diff --git a/include/osgUtil/RenderStage b/include/osgUtil/RenderStage
index da7f8bd82..d72f002ab 100644
--- a/include/osgUtil/RenderStage
+++ b/include/osgUtil/RenderStage
@@ -224,20 +224,29 @@ class OSGUTIL_EXPORT RenderStage : public RenderBin
             GLenum                                  _imageReadPixelFormat;
             GLenum                                  _imageReadPixelDataType;
         };
-       
+
         void attach(osg::Camera::BufferComponent buffer, osg::Image* image);
-        
+
+        /** search through any pre and post RenderStage that reference a Camera, and take a reference to each of these cameras to prevent them being deleted while they are still be used by the drawing thread.*/
+        void collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+
+        /** clear the refence to any any dependent cameras.*/
+        void clearReferencesToDependentCameras();
+
     protected:
-        
+
         virtual ~RenderStage();
 
         typedef std::pair< int , osg::ref_ptr<RenderStage> > RenderStageOrderPair;
         typedef std::list< RenderStageOrderPair > RenderStageList;
+        typedef std::vector< osg::ref_ptr<osg::Camera> > Cameras;
 
         bool                                _stageDrawnThisFrame;
         RenderStageList                     _preRenderList;
         RenderStageList                     _postRenderList;
 
+        Cameras                             _dependentCameras;
+
         // viewport x,y,width,height.
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Viewport>         _viewport;
         
@@ -271,8 +280,7 @@ class OSGUTIL_EXPORT RenderStage : public RenderBin
         mutable osg::Matrix                         _inheritedPositionalStateContainerMatrix;
         mutable osg::ref_ptr<PositionalStateContainer>   _inheritedPositionalStateContainer;
         mutable osg::ref_ptr<PositionalStateContainer>   _renderStageLighting;
-        
-    
+
 
 };
 
diff --git a/include/osgUtil/SceneView b/include/osgUtil/SceneView
index 9d18cf1a1..acb3af417 100644
--- a/include/osgUtil/SceneView
+++ b/include/osgUtil/SceneView
@@ -311,6 +311,12 @@ class OSGUTIL_EXPORT SceneView : public osg::Object, public osg::CullSettings
         osgUtil::RenderStage* getRenderStageRight() { return _renderStageRight.get(); }
         const osgUtil::RenderStage* getRenderStageRight() const { return _renderStageRight.get(); }
 
+        /** search through any pre and post RenderStage that reference a Camera, and take a reference to each of these cameras to prevent them being deleted while they are still be used by the drawing thread.*/
+        void collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+
+        /** clear the refence to any any dependent cameras.*/
+        void clearReferencesToDependentCameras();
+
 
         /** Set the draw buffer value used at the start of each frame draw.  Note, overridden in quad buffer stereo mode */
         void setDrawBufferValue( GLenum drawBufferValue ) { _camera->setDrawBuffer(drawBufferValue); }
diff --git a/src/osgSim/LightPointNode.cpp b/src/osgSim/LightPointNode.cpp
index 4089b3906..a4311d51e 100644
--- a/src/osgSim/LightPointNode.cpp
+++ b/src/osgSim/LightPointNode.cpp
@@ -200,11 +200,11 @@ void LightPointNode::traverse(osg::NodeVisitor& nv)
             }
         }
 
-        // search for a drawable in the RenderLead list equal to the attached the one attached to StateGraph user data
+        // search for a drawable in the RenderLeaf list equal to the attached the one attached to StateGraph user data
         // as this will be our special light point drawable.
         osgUtil::StateGraph::LeafList::iterator litr;
         for(litr = rg->_leaves.begin();
-            litr != rg->_leaves.end() && (*litr)->_drawable.get()!=drawable;
+            litr != rg->_leaves.end() && (*litr)->_drawable!=drawable;
             ++litr)
         {}
         
diff --git a/src/osgUtil/RenderStage.cpp b/src/osgUtil/RenderStage.cpp
index 248c061a0..3db0833ec 100644
--- a/src/osgUtil/RenderStage.cpp
+++ b/src/osgUtil/RenderStage.cpp
@@ -1350,7 +1350,7 @@ unsigned int RenderStage::computeNumberOfDynamicRenderLeaves() const
 }
 
 
-void osgUtil::RenderStage::setMultisampleResolveFramebufferObject(osg::FrameBufferObject* fbo)
+void RenderStage::setMultisampleResolveFramebufferObject(osg::FrameBufferObject* fbo)
 {
     if (fbo && fbo->isMultisample())
     {
@@ -1359,3 +1359,45 @@ void osgUtil::RenderStage::setMultisampleResolveFramebufferObject(osg::FrameBuff
     }
     _resolveFbo = fbo;
 }
+
+void RenderStage::collateReferencesToDependentCameras()
+{
+    _dependentCameras.clear();
+
+    for(RenderStageList::iterator itr = _preRenderList.begin();
+        itr != _preRenderList.end();
+        ++itr)
+    {
+        itr->second->collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+        osg::Camera* camera = itr->second->getCamera();
+        if (camera) _dependentCameras.push_back(camera);
+    }
+
+    for(RenderStageList::iterator itr = _postRenderList.begin();
+        itr != _postRenderList.end();
+        ++itr)
+    {
+        itr->second->collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+        osg::Camera* camera = itr->second->getCamera();
+        if (camera) _dependentCameras.push_back(camera);
+    }
+}
+
+void RenderStage::clearReferencesToDependentCameras()
+{
+    for(RenderStageList::iterator itr = _preRenderList.begin();
+        itr != _preRenderList.end();
+        ++itr)
+    {
+        itr->second->collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+    }
+
+    for(RenderStageList::iterator itr = _postRenderList.begin();
+        itr != _postRenderList.end();
+        ++itr)
+    {
+        itr->second->collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+    }
+
+    _dependentCameras.clear();
+}
diff --git a/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp b/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
index 6c8cfd8d7..b90997f9e 100644
--- a/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
+++ b/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
@@ -1728,3 +1728,17 @@ bool SceneView::getStats(Statistics& stats)
         return _renderStage->getStats(stats);
     }
 }
+
+void SceneView::collateReferencesToDependentCameras()
+{
+    if (_renderStage.valid()) _renderStage->collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+    if (_renderStageLeft.valid()) _renderStageLeft->collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+    if (_renderStageRight.valid()) _renderStageRight->collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+}
+
+void SceneView::clearReferencesToDependentCameras()
+{
+    if (_renderStage.valid()) _renderStage->clearReferencesToDependentCameras();
+    if (_renderStageLeft.valid()) _renderStageLeft->clearReferencesToDependentCameras();
+    if (_renderStageRight.valid()) _renderStageRight->clearReferencesToDependentCameras();
+}
diff --git a/src/osgViewer/Renderer.cpp b/src/osgViewer/Renderer.cpp
index 1cc256da8..9240e4335 100644
--- a/src/osgViewer/Renderer.cpp
+++ b/src/osgViewer/Renderer.cpp
@@ -384,6 +384,11 @@ void Renderer::draw()
 
     if (sceneView && !_done)
     {
+        // since we are running the draw thread in parallel with the main thread it's possible to unreference Camera's
+        // that are still being used by this rendering thread, so to prevent this we'll take references to all these
+        // Camera's and the clear these references once we've completed the whole draw dispatch.
+        sceneView->collateReferencesToDependentCameras();
+
         if (_compileOnNextDraw)
         {
             compile();
@@ -485,6 +490,7 @@ void Renderer::draw()
             stats->setAttribute(frameNumber, "Draw traversal time taken", osg::Timer::instance()->delta_s(beforeDrawTick, afterDrawTick));
         }
 
+        sceneView->clearReferencesToDependentCameras();
     }
 
     DEBUG_MESSAGE<<"end draw() "<<this<<std::endl;