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 nameCarey William Adamson
Born(1942-09-05)5 September 1942
Fairlie, New Zealand
Died10 May 2019(2019-05-10) (aged 76)
AllegianceNew Zealand
Service/branchRoyal New Zealand Air Force
Years of service1961–2001
RankAir Marshal
Commands heldChief of Defence Force
Chief of the Air Staff
No. 40 Squadron RNZAF
Battles/warsVietnam War
AwardsCompanion 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]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Williams, Al (20 May 2019). "Former Chief of Defence Carey Adamson remembered as 'top bloke'". Stuff. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Pilot's painful duty to clip wings of his own fighters". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  3. ^ Lee-Frampton, Nick (24–30 July 1996). "Forward Thrust". Flight International. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  4. ^ "No. 47871". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 16 June 1979. p. 31.
  5. ^ "New Year honours list 1999". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1998. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Denyce Adamson obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Carey Adamson death notice". The Press. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.

External links edit

Military offices
Preceded by
Lieutenant General Anthony Birks
Chief of Defence Force
1999–2001
Succeeded by
Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson
Preceded by
Air Vice Marshal John Hosie
Chief of the Air Staff
1995–1999
Succeeded by
Air Vice Marshal Don Hamilton