Nicknames dog this rooster

By Glen Atwell
DESPITE never being crosseyed, Cameron Reid grew up with a cockeye of a nickname.
The now 31yearold Pakenham resident was known as ‘Cockeye’ as a child, a nickname given to him by his father John.
“I had trouble pronouncing my middle name Scott and somehow I ended up as Cockeye,” Cameron explained.
A family relocation to Papua New Guinea for 15 years helped Cameron shed his interesting nickname, but he was soon tagged with another.
“I was forced by the Papua New Guinean government to come back to Australia when I was about 20 years old.
“Friends and family remembered the name Cockeye and it soon turned into Rooster,” Cameron said.
Now Cameron shares an affinity with all local charcoal chicken shops.
“There is one called Country Rooster.
“People think that is my shop,” Rooster joked.
Luckily Cameron prefers to eat KFC than Red Rooster.
“I was actually known as Red Rooster for some time,” he said.
Cameron said his nickname was well known across Pakenham and some people didn’t even know his real name.
“It is one of those nicknames that goes everywhere with me. I can’t shake it.”
Cameron runs his own business, SRD Fire Protection, which installs automatic fire protection systems for businesses in the area.
“It’s mainly the industrial sector, but we provide many different services,” he said.
Rooster has been heralded for saving many businesses from being charcoaled.