcasters Inc. (IRB) and also as Chairman of the industry’s Regional Radio Committee.
Other Positions and projects:
Mitchell Foundation Trust of Charles Sturt University, Bathurst – President from 1981 to 2002
Charles Sturt University Foundation – Director from 1990 to 2002
President of Bathurst Legacy from 1999 to 2001
Publicity Officer of Bathurst Legacy 2002 to 2003
Patron of the Black & White Committee in 1998 and 1999
Patron of the Bathurst Eisteddfod Society from 1993 (continuing)
Patron of the Bathurst Police Citizens Youth Club (continuing)
Founder and administrator of the Bathurst Junior Sports Awards
Patron of The Macquarie Philharmonia Inc since 2003
Another project dear to Ron’s heart has been the Bathurst Junior Sport Awards. This commenced 15 years ago when his own son (Warwick) was selected to represent New South Wales in field hockey as a goalie.
Ron also prides himself in excellence in the work place, and encourages all staff to do likewise. Since the inception of the annual commercial radio industry awards in 1989, 2BS and B-Rock have won 58 awards of excellence for journalism, sales & promotion, community service and technical innovation. With his commitment to training, Camplin was also instrumental in setting up Charles Sturt University’s Radio Course.
Ron’s latest project is that of The Macquarie Philharmonia – a symphony orchestra comprising professional musicians residing in regional New South Wales from Forbes in the north, south to Cowra, from the Blue Mountains out to Dubbo.
Ron was a ward of Legacy – his father Lionel served in WWI as a Light Horseman, dying of wounds received, when Ron was quite young. As a result Ron spent much of his childhood in orphanages – Dalwood and Dalmar, and later Fairbridge Farm at Orange. It was Legacy who assisted Ron in starting at 2CH Sydney in 1948. He consequently has supported Legacy all of his working life. In 1967 at 2MG he commenced the “Farmer of the Year” competition, later extending this to 2BS until 1992, with all profits from this competition and its gala presentation night going to Legacy. Over the years tens of thousands of dollars were raised for which Ron was acknowledged as a Friend of Legacy in 1987. He served as Bathurst President of Legacy for two years from 1998, taking care of seven widows during that time.
Following a serious car accident in July 2000, Ron now works mainly from home. He runs the business side of 2BS/B-Rock from his home office, and still keenly supports his community via his enthusiastic staff, who embrace and emulate his philosophies.