John Waddy | |
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![]() Squadron Leader Waddy at Morotai c. 1945 | |
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Kirribilli | |
In office 3 March 1962 – 2 April 1976 | |
Preceded by | New district |
Succeeded by | Bruce McDonald |
Personal details | |
Born | 10 December 1916 Sydney, New South Wales |
Died | 11 September 1987 Goulburn, New South Wales | (aged 70)
Political party | Liberal Party |
Nickname | "Wad"[1] |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Australia |
Branch/service | Royal Australian Air Force |
Years of service | 1940–54 |
Rank | Group Captain |
Unit | No. 250 Squadron RAF (1941–42) No. 260 Squadron RAF (1942) No. 4 Squadron SAAF (1942) No. 92 Squadron RAF (1942) No. 2 OTU (1943–44) |
Commands | No. 80 Squadron (1944–45) RAAF Reserve (1950–54) |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross Mentioned in Despatches Air Medal (US) |
John Lloyd Waddy, OBE, DFC (10 December 1916 – 11 September 1987) was a senior officer and aviator in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and later served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and as a minister in the New South Wales government. As a fighter pilot during World War II, he shot down 15 enemy aircraft during the North African campaign, becoming one of Australia's top-scoring aces and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. Waddy went on to command No. 80 Squadron in the South West Pacific, where he was awarded the US Air Medal. He was one of eight senior pilots who took part in the "Morotai Mutiny" of April 1945.
Discharged from the Permanent Air Force at the end of the war, Waddy took a commission in the RAAF Reserve and led the organisation as a group captain in the early 1950s. He was active in business and in veterans' groups, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1955. From 1962 to 1976, he was the Member for Kirribilli in the New South Wales Parliament, representing the Liberal Party. He held cabinet posts including Minister for Child Welfare and Social Welfare (later Youth and Community Services), Minister for Health, and Minister for Police and Services. Waddy retired from politics in 1976, and died in 1987 at the age of 70.
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