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Adam Dunning wore the insignia of a policeman, not that of a military man. But he was battle-hardened. The 26-year-old had served as an Australian Air Force reservist in East Timor. There, he had dodged bullets fired by Indonesian-backed militias intent on retribution after the 1999 referendum on independence from Jakarta. "That was dangerous," Adam's grieving father, Mike Dunning, a retired art teacher, said. "He came under a lot of hostile fire. Once they had secured the airport, they were sent out further and further into the bush. He saw a lot of very bad things." Mr Dunning disclosed that his son had been in a dangerous engagement earlier in his Solomons deployment, for which he was given a bravery commendation. A man had pointed a gun at his son's head. Instead of responding with his own firearm, the young officer had reasoned with the man, defusing what had been a potentially lethal confrontation. The gun used to threaten him turned out to be a replica, but the incident showed Adam's cool-headedness, his father said. "He was sensitive enough to weigh up the situation and act in a very cool, moral way," Mr Dunning said. "We were always very proud of him as a person. He really was a fine young man. I suppose you could say he died doing something honourable." Honourable service was the Adam Dunning way. After his stint in East Timor, the fair-skinned redhead from Canberra got a job with the Australian Protective Service, part of the Australian Federal Police, performing guard duty in and around federal Parliament. Itching for action, he volunteered to serve in the Solomons, undergoing his training in August. He was deployed in October and was due to return home in Canberra in just a few weeks' time. Mr Dunning said his son came to see the Solomon Islanders as neighbours who needed assistance to bring stability back to a country suffering from ethnic violence and lawlessness. The Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, phoned Mr Dunning yesterday morning to tell him what had happened. Two bullets struck Adam in the back shortly after 3am, dealing a devastating blow to his family, to his girlfriend, Elise Wiscombe, and to his mates in Australia. "It is sad, as he cared for the people so much and was doing something really good on their behalf," Mr Dunning said. "He always has been a decent person, tough and soft-hearted at the same time. He was totally honourable and very stubborn - nobody could make him do anything that he did not think was right. He was a credit to us." Mr Dunning last spoke to Adam about three weeks ago, but had been in regular contact by email up until a few days ago. "He stated that he had received our letters and Christmas presents and he was looking forward to coming home," he said. "The presents we sent were token things really - the main presents were waiting for him back here." Adam's girlfriend, Elise Wiscombe, 22, described Adam as an amazing man. "I'm very proud," Ms Wiscombe said. "He's got amazing morals. He can be so strong, he's my strength. But he's so loving too. He's caring and he does little things just to surprise you." She said he would be remembered as a man with a big heart. By Craig Skehan and AAP
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