Grahame Campbell

In “Clarinets, Pipelines and Unforeseen Places,” Grahame Campbell tells the story of a world-spanning career in engineering that took him from the first steps as an undergraduate student all the way to the decision-rooms of power.

As a young man, Grahame envisioned a career in music, playing professional gigs as a jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. Even as the demands of reality intervened, including a young family, he never lost his passion for music, which continued as a counterpoint to his engineering work and a door-opener to new commercial relationships.

Grahame’s story will take you from Sydney to the USA, Iraq, Trinidad, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, through the oil crisis of the 1970s and the resources and infrastructure booms to follow. Along the road you’ll meet memorable characters including Dizzy Gillespie, Mick Jagger, Rex ‘The Strangler’ Connor, and Andrew Forrest, and learn about life and big business as seen through the eyes of a dedicated and eternally curious engineer.