Faculty of Law colleagues remember Neil Cameron
Professor Yvette Tinsley and Dr Warren Young pay tribute to their esteemed friend and colleague, Neil Cameron.
Neil Cameron taught and published in the area of criminal law and criminal justice, with a special interest in policing, at the Faculty of Law from 1968 until 2002. After retiring, he continued his attachment to Victoria as a Teaching Fellow until 2010 while working part time as a consultant in the justice sector and for the New Zealand Police.
This tribute to Neil was written by Yvette Tinsley and Warren Young.
It was with great sadness that we heard of the sudden passing of our friend and colleague Neil Cameron on 10 February this year. Neil was a member of the Faculty for over 30 years, officially retiring in 2002 but teaching part time for many more years.
In common with others, when we arrived at the Faculty, Neil took us both under his wing, generously sharing knowledge and making us feel at home. Neil was a larger than life character with a sometimes gruff exterior, an exacting but compassionate colleague, and a great friend. He had an irreverent, dry, and satirical sense of humour which often lightened difficult times in the Faculty. Neil opened his home and gave his time to many.
Neil was a great thinker and teacher. He was incisive, analytic, clear in his thinking, and an excellent communicator and writer. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of criminal law. His critiques of our thinking and writing meant that when we got his stamp of approval, we knew we were on safe ground.
Professor Yvette Tinsley and Dr Warren Young
Neil’s contributions to the field were significant. He was influential in the development of New Zealand policing, police education, and professional development, including many years of running Commissioned Officer and Sergeant promotion courses, teaching law students about policing, and university education of police officers. He also contributed much to criminal law in New Zealand through his work on doctrinal law, policing, and juries. This continued even after his retirement through his co-authorship of New Zealand’s leading criminal law text, Adams on Criminal Law. We both learned much from him, and he was someone we turned to for advice on legal issues up until the day he died.
Neil was a loving family man, leaving behind his wife, three children, and seven grandchildren. He ignited a love of criminal law in many students and contributed to the development of both his academic field and his Faculty. He will be deeply missed by both of us, and by all who had the privilege of working with him.