Community music advocate Maureen Cameron talks to Oasis Magazine about charity , music and the role of community in doing good .

and a position at St Andrew ’ s Catholic College both served to immerse her in a rich musical culture .

No longer directing ( a decision made so she could give more attention to her daughter , Catherine ) Maureen is still an active band member and describes it as spirit nurturing ; right from the beginning she was made to feel part of something far bigger than herself .

Head-of-music by day , conductor by night , and occasional performer , music is ‘ 100 per cent of my life ’. Her husband Bryan works alongside her at St Andrew ’ s , making it a

24-hour partnership . Music is work as well as home . She says , ‘ It ’ s basically all of my life . But it ’ s a great life ’.

A fascinating aspect of Maureen ’ s roles is harnessing the energy of all those musicians . I assume it requires great discipline , from both sides . She describes two relationships . The professional relationship is like driving a train , or a big machine , to function as a single unit . ‘ You ’ re looked to for guidance , in all of the notes , all of the phrases . You ’ ve got to be attached on a sub-conscious level , but at that point you must be disengaged as a friend ’. Of this second relationship , Maureen tells of the immense enjoyment in making music together , but also says that when the baton goes down the banter begins .

Understanding how powerful music is , how much love people have for being a part of it , is a fierce inspiration . It has been a driving force for a number of charitable projects Maureen has been involved with in the community music sphere . The Gift of Music , for example , was an idea hatched by Maureen and Bryan that facilitates easy and entertaining access for the Cairns community to charitable ventures - often culminating in events like the Gift of Music joint community concert held at the Tanks earlier this year .

One of the fundraising concert ’ s recipient charities , Friends of Himalayan Children , is a humanitarian organisation that was launched from Cairns . Introduced to the charity via students at St Andrews , Maureen has since travelled to Nepal , spent time in Batase village and worked in the school .

‘ You only ever really feel good about yourself if you ’ re doing good things for other people . I think it ’ s where your own self worth comes from and it gives you a better understanding of the world ’. She says that charity is not just about money , and in fact , struggles with the concept when it becomes synonymous only with giving money . Awareness , and having empathy for and understanding of what other people are going through are hugely important . ‘ There ’ s many things that come under the banner of being a good person ’.

She also highlights the power of collaborative effort , stressing that charitable pursuit is most successful when there is community connection and collective effort . To highlight this , she points out that being a 2015 recipient of Queensland ’ s Anzac Centenary grant program was only made possible with the help of key local supporters and many more community members . The grant money gave life to Anzac Reflections , a

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