Ian Thomas Cameron was born in Bairnsdale in 1897, the third surviving son of a Presbyterian minister. He was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne and subsequently graduated from the University of Melbourne MB BS, in 1922. He married in 1924 and spent his honeymoon on the SS Victoria travelling to Hong Kong and gaining an understanding of the Chinese. In general practice, initially at Mornington, he went to Croydon in 1927 and endeared himself to the community. In this busy outer suburban practice he found time to gain his MD in 1936 and Membership of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1938.

During the First World War he had seen many of his colleagues joining the armed forces and he was determined to contribute similarly in 1940. Regrettably he became a prisoner of war following the fall of Singapore and was contained within Changi gaol. His health was irreparably damaged and after returning to his practice in 1946 he died in 1948 at the age of fifty-one.

He was a quiet, unselfish, compassionate man who inspired hope and confidence in others. There was a genuine Christian spirit that animated him and was best known by those who came under his care. He was a keen sportsman in his earlier years at the University and had a journalistic flair. In the prewar years his interest in golf was not solely for the game - he would frequently bring home snakes to examine and preserve, much to his family's consternation. In Malaya he was known affectionately as `Pambo the snake charmer' by his troops. He was proud of his Scottish Cameron ancestry, he had a deep thoughtful understanding of a wide range of subjects and amongst his close friends was known as a conversationalist with a ready wit.