Herbert Arthur "Bunny" Adair (23 August 1905 – 10 October 1994) was a politician in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. He was a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former electoral div ...

Early life

Aloomba State School Queensland, circa 1914

Herbert Adair and Gladys Down, Freshwater Hall near Cairns after their marriage 1928

Herbert Arthur Adair was born 23 August 1905 at Wolfram Camp, Queensland, Australia, the son of Cecil Henry Adair and his wife Helen (née Barratt). Adair was educated at state schools in

Herberton Herberton is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Herberton had a population of 855 people. Geography Herberton is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. It is situa ...

, Wolfram and Aloomba and at the

Mount Carmel College, Charters Towers Columba Catholic College is an Independent school, independent Roman Catholic Church in Australia, Roman Catholic Mixed-sex education, co-educational Primary school, primary and Secondary school, secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, ...

. In 1926, he moved to

Freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

where he resided for the rest of his life. He had a varied career as a miner, canecutter, cane farmer, contract carrier and publican. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Adair served in the 2nd

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

(AIF), Armoured Division, and 17 Field Regiment, 5th Division. On 15 February 1928, he married Gladys Hannah Down (daughter of the publican of the Freshwater Hotel) at

(near

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

). The couple had two sons and a daughter. In later years, Bunny and Gladys would run the Freshwater Hotel.

Politics

Adair served as a councillor in the Mulgrave Shire Council from 1939 to 1946. He represented the

electoral district of Cook Cook is an electoral district in Queensland, Australia. Cook covers the vast Cape York Peninsula north of Cairns, including the resort town of Port Douglas and the Torres Strait Islands. It is named after British navigator James Cook, who ch ...

from 7 March 1953 to 26 April 1957 as a member of the Labor Party. From 26 April 1957 to 1 June 1963, he represented Cook as a member of the

Queensland Labor Party The Queensland Labor Party (QLP) was a political party of Queensland, Australia formed in 1957 by a breakaway group of the then ruling Labor Party Government after the expulsion of Premier Vince Gair. In 1962 the party became the Queensland se ...

. From 1 June 1963 to 17 May 1969, he represented Cook as an independent. Adair did not contest the 1969 election in which Bill Wood won Cook for the Labor Party.

Missing and rescue

On Tuesday 27 July 1954, Bunny Adair, an experienced bushman, set out from

Cape Tribulation Cape Tribulation is a headland and coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas in northern Queensland, Australia. In the , Cape Tribulation had a population of 118 people. Geography The locality is north of Cairns. It is within the Daintree Na ...

to walk 20 miles to Bloomfield to inspect the country through which local people wanted to build a road. He was expected to arrive the following day and the alarm was raised when he did not appear. The police organised search parties. On Friday 30 July, a man was spotted on the beach about seven miles north of Cape Tribulation by

Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...

pilot Bob Rowell who was conducting an air search in an

Auster Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.Willis, issue 122, p.55 History The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited, ma ...

aircraft. Rowell dropped a note onto the beach asking "Who are you?". The man responded by writing "Bunny Adair" with a stick in the sand. A note was then dropped telling him to stay put and another pilot did an aerial drop of food and cigarettes. The tug ''Tully Falls'' was dispatched from

Port Douglas Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the in ...

to rescue Adair. Unfortunately, rough seas prevented the tug from rescuing Adair and so an aerial ambulance (an Auster) made a hazardous landing on the beach at Cape Tribulation and Adair walked down the beach to be rescued from there. Adair explained that he had encountered impenetrable jungle about two miles from Bloomfield and had been forced to return to the coast. He had had little food left when the search aircraft spotted him. Adair was flown back to his home in Cairns, described as very tired but otherwise in good health.

Later life

Bunny Adair died on 21 October 1994 in North Queensland. On 25 October, a requiem mass was held at St Monica's Cathedral, Cairns, after which he was buried with his wife in the

Martyn Street cemetery Martyn may refer to: *Martyn (surname), one of the Tribes of Galway and others *Martyn (given name) See also *Martin (disambiguation) *Marten (disambiguation) A marten is a mammal in the family ''Mustelidae''. Marten, Mårten, or Martén may also ...

in Cairns.

Legacy

Bunny Adair Park on Lower Freshwater Road, Freshwater was named after him. Adair Street in Yorkeys Knob was named after him.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adair, Bunny Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1905 births 1994 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Queensland Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers