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Royal New Zealand Air Force officer (1942–2019) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Marshal Carey William Adamson, CNZM, AFC (5 September 1942 – 10 May 2019) was a senior officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Carey Adamson | |
---|---|
Birth name | Carey William Adamson |
Born | Fairlie, New Zealand | 5 September 1942
Died | 10 May 2019 76) | (aged
Allegiance | New Zealand |
Service/ | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
Years of service | 1961–2001 |
Rank | Air Marshal |
Commands | Chief of Defence Force Chief of the Air Staff No. 40 Squadron RNZAF |
Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Awards | Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Air Force Cross |
Adamson grew up in Fairlie before attending Timaru Boys' High School, where he was a boarder apart from his final year, when he commuted daily on his motorcycle.[1] As a teenager, Adamson joined the Air Training Corps. He then joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1961, where he served as a pilot flying Austers and Harvards. In 1964 Adamson was assigned to the United States to train on the C130 Hercules.[2]
He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1995[3] to 1999 and Chief of Defence Force from 1999 to 2001.[1] In 2002, he caused "unprecedented controversy" when he criticised the government for disestablishing the air combat force.[1]
In the 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours, Adamson was awarded the Air Force Cross.[4] In the 1999 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.[5]
Adamson was predeceased by his wife, Denyce (née Pickens), in 2013.[6] He had Parkinson's disease for the last few years of his life,[1] and died on 10 May 2019.[7] He received a military funeral at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul.[1]
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