Cameron McEwan was one of eight new faces on Campbelltown Council after last September’s local government election.
But as the sole representative of Sustainable Australia Party, he wasn’t sure what sort of reception he would get from the other councillors, he tells the South West Voice when we sit down for an interview in a café along Queen Street.
“Honestly, it’s been better than I was expecting going into it,’’ he says.
“Being a first time councilor, the only person from a minor party, representing the party on my own, I thought I was going to be very much isolated, seen as the black sheep.
“But everyone’s been really welcoming, friendly, the other councillors, especially the longer term councillors, have been very supportive
“And they have done what they can to encourage me to do my best job as a councillor, which has been really good,’’ says Cr McEwan.
It comes as no surprise to learn that he is a recent arrival to Campbelltown.
He was born on August 30, 1995, in Blacktown Hospital, and grew up in Baulkham Hills.
“We moved here during Covid – my wife and I were renting in Lethbridge Park, which is near Penrith way, the first round of lockdowns happened, and we were a little bit miserable in that area because we were unable to escape from it for a while,’’ says Cr McEwan.
“I work in audio-visual, at corporate events, weddings, that kind of thing, and obviously during Covid all that disappeared.
“So I picked up a temporary career job, delivering parcels, to make ends meet, driving all over Sydney, Central Coast to Campbelltown, and beyond,’’ he says.
“And something about this area really clicked for me.
“I was driving through thinking, this looks like a really nice area, and anyone I interacted with were really friendly, and genuine in a way I didn’t really feel in other areas.
“So when we were looking for places to move, Campbelltown came to mind.
“Campbelltown also happens to be one of the more affordable areas of Sydney, so we packed up and moved to Ambarvale, where we rented for a couple of years, and then last year we bought into Bow Bowing.’’
He says the Covid period was also when he started getting interested in politics.
“Maybe it was also because I was becoming a fully fledged adult then, having moved out on my own,’’ he says.
“But also having the lockdowns happen, and realizing these politicians actually have a lot more say in how I live my life than I originally thought, and seeing the decisions they were making, and disagreeing with them, and actively realizing maybe I don’t agree with everything and what decisions are being made by them.
“And at that time, you had the Liberal Party in power, and there was a lot of climate denial at that point,
“And that seemed to be a denial of reality to me, and I found that was quite frustrating, so I think all of that started turning the gears in my head.’’
The clincher came in 2022 when Cameron McEwan landed a job working audio visual at NSW Parliament.
“I ended up in the same room as a bunch of politicians, obviously I was still doing the audio, but just hearing their conversations, interacting with them a little bit, realizing they’re human beings, not some other strange entity, made it a little more approachable,’’ he says.
“I realized I felt politics is something that I could potentially do if I was interested, so I went soul searching for what party I thought I aligned with.’’
When he looked up the policies of Sustainable Australia Party he felt they seemed to align with his views, and the rest, as they say, is history.
On its website, Sustainable Australia Party says it’s “an independent community movement with a science and evidence-based approach to policy’’.
“Looking at things on their merits is why I like the Sustainable Australia Party so much, it aligns with my own moral code,’’ says Cr McEwan.
“We need to cut out the emotional side a little bit when we are talking about issues that impact large volume of people.
“When it comes to decision making, we should take a step back and just look at the facts, what really matters,’’ he says.
Cr McEwan admits it has been a steep learning curve finding out how things work in council, but he’s just about there after almost 12 months.
He also confesses to a level of frustration – “it wouldn’t be council without a bit of frustration’’ – but also a rewarding experience.
“Most rewarding is the small things, like getting a call from a resident,’’ he says.
“One example was an elderly resident, who called about bus stop that was missing on Lindesay Street, near the service station that was burned down.
“He was upset that a bunch of elderly people who caught that bus had nowhere to sit.
“I called up the council staff and asked them, can we do something about it. Within a week, they’d installed, not a full bus shelter, a seat, so I called the resident back and told him, and they were really happy with it.
‘That feels really good,’’ he says.
“I didn’t get into politics for some lofty career, I am here to make a genuine difference, to try to make Campbelltown a better place.
“If I get to the end of my four years and feel like I’ve achieved everything that I can achieve, I will move on,’’ says Cr McEwan.
Cameron’s help has been much appreciated and I send him best wishes for his work on Council.
That seat near the North Campbelltown shopping centre certainly is welcome when the weather is fine and not too hot or cold. Some people cannot stand for any length of time. But insurance by now should have paid the “owner” of bus shelters to replace this one. For when it is raining or has been raining during the night, or when there is strong wind, or in the summer when it can be very hot, those responsible should ensure that the previous bus shelter be quickly replaced at what is the most important stop on the 882 bus route. It took me letters and emails over about two years to get a path laid down by the Council from Richard Avenue to Macquarie Avenue, now much used by local people, not least people like me, using a walker, and mothers in prams, or those with motorised chairs, and it looks like taking at least two years for the authorities to ensure that those responsible replace the bus shelter and also replace the adjoining rubbish bin that was also destroyed in the explosion. It would be good to have this note forwarded to the appropriate Council persons. Thanks.
I am sure council people will read your letter, Dr Bunyan.