As I sat interviewing Chris Cameron two aspects of her personality came through almost immediately. One was her warmth and genuine interest in who you are. The second was a very tangible sense of contentment both with herself and her place in the world. And as she began to tell me about her past, present and future I could understand how she came to be in such an envious position. When I think of the quote ‘Ingenuity, plus courage, plus work equals miracles’ I think of Chris. In all phases of her life she has taken stock, chosen a direction and put it in action. She states ‘you should live in accordance with your true nature and have honesty and integrity at the core of all you do’. This philosophy has certainly supported her well and is one of the reasons Chris is one of the most successful business women today.

Even at the tender age of fifteen Chris knew what was right for her and what was not. She left school because it did not support her dreams and ambitions. Her first job was in the very male dominated world of the Miscellaneous Workers Union. The union movement was to be her career for the next fourteen years and would incorporate four unions and in two states. During this time frame she also became a founding member of Greenpeace, lived for three months in Bali, survived Cyclone Tracy in Darwin, moved back to her home town of Adelaide, with a brief stint in Melbourne working as a graphic artist, before ending up in Sydney in 1983.

It was while she was in Sydney that a series of incidents would eventually lead her to move to the Sunshine Coast to carve out a new life for herself. In 1989 she caught the secretary of the Union she was working for stealing funds, her beloved father committed suicide and the shine had faded from Sydney life. Disheartened, she took refuge in her unit at Peregian that she had previously bought as an investment.

The Sunshine Coast environment helped her to find some peace but she found it impossible to find work. Chris isn’t one to sit and wallow so when she discovered she only had $2.54 left in her bank account, she did what any self-sufficient woman would do – put an ad in the paper of course. She only had one reply, and as fate would have it that one reply came from the man who would become her husband.

Her job was to install a computerised accounting system in a business called Rockcote that literally ran from a shed in the back yard of a Yandina block. It was a far cry from Sydney. (I have seen the pictures, it really does look like a shack in the middle of nowhere!) It only had two other employees – an old farmer from across the paddock and a very unreliable bikie.

Love, marriage and parenthood blossomed and so did a very successful and prosperous business partnership. Although ‘Rockcote’ had been registered since 1979, with Bob’s innovation and Chris’ business sense, the company turned over $300 000 in its first year and has grown to earn in excess of $17 million a year. The turning point for Rockcote came when Bob was introduced to a book called ‘Natural Capitalism’ by Amory Lovins, Hunter Lovins and Paul Hawkins. Natural Capitalism points out the flaw in our modern economic system; it goes onto show how we can make quantum improvements to our business bottom line while improving the natural environment and our communities. Modern capitalism fails to account for the input of natural capital i.e. the services provided by the environment which underlies all life and wealth production.

For ten years now, long before it was trendy to be environmental, Rockcote has been making environmentally friendly, people safe paints and decorative finishes for our homes, offices and schools. The multi award winning EcoStyle range is approved by the Asthma Foundation and accredited by Good Environmental Choice Australia. Rockcote is in fact the only paint manufacturer in Australia to not only have these prestigious accolades but also to be a member of the Green Building Council.


With principles such as ‘the bottom line of green is black’ and ‘take nothing from the biosphere and put nothing back into the biosphere’ you find a company who is more than willing to walk their talk. This has included investing millions of dollars in building Australia’s first fully sustainable commercial development on the Gold Coast in 2002, a building originally destined for the Sunshine Coast but killed by local Government. In building this ground breaking building, Rockcote had to invent a number of products that were not readily available including a water treatment plant, alternative power sources and of course non-toxic paint.

Rockcote has won numerous awards including a 2009 United Nations World Environment Day Award and in Amsterdam in 2008 they were recognised for having the best environmental building in the world by FIABCI (The International Real Estate Institute). In June this year they were also bestowed the Queensland Premiers Award for Leadership in Business Sustainability – a very high honour. Rockcote’s dedication and commitment to integrity is mirrored in their employees. Many of the employees have been working there for ten years or more and they have even employed three generations of the same family. If you were to define Chris’ role in the company it would be as the ‘Jill of all trades’. She does everything from marketing, product design, strategic planning, administration and the all important role as chief of fun.

Bob and Chris are givers. Not only does the company donate a portion of sales to the Australian Koala Foundation, but as a couple they are and have been involved in the Noosa Permaculture and Waterwatch. Bob has built a number of cob ovens in the community, while Chris has mentored local women, been a driver for Meals on Wheels, initiated and currently Chairs’ the Transition and Innovation Committee at her daughter’s school, which looks at alternate pathways for children not wishing to enter tertiary study at this stage of their lives.

Chris is also a well known member of the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network. She is a mentor and public speaker. She is an instigator of new ideas and constantly seeks to improve the lives of people she comes in contact with. One day while walking along the beach she overheard a sixteen year old girl say to a friend, ‘I really hope that I get pregnant this year’. Horrified that girls could possible think that is all there is out there for them, Chris now runs a competition each year and takes a girl and boy with her to the Telstra Women’s Business Awards. She feels it is important for both sexes to see that there are amazing women out there running and developing exceptional businesses.

Her extraordinary combination of empathy and business smarts has been recognised in a number of ways. In 2006 Chris was recognised in BRW magazines Top 50 Female Entrepreneurs in Australia (ranked 13th). In 2003 she won the Queensland and then National Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award and in 2002 she won the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network Corporate/ Government Business Woman of the Year. Her accolades are many but she is as down to earth and approachable as they come. She told me that it is important not to play your cards too close to your chest and to share information freely. As she pointed all parties benefit and can continue to learn from each other.

As I stated in the beginning, there is a sense of well-deserved contentment about Chris. All that she has worked for, all that she has achieved has come from her attitude to life and the ability to create for the greater good. Well Chris, keep on Rocking