Rear Admiral Kevin John Scarce, (born 4 May 1952) is a retired Royal Australian Navy officer who was the 34th Governor of South Australia, serving from August 2007 to August 2014. He was succeeded by Hieu Van Le, who had previously been his lieutenant governor. He was Chancellor of the University of Adelaide from 2014 to 2020.
Early life
Born in Adelaide, South Australia on 4 May 1952, Scarce spent his early childhood in Woomera and attended Elizabeth East Primary School and Elizabeth High School.
Career
Military service
Scarce joined the Royal Australian Navy College in 1968 and graduated in 1972, having distinguished himself as an all-round sportsman. In 1973, he continued his training with the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. On his return to Australia, he served on HMA Ships Vendetta, Yarra and Duchess, at the Sydney shore base and on the aircraft carrier .
Scarce served during the Vietnam War on the troop transport . After Vietnam, his naval career specialised in military logistics and procurement. He served on the staff of the Australian Embassy's Naval Attaché in Washington, D.C. from 1979 to 1982 and in 1994 returned to Washington to undertake a master's degree in National Security Strategy at the US War College (National Defense University).
In Australia, Scarce rose to the rank of rear admiral and Head of Maritime Systems at the Defence Materiel Organisation. Scarce also served as the commander of between 1995 and 1997.
In 2004 and 2005, Rear Admiral Scarce served as Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian Government Defence Unit. The unit was tasked to expand business opportunities for the State's defence sector. Scarce played a key role in South Australia's winning bid for a A$6 billion defence contract to build three air warfare destroyers for the Australian Defence Force. He was also Chairman of the Defence Industry Advisory Board at the time.
Governor of South Australia
On 3 May 2007, it was announced that Scarce would become Governor of South Australia – the Queen's representative in the state. After his appointment he broke the tenets of viceregal impartiality by publicly stating that he is an avowed supporter of an Australian republic. When appointed, he was the youngest South Australian-born governor and the first Royal Australian Navy officer appointed to the position. In 2008, Scarce was appointed the Patron of Debating SA.
As governor, Scarce stressed the importance of science and maths education, and continued to champion economic opportunities in South Australia's defense sector. In 2010 he told Defense Business SA magazine:
On 13 February 2012, Scarce's term was extended by two years to 7 August 2014. Hieu Van Le, Scarce's lieutenant-governor, was announced on 26 June 2014 as Scarce's replacement, and took over the role on 1 September.
Also during his incumbency, Scarce presented the deed of title at the Maralinga Tjarutja Section 400 Handback Ceremony at the Maralinga Village. Section 400 was a 3,126 km2 parcel of land, located from the Oak Valley Aboriginal Community. The ceremony marked the return of Section 400 to its traditional owners, which had previously been disallowed access due to radioactive contamination. The contamination was a legacy of a program of British nuclear weapons tests which ran from 1956 until 1963. Seven major nuclear weapons tests occurred in 1956 and 1957 followed by a series of 'minor' tests which included the explosive scattering of of plutonium.
Not-for-profit sector
Since ending his term as Governor of South Australia, Scarce has remained active in South Australia's not-for-profit sector. He was appointed Chairman of the Cancer Council of South Australia in November 2014 and has since met many beneficiaries of the organisation's fundraising, research, education and services. He told The Advertiser that he took the role last November after being impressed by the council's work during his time as governor, and also because his grandmother Leah died from cancer. Scarce has also cycled as part of the Cancer Council's Ride for a Reason team in the Santos Tour Down Under. Also in November 2014, Scarce was appointed President of Novita Children's Services which provides assistance to disabled children, their families and carers. Kevin Scarce and Raymond Spencer are ambassadors for Impact 100, a sub fund of the Australian Communities Foundation, which awards grants to not-for-profit organisations in South Australia. In 2016, Scarce joined the board of Operation Flinders.