Carey Adamson
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.
5 September 1942
Carey Adamson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Carey William Adamson 5 September 1942 Fairlie, New Zealand |
| Died | 10 May 2019 (aged 76) |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Branch | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Service years | 1961–2001 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands | Chief of Defence Force Chief of the Air Staff No. 40 Squadron RNZAF |
| Conflicts | 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]
