Alec Cameron, a recruit from the north of England, spent more than 50 years with the Adamstown Rosebud club, a period of service in which he built a reputation as an outstanding clubman and exceptional footballer.
He represented at every level available in his day, capping a mighty career with 17 appearances for Australia. He made his international debut in 1927 against China, played against Czechoslovakia in the same year, and played his final international in New Zealand in 1936, where he captained the team on its unbeaten tour. He contributed to Adamstown’s Gardiner Cup (State Championship) wins in 1925 and 1930. Sadly his career was cut short by injury.
Alec Cameron was the supreme artist on the field, a great team player, yet possessed of such remarkable individual skill he often dazzled teammates as well as opponents. Even the staid soccer connoiseurs would yell with delight as he sold dummies to opposing halves and backs, lifting the ball precisely to toe or head of his winger or centre-forward or sweeping it across field from his inside right position to the far left-winger.
Once he did unleash his own scoring capacity. That was in 1930 when he scored his side’s five goals against Canterbury. It was an out-of-character flash of defiance – almost a demonstration of “See, I can do it if I want to”. He was much too dedicated a team-man, too modest a person to want to hog all the glory.
His playing days ended, Alec Cameron threw his efforts behind his old club. A leading light in the formation of the Adamstown Rosebud licenced club, of which he became a trustee and finance committee member, he also gave great service to the Adamstown Soccer Club. His father had been its President in 1923 to 1924, his brother Jimmy Secretary in 1925 to 1927. He followed as President from 1949 to 1953. He was the club’s delegate to the controlling body, then a State Association director and a NSW selector.
Hall of Fame 2005 Inductees
