John Ronald Shafto "Ron" Adair

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(22 May 189327 June 1960) was an Australian aviator, army officer and businessman. In recognition for his service to aviation, Adair was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1955.

Early life

John Ronald Shafto Adair was born 22 May 1893 at Maryborough, Queensland, to a Victorian-born couple, John Hamilton Adair, a surveyor and Constance Ada (née Smith), a homemaker. He was educated at Maryborough Grammar School.

Career

After completing an engineering apprenticeship, Adair volunteered for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and joined the Australian Military Forces, attaining the rank of sergeant. On 21 February 1916, Adair enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and served as a

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

in No. 1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps. Reaching Egypt in April 1916, he was reclassified as an air mechanic seven months later, in November 1916. After the completion of his pilot training in February 1918, Adair rejoined his original squadron members and was subsequently promoted to the rank of lieutenant a month later. On 29 September of the same year, his AIF contract terminated. Adair displayed exceptional airmanship during his career as a commercial pilot; in 1928, he safely landed an Avro Avian aeroplane even after its engine had fallen out. On 28 March 1928, he founded his first commercial airline, Aircrafts Pty. Ltd. Adair also founded Queensland Airlines (later part of Ansett-ANA), a freight and passenger airline.

Personal life

On 10 February 1919, while still in the military, Adair married Rose Ethel Ellis at the British Consulate in Cairo. They had one son (Isidore Ronald Shafto Adair 1920-1988). Ellis filed for divorced some time later. On 16 January 1937, he married divorcee Bertha Ella, (née Savery, late Kither), at Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church.

Death

On 27 June 1960, Adair died of a coronary occlusion-caused heart attack at

Ascot, Queensland Ascot is a north-east suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Ascot had a population of 5,777 people. Geography Ascot is characterised by large Queenslander homes and is located approximately north-east of Brisbane ...

. He was cremated with Anglican rites.

References

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