Cammy’s education was undertaken at public expense, but failed to prove comprehensive. At the stupid age of 16, he packed his troubles in a kit bag and joined the army as an entertainer: you might say he was a musician, if you viewed percussion kindly. The army took him to most corners of the globe, since it’s spherical properties are still incomprehensible to a soldier. In a desperate attempt to sound like a real performer, he grasped opportunities to play at the White House, Hong Kong’s handover ceremony, Madison Square Gardens and Red Square.
Since leaving the forces, Cammy has grown weary of apologising for his utter lack of an elevator pitch. He is well aware that even those that know him best are only aware of perhaps 40% of what fills his time. He delights in conducting bespoke tours, but spends the majority of his life cooking, cleaning and tidying-up after his wife and weans. Honestly, he’s happy “stringing blethers up in rhyme for fools to sing”. He befriends tour clients, he drums, he speaks, he over-engineers sound, he arranges music, he sings, he marches and he’ll happily saw a mandolin in half. Court Jester or Concierge, “master-of- none” – you can decide.
As a Burnsian, I am a member of the Bowhill Peoples Burns Club in Cardenden, Chair of the Edinburgh Burns Club, vice president of the Edinburgh and District Burns Clubs Association and an independent member of the Robert Burns World Federation. I am also Bandmaster of the Crochallan Fencibles and a friend of Ellisland. As a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, I provide walking and driving tours year round with a particular focus on Robert Burns. I am one of only two individuals to hold all four senior recitation titles worldwide, being a past winner of the prestigious world Tam o Shanter competition, the World John Lapraik contest and the Whistle contest, as well as the open competition held by the EDBCA.