Graham Ross Cameron McKellar, (known as Cam) of Willow Tree

Biography:

Cam McKellar grew up near Spring Ridge on the Liverpool Plains, where he managed an irrigation grain farm known as Inveraray Downs. A sixth-generation farmer, his lineage traces back to Inveraray on Scotland’s west coast.

Around thirteen years ago, Cam purchased Levondale at Willow Tree, and today he resides just outside Warral near Tamworth, while continuing some of his agricultural pursuits at Willow Tree. His contributions to farming have been widely recognised: he received the prestigious Australian Nuffield Scholarship in 1992, a Greening Australia Award presented at Parliament House in Canberra, and the Carbon Cocky of the Year Award.

Educated at The Scots College in Sydney, Cam joined the Pipes and Drums and, at just 14 years old, performed at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1973. Alongside 102 fellow students, he played in 27 performances, living for four weeks in Edinburgh Castle as part of the British Army’s Tattoo program. By 1976, he had risen to Pipe Major, leading the Anzac Day March along George Street and performing at numerous official occasions, including Government House.

His passion for piping has taken him across the globe. He has performed in Canada and France, where he collaborated with Breton bandsmen at the Paris Agricultural Exhibition. More recently, he played at the Light Horse and Commonwealth Memorials in Beersheba, Israel. One of his proudest experiences has been performing alongside his son in the Scots Old Boys Band during Anzac Day commemorations in Sydney. Anzac Day holds deep significance for Cam, and he has often led the March in Willow Tree, as well as joining fellow Scots Old Boys for the parade in Quirindi.

In 2018, Cam received one of his greatest honours when the Principal of Scots College invited him to present the Academic Awards and deliver the Speech Day address at the Sydney Opera House. On that occasion, he inspected the Band on the Opera House forecourt, then slung his pipes over his shoulder and played a tune with them—an unforgettable moment that symbolised his lifelong dedication to both agriculture and music.