diff --git a/include/osgGA/EventQueue b/include/osgGA/EventQueue
index 32a88acf6..ef8463ec1 100644
--- a/include/osgGA/EventQueue
+++ b/include/osgGA/EventQueue
@@ -181,6 +181,13 @@ class OSGGA_EXPORT EventQueue : public osg::Referenced
         GUIEventAdapter* getCurrentEventState() { return _accumulateEventState.get(); }
         const GUIEventAdapter* getCurrentEventState() const { return _accumulateEventState.get(); }
 
+        /** Method for adapting user defined events */
+        void userEvent(osg::Referenced* userEventData) { userEvent(userEventData, getTime()); }
+
+        /** Method for adapting user defined events with specified event time */
+        void userEvent(osg::Referenced* userEventData, double time);
+
+
     protected:
 
         virtual ~EventQueue();
diff --git a/include/osgGA/GUIEventAdapter b/include/osgGA/GUIEventAdapter
index 2147d9f7f..f81f05f47 100644
--- a/include/osgGA/GUIEventAdapter
+++ b/include/osgGA/GUIEventAdapter
@@ -14,22 +14,15 @@
 #ifndef OSGGA_EVENT
 #define OSGGA_EVENT 1 
 
-#include <osg/Referenced>
+#include <osg/Object>
 #include <osgGA/Export>
 
 namespace osgGA{
 
 
-/**
-Pure virtual base class for adapting platform specific GUIEventAdapters into
-generic keyboard and mouse GUIEventAdapters. 
-
-Used as GUI toolkit-independent input into GUIEventAdapters. Viewer
-writers should subclass this base class to implement the functionality
-to translate one of their GUI GUIEventAdapters, e.g. a Qt GUIEventAdapter or an MFC GUIEventAdapter,
-as appropriate.
+/** Event class for storing Keyboard, mouse and window events.
 */
-class OSGGA_EXPORT GUIEventAdapter : public osg::Referenced
+class OSGGA_EXPORT GUIEventAdapter : public osg::Object
 {
 public:
 
@@ -55,7 +48,8 @@ public:
             PEN_PROXIMITY_ENTER,
             PEN_PROXIMITY_LEAVE,
             CLOSE_WINDOW,
-            QUIT_APPLICATION
+            QUIT_APPLICATION,
+            USER
         };
 
         enum KeySymbol
@@ -256,7 +250,9 @@ public:
 
         GUIEventAdapter();
 
-        GUIEventAdapter(const GUIEventAdapter& rhs);
+        GUIEventAdapter(const GUIEventAdapter& rhs, const osg::CopyOp& copyop=osg::CopyOp::SHALLOW_COPY);
+
+        META_Object(osgGA, GUIEventAdapter);
         
         /** Set whether this event has been handled by an event handler or not.*/
         void setHandled(bool handled) { _handled = handled; }
diff --git a/src/osgGA/EventQueue.cpp b/src/osgGA/EventQueue.cpp
index 7e57b7554..038db29c0 100644
--- a/src/osgGA/EventQueue.cpp
+++ b/src/osgGA/EventQueue.cpp
@@ -358,3 +358,15 @@ GUIEventAdapter* EventQueue::createEvent()
     if (_accumulateEventState.valid()) return new GUIEventAdapter(*_accumulateEventState.get()); 
     else return new GUIEventAdapter();    
 }
+
+void EventQueue::userEvent(osg::Referenced* userEventData, double time)
+{
+    GUIEventAdapter* event = new GUIEventAdapter(*_accumulateEventState);
+    event->setEventType(GUIEventAdapter::USER);
+    event->setUserData(userEventData);
+    event->setTime(time);
+    
+    addEvent(event);
+};
+
+
diff --git a/src/osgGA/GUIEventAdapter.cpp b/src/osgGA/GUIEventAdapter.cpp
index 5095b4003..01215ed1b 100644
--- a/src/osgGA/GUIEventAdapter.cpp
+++ b/src/osgGA/GUIEventAdapter.cpp
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ GUIEventAdapter::GUIEventAdapter():
     _tabletPointerType(UNKNOWN)
 {}
 
-GUIEventAdapter::GUIEventAdapter(const GUIEventAdapter& rhs):
-    osg::Referenced(),
+GUIEventAdapter::GUIEventAdapter(const GUIEventAdapter& rhs,const osg::CopyOp& copyop):
+    osg::Object(rhs,copyop),
     _handled(rhs._handled),
     _eventType(rhs._eventType),
     _time(rhs._time),