Don Cameron Announces Retirement
570 News announced this morning the retirement of long-time Kitchener Rangers broadcaster, Don Cameron.
Born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, the “Voice of the Rangers” began his career covering his hometown senior squad, the Summerside Aces, for CJRW in 1956. Soon thereafter, he landed in Ontario, taking a job with CKTB radio in St. Catharines where he went on to cover the Jr. “A” Teepees.
He came to Kitchener in 1958 as the Sports Director for CKCR Radio and later CKKW where after a one game tryout, he was given the responsibility of covering Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen senior hockey games. He eventually travelled with the team to California for the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympic Games where the team laid claim to a silver medal.
When the Rangers came to be in 1963, Cameron began covering the club. He has been the play-by-play voice for the team every season since with the exception of two – 1974-75 and 1975-76 – when the rights to the games were owned by a competitor. During those two seasons, Cameron still reported on the team.
He coached the Kitchener Kieswetter ladies senior fastball team from 1973-1978, with the team winning the Canadian Championship in 1975 and finishing second in 1976.
He has also served the community through the Children’s Youth Organization, Big Brothers, the KW Press Club, Knights of Columbus, the Granite Club and the Jazz Club.
He was named as a recipient of the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, and has been the face of Don Cameron Potato Night, a successful Rangers community initiative for nearly 20 years.
Over the course of his media career, Cameron has also covered such events as the Brier, Skate Canada, and the Canada Summer Games.
He has been a part of over 4,000 broadcasts, and the Rangers play-by-play voice for 50 seasons.
“Although our fans will surely be saddened by Don’s retirement,” Rangers Chief Operating Officer and Governor Steve Bienkowski noted, “they can always reflect on his outstanding abilities he displayed through his broadcasts of Rangers hockey.”
The Kitchener Rangers are proud to have been associated with Don and thank him for all his contributions to the club and the community.
