Carey Adamson

Carey Adamson
Carey Adamson
Birth name	Carey William Adamson
Born	5 September 1942; Fairlie, New Zealand
Died	10 May 2019 (aged 76)
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service / branch	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

Air Marshal Carey William Adamson, CNZM, AFC (5 September 1942 – 10 May 2019) was a senior officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

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

^ ^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.
^ "Pilot's painful duty to clip wings of his own fighters". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
^ Lee-Frampton, Nick (24–30 July 1996). "Forward Thrust". Flight International. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
^ "No. 47871". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 16 June 1979. p. 31.
^ "New Year honours list 1999". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1998. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
^ "Denyce Adamson obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
^ "Carey Adamson death notice". The Press. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.

External links

South Canterbury Museum Collections – Air Vice Marshal Carey Adamson

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

This biographical article related to the military of New Zealand is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[Stuff_obit-1] 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.

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